Picturist Photography

If you are looking for a photographer based in Santa Cruz, look no further! Danieka is AMAZING. She was the photographer for our wedding at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton on July 27, 2024 as well as our Engagement Photoshoot and my boudoir shoot. Danieka is a professional through and through. In every instance, she was helpful in providing instructions and had a calm demeanor. During the Engagement Photos, she was very accommodating in our vision of doing a meadow photoshoot in the morning and then sunset photos at the beach. She determined our original beach site was too windy and we pivoted to another beach. Throughout that day, she was helpful in telling us how to pose and hyping us up since this was the first time we'd met her and the first time we'd ever taken professional photos. She sent the sneak peeks a few days later and the full library was available within the time period she set. During the boudoir shoot, she provided some bubbly to help me loosen up since I was super nervous and felt awkward. Within a few minutes we felt super comfortable together and she was hyping me up and I absolutely loved my photos!! I also got them back super quickly too. For our wedding, she was super speedy with communication and making sure we were all on the same page. We had some last minute changes to the timeline, even on the day of, and she was super accommodating and helped communicate with the other vendors. She was super calming when I was worried with stress and wedding day jitters, and she was commanding when wrangling everyone for a group photo after the ceremony. Everyone loved her energy and was impressed with her and her second shooter, Heather, at the wedding. I got my sneak peeks back 3 days after the wedding. THREE DAYS. Since I also saw some pics from family members and noticed a couple of things wrong with my tan and my bangs, I let her know and she was on it. Her editing is flawless and it's not too corrected to where the picture doesn't look natural - we were in the forest and I wanted the colors to pop. Nothing was oversaturated or over-contrasted, her photos looked incredible and I love her eye with lighting. Also, her questionnaires to help prepare her for the big day were super helpful. Her invoices were also very clear, showing the breakdown of the cost, what's been paid, what has yet to be paid, and the dates of all of them. Lovely experience in staying on top of the financials. I'm so lucky to have worked with her. Not only is she amazing to work with, she is also a really nice person. We felt comfortable sharing our insecurities and worries with her and she would help us through it with coaching or tips. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone and am planning to work with her again whenever we get pregnant! ;) Danieka, thank you for everything!

We are so glad we chose Danieka as our wedding photographer! She was very organized, both in preparing for the day and on the day, being in all the right places at all the right times to capture everything along with her backup, yet she was also totally relaxed while doing it, able to flexibly respond to the changing moment. She used her expertise in giving directions when appropriate (doing things like clearing away background clutter and helping people look their best in group photos) and always in a kind way. Guests commented to us that she was easy to get along with, and we agree. Most important of all, we love the photos! They are full of light and beauty and an eye for composition and special moments. I can't count the number of times we said, "Wow!" while looking through the gallery, because each photo was perfect! Thank you, Danieka!

My husband and I are so glad we chose Picturist Photography for our wedding! Danieka was unable to shoot our wedding due to illness, however, she communicated efficiently and provided an alternative photographer to capture our wedding day. Although it was a bummer that we couldn’t have Danieka as our main photographer, she did a phenomenal job editing our photos and we absolutely love the way they turned out! Prior to the wedding, Danieka also met with us at the venue and did a walk-through of potential photo ideas which made us both feel more comfortable and excited! We highly recommend choosing Picturist Photography for your wedding!

I cannot say enough about Danieka and Picturist Photography. She shot our wedding in November at Roaring Camp in Felton and far exceeded our expectations. My husband and I were nervous about being photographed and being posed for pictures but she made it so easy and enjoyable for us. Our phone calls and in person meeting before the wedding were so helpful and she really listened to us. She had us make a Pinterest board with inspiration pictures and she nailed the vibe we were going for. The photos from the wedding were better than we could have hoped for. Danieka and her second shooter was a joy to work with. I am so grateful to Danieka for documenting the day so well and for really capturing my husband and I and making us feel so confident and comfortable in front of the camera.