Stephanie Secrest Photography

working with Stephanie Secrest Photography. 

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ed very well with our videographer who she had not previously met. The quality of photos she produced for us can not be overstated. We highly recommend Stephanie!

everyone feel comfortable during group shots and doesn’t take her sweet time about getting the perfect shot. We cannot recommend her highly enough for wedding and engagement photos.

g of her photos are so beautiful and bright which I love and her turn around time is unmatched. We received both our engagement and wedding photos in just a couple weeks. Amazing!

the day feeling fun, easygoing, and secure. Best of all, Stephanie delivered a gallery of photos that truly make us relive our most valued moments.

and Stephanie worked tirelessly to get shots at the ceremony, reception, family shots and our couple shots in between all the madness. At many of the weddings we have attended, we notice the photographers, many times in the way of us being able to take our own photos of the couple. Stephanie was the opposite - she is discreet and still manages to get the best shots. She is also very kind and easy to work with. She knows her stuff and will make sure to ask you all the questions necessary to get the job done right. We loved working with her and hope to work with her again for any and all future events!

pictures of a not so happy flower girl in between the tears. Not only were our family and solo pictures great but the reception photos really encapsulated the moment and how much fun everyone was having! Thank you so much Stephanie we will cherish your work for the rest of our lives!

re the wedding - Seeking out a wedding photographer and anticipating the wedding photography gave me the MOST anxiety out of all the vendors / wedding planning. Especially after attending a few weddings and seeing up-close how much energy is demanded of the bride in terms of taking photos... then seeing her disappear for much of the rest of the event... But I was drawn to Stephanie's portfolio when I was searching for a west coast photographer (online, from the east coast) because of her phenomenal candids. Yet even after meeting Stephanie before the wedding (who is exceptionally sweet, by the way, a great listener, with a very poetic way of looking at the world that makes your wedding feel even more special... She took a trip to Santa Barbara to check out my outdoor venue with me before the big day, which was so nice of her, and also studied the video I sent her of us rehearsing our choreographed first dance, she's very professional!), I was anxious about wedding photos. ***Day of - After literally helping me into my wedding dress, Stephanie breezed through so many shots - some stagey, others less so - of the bridal party, then at the venue whizzed straight through the family portraits at my urging when we were behind schedule so that, as I had wanted, all the staged portraits were done when cocktail hour kicked off our wedding at 3. And after that, besides some quick shoots with my husband that were actually quite fun to do (Stephanie can direct efficiently, she can also "go with the flow" with improvising), it barely felt like she and Tom were even there! ***THE PHOTOS - So stunning. Ridiculously so. The "posed" photos that we rushed through far surpassed my ("realistic") expectations, and I love so many of them, they're beautiful. But the candids, just wow. She caught SO MANY moments - different guests just "vibing" with their friends, the two moms crying, a cool shot of the "selfie" friend doing a huge bridal party selfie before the ceremony, a spontaneous family huddle with my parents and siblings during dinner, lots of emotional hugs, LOTS of laughing and joyous dancing... I got to re-live so many special little moments of the day all over again, going through the candid footage. Our families love the pictures too (hubby's grandfather, who's seen so many family weddings, even made several comments about how much he liked the "style" of our photos!) And the wedding details - the flowers, cake, rings, uncle's custom wine and cute wine label, etc. - that I / my family put so much effort into planning - now I get to have Pinterest-worthy visuals of them forever. All of this at an outdoor venue with tricky lighting where Stephanie had never done an event before! Oh, and her editing style was perfect. The footage wasn't over-softened or over-styled, as I see in so many wedding photos these days, so that our gorgeous outdoor park venue with its dappled lighting, and the color palette that my mom and I selected so carefully for dresses and flowers etc., really shone. Tl;dr - If you want flattering but also magical, vibrant, organic (or staged / directed) wedding photos, with an authentic but professional photography experience - go with Stephanie!!!

