Always Candid Photos

Samuel was very helpful and calm/patient on a stressful and chaotic wedding day, and produced great photos that we love to look at and remember our day!

We can't say enough about Sam! His friendly demeanor put us at ease right away, and his expertise was evident throughout the entire process. Sam seamlessly captured the essence of our special day, blending candid moments with beautifully composed shots. He has a keen eye for detail and was able to capture the emotions of the day perfectly. We were so impressed with his professionalism and how he effortlessly directed us, making us feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera. Not only were the photos stunning, but the entire experience was enjoyable. Sam was so easy to work with, flexible, and accommodating. We highly recommend Always Candid to anyone looking for a talented and personable photographer to capture their wedding day."

We had a budget wedding and set out to hire a budget photographer. This guy's rates were extremely reasonable but let me tell you, the photos were not budget quality by any means. They were fantastic! He was patient and easy to work with and he had a real eye for great shots. This guy gave us magazine cover quality engagement photos and a wedding/ reception set that made a 4k wedding look like a 40k wedding. This was back in 2019. Not sure what he's charging these days, but I assure you it's not enough. Book him!

We had a great experience working with Sam for our micro-wedding this year. Despite our small party size and intimate venue, the photography never felt obtrusive. The shots turned out great, capturing the details of our ceremony. Sam was responsive in all communications as well as creative in helping us find the best locations and poses. We are very happy with our pictures and would highly recommend Sam!

Samuel was great and did everything to make sure the photos came out great. He met with the family to get to know them, was punctual, did amazing work with the editing. Overall, I’m very happy that I had Samuel capture the moments on my special day. Would highly recommend!

We are an older couple who had a small intimate wedding in the Adirondacks. We were looking for candid pictures of the ceremony, friends and loved ones. Sam was professional, never intrusive, and gave us beautiful pictures of the ceremony and dinner afterwards. We highly recommend Sam Lahoz!

Sam and his crew of photographers were a pleasure during my wedding in 8/2017. Sam called me to go over details prior to the day of my wedding, we discussed must haves of what was important to capture and he most definitely delivered! He and his crew were punctual, detailed, organized, patient and fit right in with my bridal party as we got ready, and captured some amazing shots of hair and make up. Thank you so much Sam and I hope to book with you again for future events! -Lamis G.

Sam did an outstanding event for us and we always get great comments on our wedding photos. I would highly recommend this professional. Tony

Sam did a fabulous job with our wedding photos, making sure to capture all the shots we wanted as well as some lovely candid photos. He was great at responding to emails, and happy to work with our schedule.

Honestly, the best wedding photographer we could have ever asked for! The photos were perfect! Hiring the right photographer was something I was a bit apprehensive about during the wedding process. But Sam was excellent, and his process and pictures made it one of my favorite parts of our wedding!

Friendly, organized, great photos

Couldn't ask for better photographer! Sam has a great eye and captured beautiful candid moments without getting noticed. The posed shots were great too because he is a master of light and made people feel relaxed.

We could not be happier with Sam’s photos. He consulted with us ahead of time so that he was familiar with our desires. On the day of the wedding, he gracefully organized family group shots, took portraits of us, and took candid shots of our guests and the whole day. He was a delight to work with and uplifting presence at the wedding. One final note- I am, frankly, quite unphotogenic and tend to blink a lot - he still got loads of lovely shots that will help us remember the day with joy.

Sam was amazing!! He was creative even during the rain. He snapped many many pictures to make sure he got that ‘special’ moment on all of them. He went over and beyond the expectations. I would use him any special occasion.

Great guy, very flexible and captured some great shots at our wedding. Photos were clear and beautiful. The edits done were just wonderful. 10/10 would recommend! Got my previews and photos super fast!

My husband and I were so lucky to have found Sam while trying to find photographers that would work in the Philadelphia area. Being based out of Minnesota and trying to plan everything states away over 4 months we were blown away by how helpful Sam was. He took the time to do some research beforehand and was able to capture our day perfectly. We have so enjoyed getting to share our experience with family through his photos. He made our kids comfortable, captured the spirit of our relationship and the entire day.

