Kayla Hurst Photo

Kayla was such a dream to work with during my wedding experience. She was incredibly organized, efficient, had a vision, but also encouraged us to be us. She made pictures seem so effortless and of course they came out beautifully. She also would go above and beyond and stepped in on wedding day if I needed help (specifically she saw that my shoes were slipping off and ran and got my more comfy option for me after cocktail hour began) I could not recommend her more. Will definitely be using her again for pictures in the future!! Thank you so so much Kayla <333

Kayla was great to work with from day 1. Easy communication and made sure that both our engagement and wedding pics captured exactly the feel that we wanted. The day of photos were stress free thanks to her preparation and experience at our venue.

My husband and I got married this year and worked with Kayla for both our engagement session and wedding day. I had found Kayla while looking at photos taken at Turner Hall, our venue, and was beyond excited that I was able to book her. She was so friendly, helpful, and professional throughout the entire process. Having an engagement session wasn’t something we had planned for, but we’re glad we did it because she gave us a ton of great tips that helped us on our big day, and it was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other. Her candid style was just what we wanted, and exactly what we got. Thank you, Kayla, for the beautiful photos we will cherish forever!

Kayla was absolutely wonderful from the start. She is so very kind and really cares about how you want to feel on your big day! Our pictures turned out so beautiful and we couldn't be happier. She was super organized and paid attention to the detailed timeline to a T. She captured all the small, fun details without us asking! I would 100% recommend booking Kayla!!!!

Could not have picked a better photographer!!! Kayla went above and beyond playing a major role in keeping our wedding day on track while capturing so many amazing pictures of us, our wedding party, and guests! Pre-ceremony there were a couple mishaps that’s could have derailed the day significantly and Kayla kept everyone feeling calm while working to have backup plans in place. We got along great and were on the same page every step of the way! At the end of the day she was practically our day of coordinator in addition to our photographer! Cannot recommend her enough!!! Thank you Kayla 💓

Kayla shot a friend's wedding in 2021 and I wasn't even engaged at the time but I knew one day I needed her to shoot mine and I am so glad she did. She is so warm and friendly and SO GOOD at what she does! She remembered things I forgot, she kept us on time and, maybe most importantly, she knew when I needed a break from photos! She is very communicative, arrived early and delivered photos I will cherish for a lifetime. I felt so comfortable with her and she really listened to everything I wanted. I can't say enough good things about her!

1000000/10 Kayla is so good at her job. She is thorough, personable, knowledgeable. Her passion for her work really shows. She kept me on track, she made me laugh, remembered things that I had forgotten & truly took THE most beautiful images. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d pick her a million times.

I recommend Kayla as often as I can. After getting engaged I added Kayla to the top of the list for photographers to contact. Luckily she was available for our wedding and I cannot express how thankful we are for her. She is so genuinely talented and the shots she gets are perfection. Not only is she an excellent photographer but is such a sweet person with the most easy going and focused personality. She was a point of comfort to me throughout the wedding day and I feel so grateful she was able to work with us.

Words cannot describe how perfectly she captured our special day. As soon as I stumbled on her page I knew she’d be the one to capture everything perfectly. So happy she was able to share our special day with us and thanks to her we can share it with anyone that wasn’t able to be there.

If you are looking for a photographer, please book with Kayla. We'e worked with her since she transitioned to full time with her photography business and she is beyond incredible. Not only are her photography/editing skills INCREDIBLE, but she has a way making sure you, your partner, and everyone in between are comfortable. She sent us our preview within 48 hours and I sobbed—she captured the energy, the love, and everything perfectly. She asks thoughtful questions, takes the time to get to know you, and offer suggestions that are better than I could have ever imagined. She is just incredible and we were so lucky and blessed to work with her again. I cannot speak highly enough of her — everyone has raved about the photos we've seen. And she, as a person, is just so genuinely excited and happy to work with you and capture your day. Ugh, we love her so much and words can't capture how amazing she is.