highly recommend her and look forward to working with her again. When we met Stephanie on the day of the photoshoot, my partner and I were on the verge of a nervous breakdown after an awful experience with our hair and makeup stylist (who did the makeup and hair completely different from what we agreed on, and ran almost half an hour behind schedule). However, Stephanie's calm and reassuring presence helped us relax and fully enjoy the day despite all the chaos. One of the things that stood out to us the most was how approachable and accommodating Stephanie was throughout the entire process. She was always willing to listen to our requests and preferences, and went out of her way to make sure we were happy with the final product. Her dedication to capturing the perfect photos and poses for us was truly impressive. We truly appreciated her openness and transparency throughout the entire experience. In addition, Stephanie brought along a beautiful veil and other items that we could use for the photoshoot, which was a thoughtful and generous touch. Her attention to detail and creativity shone through in every aspect of the shoot, and the results were absolutely stunning.

d. I appreciate the fact that Stephanie is not your standard photographer. She takes the time to preplan what shots she wants to take so you get the perfect photos and the the most thoughtful memories.

t photo. We had not been planning on sunset photos, but Stephanie saw how beautiful the sunset was the day of our wedding and grabbed us for a couple photos - these ended up being some of our favorite photos of the entire event. Additionally Stephanie's flexible, calm, and sweet nature kept us relaxed during a lot of the chaos. We'll cherish the photos and Stephanie forever!

Knot and were very impressed by her accolades and portfolio. She worked with us to figure out exactly what we needed. She was a dream on my wedding day, just the sweetest person ever. She's the type of person you want taking care of you on such a stressful day! She was so helpful and supportive and created the most GORGEOUS photos for us. We are SO grateful. thank you Stephanie!!

hanie!

t you will enjoy having by your side during your intense day. She is such a kind, warm, and fun individual. She was also so responsive and quick with communication. Thank you Stephanie!

blessed to have had Stephanie there to document our wedding day!

day.

s with absolutely stunning photos. We love the couples portraits as well as the more candid group shots and have many of them hanging in our home. She was also so kind, warm and generous with her time and advice. She helped us and our families feel comfortable with professional photography with her suggestions for poses and locations. We would highly recommend working with Stephanie!

were already high!), but she also does an amazing job in all of the work leading up to the big day, helping figure out how to get the best capture of your event. We were so delighted with all of the details she captured behind the scenes (things that we never got the chance to see!) She's so personable and was so generous and flexible with us (our event was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid, then rescheduled for 2021, but touch and go for a long time). So glad she was our photographer: we cannot stop looking at these pictures and will treasure them for years to come.

work but the warmest soul you will meet and will put anyone at ease who is nervous in front of the lens. It is clear she puts her whole heart and soul into her craft and the results are incredible. We have gotten so many compliments on our wedding photos and she got them back to us so quickly! Quit your photographer search now and book her if she is available for your day. You won't regret it and you will have someone capture the most special moments for you who is the upmost professional and easy to work with.

out. They truly tell the story. We don't even regret not having video from our wedding because the photos Stephanie and Connie captured tell it all. We also had so much fun during our engagement session--Stephanie had us laughing and relaxed immediately. She was open to our ideas and also had tons of creative ideas of her own. She is personable, down to earth, professional, and she was able to clearly articulate what angles and poses we should attempt to get the right shot. She has an artistic eye for creative and fun shots as well as more serious portraits and sentimental moments. She actually also photographed my grandmother's birthday party about a month before our wedding, and those photos turned out awesome, as well. Stephanie is all around a wonderful person and talented photographer! My husband and I highly recommend Stephanie for your engagement photos, wedding photos, and other special events.

ding photos for a lifetime!

ght one for us. She is probably the sweetest down to earth person I've ever met. She even got teary eyed when we told her about our engagement. Her work...omg is second to none. She has an artist eye, which was a must for me when choosing a photographer. She has an impressive resume before doing wedding photography. She met with us before the wedding and we game planned everything. She also brought her best friend Edwin I believe to do the shots with me. He was great and very friendly. The best part about her was we were late for the start of the wedding so Stephanie had to think on her feet and some how made it all work. We still keep in touch with her and can't wait to take baby pictures with her. She is like family. If you want the best use Stephanie.