The pandemic elopement photographer award goes to... SAM! My husband and I decided to elope in Vermont between Christmas and New Year's at the end of last year, in part to be able to say that we got married in 2020 and in part to give our friends and family something positive to remember from the pandemic-ridden year. We didn't care for any typical wedding frills - we decided to get married 5 days before an already scheduled VT trip - but really wanted to have beautiful photos. I contacted about 15 photographers in VT, many of whom were either unavailable during the holidays, were reluctant to shoot an elopement of an out-of-state couple during a pandemic, or requested an exorbitant rate we could not afford. Sam was available, willing to travel to a location convenient for us, had a wonderful attitude over email, and charged a very reasonable rate. After an initial phone conversation, Sam sent a list of recommended locations, was constantly in touch via text, and was extremely flexible regarding possible wedding days, locations, hours, everything! We were in VT in December and had to navigate strange weather patterns and not knowing anything about our surroundings. We ended up meeting in a park my husband and I selected with a view of a lake and mountains. Sam took wonderfully candid shots of our vows, walk in the park, and then suggested traveling to a covered bridge nearby. He was friendly, funny, and we immediately felt comfortable in his presence. If we were to do it again, we would without a doubt book with Sam! Besides my mother and our dog, Sam was the only guest at our wedding and we loved that we connected so well with him. Thank you, Sam, for your flexibility, creative approach, and friendly demeanor

My wife and I are very happy with the pictures we'll remember our wedding by. Sam was professional, punctual, and thorough. Our wedding was a small and intimate ceremony at a house with a couple dozen people. He made use of the space well and captured every perfect candid moment. He was also great with the kids. Highly recommend.

My husband and I were married in a very small and intimate ceremony in our backyard that was planned rather quickly. We struggled to find a photographer, whose work we loved, that was willing to be flexible with us and what we wanted in terms of photography for the wedding since we didn't need a traditional 4-6+ hour package. When I saw Samuel's work online I absolutely loved it. When I contacted him, I was pleasantly surprised he was not only willing to customize a package to our needs, but also willing to travel from the metro NYC area to Southern NJ, just outside Philadelphia, on a Friday evening for our wedding! Samuel and I exchanged a few emails back and forth and then had a brief call the week of the wedding to nail down some details and talk about my 'must-have' pictures. The day of the wedding Samuel arrived early, set up and took the time to find some great settings for our family photos. Although we were trying to stay on schedule, we ran into a few hiccups, like our normally happy, always smiling son being diagnosed with a double ear infection - and as a result being almost impossible to get a smile out of - and my brother-in-law's delayed flight, which pushed things back a little bit. Samuel was totally calm, cool and collected and didn't let these hiccups bother him and didn't make a big deal or stress me out about being a little behind schedule. All of our family & friends commented on now only how pleasant he was when they spoke to him, but also how unobtrusive he was. It was a pleasure to have him as a part of our wedding day. We received a sneak peek of photos less than 1 week later and then access to our entire photo gallery in about another week. We are absolutely thrilled with all the pictures and would recommend Samuel without reservation to anyone considering hiring him!

If you can book Sam for your wedding, do it now. He was the first vendor we booked and he stuck with us through venue and date changes! We couldn't be happier with the incredible job he did for us. He's responsive, professional, flexible, and has a great attitude and sense of humor. We wanted a handful of great portraits and posed shots but a focus on candids that captured the authentic emotions of our day. His journalistic style was exactly what we were looking for and he more than delivered on our expectations! He and his assistant did an amazing job capturing memories we will treasure for a lifetime. Thank you, Sam

"Samuel was a fantastic photographer and took amazing photos. He was incredibly responsive and flexible to what we liked and didn't like, but more importantly his guidance and artistic eye during our entire wedding--from getting ready up through the reception--resulted in a truly amazing and beautiful collection of photos. He and Jonas were incredibly professional and efficient, and my wife and I could not recommend more enthusiastically that you use them for your wedding. For the amount and quality of photos, Samuel and Jonas were a great value.”

Sam did an amazing job! He really captured the joyful spirit of our wedding. He has a wonderful perspective and this made for wonderful pictures. I don’t love having my picture taken and Sam was mindful of that and consequently I actually had a great time. We took some staged photos with our wedding party and an old timey taxi cab we rented –so much fun and such dynamic pictures. Once we got to the wedding venue I told Sam that we just wanted to enjoy our wedding and for him to take candid shots. He got such amazing photos and my husband and I never noticed him in the background—he was so stealthy! There were so many unexpected shots. He really captured our friends and family and as I look back on all the photos and see our smiling friends I am reminded of the best day of my life. Thank you, Sam!! Sam was professional, attentive, funny, calm, and we got BEAUTIFUL photos. We can’t recommend him enough!

The photos Samuel took of our wedding day are perfect. He captured the true happiness of the day. I specifically was looking for someone who would be able to do both family photos and beautiful candid photos that captured moments of the day when we were not expecting it. He did a spectacular job. When I look at the photos I am reminded of all of the special moments that made up our wedding day. Each one holds a unique place in my heart that I will cherish. Samuel and his team were also a joy to work with and a pleasure to be with on the day of our wedding.

Sam was awesome to work with and more than accommodating! We made our wedding day easy & stress free! He had a lovely vision for us & our pictures came out beautiful!