If you've seen her work, the quality speaks for itself. Kayla's work is PHENOMENAL. But what makes her extra special is that her services go above and beyond her amazing photography. From the day we booked her to the day of our wedding, she was on the ball. Her level of organization made planning the wedding (we planned it ourselves) so much easier! On the day of, she made sure we were always on time, almost acting as a second day-of coordinator. The day went off without a hitch and she was with us every step of the way! I really can't express how much I appreciate her for what she brought to our special day!

Kayla was AMAZING!! Not only did she do an amazing job capturing our special moments during our wedding but she has become a close friend of mine throughout the process. On our wedding day, she made sure I was okay (I was extremely overwhelmed) by seeing if I needed water or anything in general, she also helped me place my veil in. I could not recommend Kayla enough her work is incredible and she is a true gem!

Kayla photographed our wedding in August 2022. I cannot say enough great things about her! My husband and I are awkward in front of a camera but she made us feel so comfortable and all our photos came out incredible and natural. She was beyond organized throughout the whole process and made everything so easy for us! She went above and beyond by helping with every little thing possible on our wedding day. She captured everything so perfectly and we are so grateful to have such stunning pictures of our special day to cherish for a lifetime. Kayla is not only an incredibly talented photographer but such an amazing, caring human!

It was an absolute pleasure working with Kayla for our wedding. She was professional and easy to work with leading up to our big day. She was even willing to drive all the way to Chicago for our engagement shoot, which gave us so many gorgeous photos to choose from for our Save the Date. On our wedding day, Kayla arrived right on time, kept us on schedule, and captured so many special moments and details. She knew all the best spots to take photos – even spots we would have never thought to choose. We were so impressed with her knowledge and photography skills. We will cherish these photos forever. Thank you so much Kayla for capturing the best day of our lives!

Kayla was wonderful as our wedding photographer. She was patient with our changing covid wedding plans, and made sure our downsized wedding felt just as important as any other wedding. Thank you, Kayla!

Kayla is a dream to work with and her work reflects that - she captured every dreamy detail of our day! She had a special way of making us feel like actual models, and her work was the perfect moody, romantic vibe we were looking for. I look forward to continuing to work with Kayla as we grow! She is the sweetest, most talented gal and I loved working with her. Thank you Kayla!!! <3

Kayla is legitimately the best! I met her in 2018 when she photographed my best friend's wedding. She was amazing at rallying a very rowdy bridal party and the pictures were incredible. So, when I got engaged in 2019, I immediately knew who I wanted our wedding photographer to be. The day of our wedding was a bit chaotic and Kayla handled it like a champ. Her patience knows no bounds so even when I insisted on redoing my own hair after spending the entire morning getting it done by someone, she remained level-headed and used that time to take pictures of my groom and his groomsmen. While I was caught up in panicking over my hair not being satisfactory, Kayla remained calm and kept us all on track so that we completed all of the pictures we needed to before the guests started arriving. Her time management skills and levelheadedness made up for my lack of them. The photos turned out amazing, especially for two people who have zero idea how to pose for pictures. We have gotten many compliments from our friends and family that we "look like professional models" and we owe that ALL to Kayla and her amazing artistic abilities. We asked for lots of candid photos of us and our guests interacting and Kayla delivered; the photos from the dancing portion of our big day are some of our absolute favorites! It's amazing how much the bride and groom miss out on during the whirlwind that is the wedding day, so we cannot thank Kayla enough for documenting so many of those memories for us. We are so happy to have such gorgeous (and hilarious) pictures to look at and relive our special day for the rest of our lives!

We just got our wedding photos back and I am STUNNED, Kayla did such an amazing job with two people who really aren't comfortable around a camera and made us look like naturals. She was so supportive on our wedding day, made sure that we had all of the shots that we wanted, and the second photographer was equally as amazing. We absolutely plan on coming back to Kayla for professional photos in the future. She communicated VERY well and we never felt out of the loop with any step of the planning process. Kayla being a part of our day made it even better than it already would've been. Thank you Kayla!!