e, professional, creative, and talented individual. We could not be happier with our decision to hire her. On our wedding day, Stephanie captured all of our favorite moments and much more. She was so great about taking us aside to get some beautiful photos and then getting us right back to the party to spend time with our guests. We really never felt like we were missing anything. She is attentive while also being invisible. Some of the moments she captured, I didn't even realize she was taking our photo. Stephanie was wonderful to work with from the moment we hired her, through the wedding, and even after the big day. We live out of state, so most of our communication was done by email, phone, and Skype. Stephanie was great at communicating and answering any questions we had before and after the wedding. She truly made the whole process stress-free, seamless, and enjoyable. She also got our photos to us after only a couple of weeks! One of my favorite services she includes after the wedding is a photo website where we can view and download all of our photos from the big day. She even provides a custom link so that we can share our entire wedding album with all of our guests, too! Stephanie's photos from our wedding day truly feel magical and really represent our personalities and love. We have received endless compliments on them. We honestly feel that hiring Stephanie was one of the best decisions we made, and we honestly can't say enough great things about her.

s our wedding details). She was also very open to photo ideas that were shared by us and members of our bridal party. Further, she is clearly very experienced in shooting at our wedding venue, the Brazilian Room, as she quickly identified the best spot for our posed group photos based on the specific lighting on our wedding day. She was very flexible on the schedule, and even willing to go above and beyond, including transporting the bride and bridesmaids from the hotel to the venue. And finally, we love our photos! Thanks so much, Stephanie!

ing. Everything went right. The photos were amazing and there was not one single complaint/problem during the whole process. She was by far the easiest vendor to work with. From the moment we met Stephanie we knew that she was going to be great and she completely exceeded our expectations. My wife and I are more than happy with our photos and the overall experience. Plus we got our photos really quickly afterward. I don't know how she did it. You want to be able to trust the person you choose to record the most important event in your life and I can say with complete certainty to anyone that Stephanie is a total pro and will absolutely take care of you. Trust me. Thanks for all of your awesomeness, Stephanie!!!

capture the moment. Leading up to our wedding, Stephanie met with us two times. The first time was to see her work and pick out a wedding package. The second meeting was about a month before the wedding to help us organize our 'must have' pictures. I think giving Stephanie a schedule for the day and organizing our before the wedding shots definitely helped with the flow of the day (and was a request from Stephanie). On the wedding day Stephanie was punctual and so easy to work with. She brought her assistant Edwin for the family pictures and ceremony and he was a good complement to Stephanie's style (definitely worth it if your family wants extra photos and the added cost was fair). Stephanie was efficient with her photos and really focused on getting pictures of the event as it took place. She also separately pulled us aside twice, once as the sun was setting and a second to get a picture with the beautiful night sky. She communicated very well with us but at the same time made sure to be in the background so we barely knew she was there. Within 2 weeks, Stephanie delivered to us an electronic version of our wedding photos. It was a Friday night so we got a bottle of Champagne and spent the evening reliving the moment. We could literally feel the emotions of the day all over again. We did not have a videographer but the DJ did provide a recording of the ceremony. Stephanie's pictures were so spot on that we were able to make a slide show to the recording and it's way better than a video. I can certainly see Stephanie's background in photojournalism shine through in our photos. Attached are a couple beautiful photos that shows off Stephanie's talented eye and creativity. I highly recommend Stephanie Secrest for wedding photography. She is extremely talented, super responsive, easy to work with, and reasonably priced.

had used her for their own wedding. Because we were planning our San Francisco wedding from Europe, my initial contact with her was via email. She was quick to respond and eager to get to know us and hear about what we were planning for our big day. She was extremely flexible with scheduling all of our meetings. She talked us through her style, discussed with us what we were hoping for, and genuinely wanted to get to know us and hear about what we wanted for our wedding day. She was nothing but professional throughout the whole process. We had pictures that we wanted at some pretty specific locations throughout San Francisco, but also shots that we wanted but weren't exactly sure where we could get them. Stephanie had so many great options that we had a hard time paring down the list! When she didn't know the answer to our questions off the top of her head, she was prompt in getting back to us with answers. She skyped with us at all hours of the day (we would have met in person had we been in the US) to hash out a plan and make sure we were all on the same page with the timing and the schedule. It was really helpful that she was able to tell us how long she thought she would need for each spot, given the pictures that we wanted. She also walked us through what she would be doing/where she and the second photographer would be standing/etc during each of the "big" moments throughout the day. On the day of the wedding, she also had a great barometer of how we were doing. We had planned a LOT of pictures before the ceremony so she was cognizant of when we needed a break, when we were ready to go again, and finally when we were all "pictured-out." She was also aware of how long things were taking and made sure not to pull us away for too long at any point throughout the day. Even though she was quick with her pictures at every point, she got some incredible shots!! Half the time, we didn't even know she was there taking pictures. We had a second photographer - Edwin - for the morning of and the ceremony, and then he hopped over to take pictures of the reception details while we were with Stephanie taking family pictures. Edwin and Stephanie worked so well together and definitely complement each other's styles. Edwin was easy-going, efficient, and down-to-earth. He also took some incredible pictures!!! We were SO happy we decided to have a second photographer, as one photographer would not have been able to get all of the angles that Stephanie and Edwin did. They both also worked easily with our videographer! As far as price, Stephanie was more than accommodating with her packages, as we wanted additional hours and a second photographer, but did not necessarily need engagement pictures or some of the other items she includes in her packages. I felt that all of her packages were fairly priced, especially given the incredibly beautiful pictures we ended up with. As a bonus on top of her great shots, she gives you ALL of the files to download (including outtakes), which not many photographers do these days. She also does a free newborn shoot for if/when her couples have their first little nugget! I can't express how thrilled we were with Stephanie, Edwin and all of the pictures we got!! We would not hesitate to 100% recommend Stephanie!!!

come alive in the pictures. Plus she was super efficient which allowed us to actually enjoy our party. We can't thank her enough!

side of yourself that you never knew could be captured once you see her photos. I can't express how great she was not only leading up to the wedding, but the day of. She kept the whole group on time and really came to the table with creative ideas to capture the moment. Thank you Stephanie!!!!

y is Stephanie incredibly talented, she is one of the most kind and grounded people I have ever known. Throughout the process, Stephanie was highly organized and on track of things, but also extremely flexible - especially when we fell really behind in getting back to her! Stephanie really took the time to understand our vision and brought it to life the day of our wedding. She was amazingly efficient with the posed shots, which we were able to finish even though we were running significantly behind before the ceremony. Throughout the rest of the day, Stephanie captured the event in ways we never would have thought of, such as a shot of my shoes cast away in the grass and the feet of dancers in the background. Stephanie was always on alert for the best angle or shot, but in a completely unobtrusive way. Though we didn't doubt that the quality of her photos would be high, we were blown away when we saw the final prints. She presented a picture of our wedding exactly as we wanted it, and we have so many timeless photos that we will cherish forever, as well as the digital negatives so that all of our loved ones can download any photo for free. Many of our guests have commented on the quality of the photos, and several asked if she had a photography background besides weddings (which she does!). We could not have asked for a better or more talented person to work with. It is so clear that Stephanie's work comes from her heart, and not from a sheer desire for profit. We could not have asked for more from a photographer - I cannot recommend her enough.

r style! She is up for anything and just wants to make sure she is capturing everything you want! Once the wedding was in full swing I barely noticed her, but knew she captured all of the key moments!...the pictures I received proved it! She is so awesome to work with I'll miss my relatively regular communication with her! Everyone has commented on how great she was/is!

we did! She took the most beautiful photos! Capturing the candid moments as well as beautiful portraits! I even had guests say they want to get married again just to use her as a photographer! She also was amazing at handling our bossy and unorthodox family and friends, so that they felt like she was just a part of the party! Even laughing it off and taking a picture when the best man photo-bombed a beautifully arranged portrait! (She managed to get the portrait shot too, by the way!) I can't recommend her enough. She was a joy to work with. & I LOVE that she gives you digital copies of the photos and a beautiful website for family & friends to view them. By far the best photographer I've seen in a wedding!

amazing photojournalist skills to do just that. Moreover, my husband and I are pretty much the most unphotogenic people on earth. We just got our pictures, WOW! We couldn't be happier. HIRE HER TODAY!

w sample shots of us the day of our interview, and were blown away with how beautiful they came out-- without any preparation. We found her on the International Wedding Photojournalism website. She helped me work out a schedule of photographs for the wedding so that we could simplify the schedule of events, and maximize the amount of time we had to enjoy our guests. Her style is very naturalistic, very fresh. She came with her colleague-- Edwin-- who was just as talented, spontaneous, and easy to work with. He helped take photos of the groom's men before we did our first look, the ceremony, and cocktail hour. We highly recommend her!

Stephanie took amazing photos, and we get to keep them all! From start to finish, wedding dress shopping, engagement photos, etc Stephanie has always been there for us and willing to go the extra mile. She is the best, and you will have such a gift in your photos for the rest of your married life!