I highly recommend Emerald Tide Photography for any couple who wants unique, artistic, and the all-around best quality in their photos! Kayla is so thoughtful and genuine throughout the whole process. She took time to get to know us and our energy, and then went above and beyond to match and exceed that energy! On the day of the wedding, Kayla again exceeded our expectations by her attention to detail and all-around care. From adjusting an out-of-place hair to giving us little tips to get the best photos to helping with my bustle when it fell out, she was an all-star throughout the whole day. We have spent so much time looking at our photos and reliving our amazing day through Kayla’s beautiful photos (and ALL our friends and family have raved about how great they are!). She truly captured the emotions we were feeling, which is the BEST thing you could ask for in a photographer, especially since the day goes by so quickly! Definitely book Emerald Tide Photography - you won’t regret it!

I think picking a photographer is one of the more high-stakes decisions you make for your wedding. These are the photos you'll back on for the rest of your life. No pressure, right? Kayla absolutely KILLED IT! Getting to know her during our engagement photos was like an ice breaker for the big day. She is so fun, always laughing, willing to try anything and photo us being our weird-selves. By our wedding day, she felt like our friend. She captured all the raw moments of the day that you just can't fake and beautiful posed portraits that make you look like a magazine ad. She is gem. 15/10 would recommend.

Kayla and I hit it off right away. She is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet and was an unbelievable addition to our wedding day. With every shot, you could feel how much passion she had behind it. She loves what she does and it shows. Not only did we feel supported and loved but she went above and beyond to get the shots she knew we would love and cherish for the rest of our lives, even if we didn't know it yet. She's fast-paced and fun, but knows how to slow down and allow moments to happen on their own. Having her by my side on my wedding day was such a gift... We could not say enough great things about Kayla. We love you, girl. Thank you for going above and beyond any expectations we could have had for our wedding day photographer. We're so grateful.

Photography: Emerald Tide Photography LLC 100000000/10 Kayla was absolutely a life saver, from capturing our special moments to helping bussel my dress at the end of the night! When she wanted to get a shot she was very clear in her direction what to do to signal her (i.e. our first dance dip) so she could get the perfect shot(s). She has grown in this business and has a lot of creative ideas. She will certainly tell you if a picture will work or not work in space but goes out to find a good spot where it will. She is a normal Wisco gal who loves to travel and her photos certainly project that creativity. She was super fun and just comfortable...especially with candids...it was like she wasn’t even there!!! If you like a little pop of color and more of a dark/natural glow vibe to your pictures...Kayla is your girl. Again SHE LOVES TO TRAVEL and is growing this side of her business in addition to her local weddings/engagements/family sessions and Boudoir photos.

We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer for our special day! Kayla is amazing, she not only does amazing work but is an amazing person and we are so happy we chose her. Kayla does amazing work start to finish and left us with pictures we will love to look at and hang on the walls forever! During our engagement session she really got to know us and capture our relationship perfectly. She had a way to make us feel so comfortable that by the time the wedding came around it was like having a close friend there taking your photos! Planning our wedding during a pandemic and having to change plans was tricky but Kayla made sure to be flexible and adjust even as our plans did. On top of all that she was there all day to support me as I needed, checking on me asking if I needed food or drink, at one point she even helped set up some of the decorations I had forgotten, and she definitely helped me stay on time! My day would not have gone as smooth without her. I highly recommend going with Kayla as a photographer for an occasion you are planning!

Where do I even begin, Kayla is an amazing person inside and out. She was with me right away in the morning of my wedding and was so friendly and organized. With everything you have to do on your wedding day, Kayla made things go smooth and stress free. I would highly recommend Emerald Tide Photography, you will not be disappointed!

Kayla was amazing through our entire wedding process. She truly was eager to help us every step of the way. She made sure to communicate with us throughout the whole process of planning, rescheduling, and then changing our venue and reducing our guest count because, well, 2020. She was SO helpful and helped us figure out how to best go through the rescheduling process. Before the wedding, she helped us come up with our timeline for the day which was an added bonus since this is something we were struggling with. She sent us a questionnaire to get to know what we expected and wanted from our wedding day. She also sent us a template to help us decide which photos we wanted and with whom (one set of grandparents, entire families, siblings, etc.). This was really helpful so that photos went smoothly after the ceremony. On the actual wedding day, she was more than helpful with absolutely everything. She made sure that we had the exact photos we wanted, and that they were done in a timely manner so as not to take up all of our time. She was so respectful and accommodating to all of our guests and somehow got every last one of them to smile and look at the camera. Her ideas were really creative, and really captured our personalities. Kayla was a big part of why we did not feel stress on the wedding day. She dealt with anything that was thrown at her- or us, that was unexpected and we can’t thank her enough for that. Aside from her kind personality and determination to truly make your wedding day the best day of your life, she is professional and knows better than anyone that those moments cannot be recreated. The investment in her and her skills is a thousand times worth it because you essentially get a confidant, photographer of course, and a lot of advice (about everything wedding related) from someone with experience in the industry willing to share. As far as the actual photos, all I can come up with is, wow. She captured everything so perfectly. All of the small details, all of the emotion, and all of the love. She was able to capture our relationship in our photos and they are so, so beautiful. She delivered an online gallery as a preview to us very quickly, and was sure to communicate with us when she expects to deliver all of the photos. We cannot recommend Kayla and Emerald Tide Photography enough! She clearly went above and beyond what you would expect from a photographer.

Kayla was a total rockstar! My wife and I utilized her for our wedding and we couldn't be happier. One of the things that got to us as we met with other vendors (including some other photographers before meeting Kayla) was how it was about them and what THEY do. Kayla from the start was concerned about our goals and what we wanted from our photographer on our wedding day. She customized everything exactly as we dreamed and it couldn't have been better. On the day of our wedding she HUSTLED so hard! After the ceremony, when we were taking family pictures, the venue had already set up tables right behind her. For every shot she took a picture in front of the dinner table and behind it. Every. Shot! Our package turned out amazing and we are so glad we connected. Her dedication to detail, care for what was important to us, and overall command of the day was flawless and we were straight up wowed. I can't recommend her enough! Thanks Kayla!

Looking for photos that are timeless and precise! Emerald Tide is highly recommended. Kayla was patient, kind and so much fun. Wedding days can be hectic but she made sure to capture everything we asked for and more. Check it out for yourself @emeraldtidephoto

it was an absolute joy working with Emerald Tide Photography for our engagement and wedding photos! My husband and I are totally unphotogenic and awkward behind the camera but Kayla made us feel totally comfortable and we had a lot of fun during the sessions. Kayla has an amazing eye for her work and really considers your individual style and personality when choosing settings, poses, angles, etc. it poured rain on our wedding day and I was soooo worried about our pictures. Kayla was able to help me through the tears and her pictures turned out absolutely stunning! In most of them you can’t tell it was raining. However, the rain really set the mood in the photos that you can tell. Just amazing! We continue to receive compliments on our photos all the time. I will continue to use Emerald Tide for all my photography needs!

Wow, where do I even start. Kayla is truly an amazing photographer and friend. She has such an eye for her work and it sure shows with how well the photos turn out. She puts her all into her sessions. From family portraits to wedding photos. She has done my engagement photos and my wedding and I couldn’t be happier with the results. She made us feel very comfortable and made sure to get every angle of the day so that our photos could tell our story. I don’t think she stopped moving for 10 hours. She was the PERFECT person for us and I will be hiring her again and again after that. Book with Kayla and you will have no regrets ♥️