T.J. Salsman Photography

I can't say enough about TJ. From the minute we booked him, we knew we had made the right choice. His style is documentary and easy going. He doesn't labor over shots and doesn't try to force something that's not there but rather tries to find what's natural for the bride and groom. We're trilled with our engagement shoot as well as our wedding photos. Book TJ and you won't regret it. We added on a few hours of shooting at our rehearsal party as well, which he was glad to do and was able to reduce his normal hourly fee because of the package we had purchased for the wedding and engagement. We selected his full package which included an extra photographer the day of the wedding and we are very glad we did. Book TJ!

Engaged couples, look no further, T.J. is THE photographer for your wedding! My husband and I were very fortunate to have T.J. document our wedding day this past June. There are thousands of wedding photographers here in the bay area, the market is seriously competitive. But T.J.'s work stood out the most to us because his pictures are bright (lots of natural lighting), warm (precious and emotional moments nicely captured on camera), and natural (candid shots rather than posed). After meeting T.J., we knew right away he was the one. T.J. used to be a newspaper photographer...he had documented many historical moments all around the country before switching gear to wedding photography. Because of his background and experience, he's amazing at capturing special moments and telling stories thru his photos. We absolutely LOVED all the photos T.J. took for us!! Our wedding was during the day, outdoors in the garden with a fountain, lots of green. Through his lenses, he framed the beautiful venue around us, reflected the amazing colors and natural beauty of the venue upon us. He captured so many tender moments throughout the day.....each picture told a story of its own. Now about T.J. - he's not only talented, but also super nice, easy going, responsive, flexible, down to earth, hardworking, and was willing to do what it takes to make us happy. He also works fast - turned around our wedding photos within 1 month!! We truly enjoyed working with TJ and will keep telling the world about him!!

If visiting TJ's website and portfolio doesn't already convince you that he's amazing, I'm not sure I can convince you either. But I'm certainly going to try. If you have TJ Salsman photograph your wedding, I guarantee you will have at least one (if not 20) pictures that look like they belong on a magazine cover and you will want to post them everywhere. So the artistic quality is incredible. As far as his personality, he is super easy to work with and he loves his work. It was so fun to suggest an idea that we had and then see him get excited about it and make it something even better than what we had in mind. He is very professional and approachable. I did not find him to be even a trace amount of pompous or arrogant. (personally, I find that Napa is filled with those personalities) We stumbled on the price initially but after researching other photographers in the Napa area, found that his prices are extremely reasonable and for the quality of photos you get, he is worth so much more than he charged. Because I believe in accurate feedback, I will say that he does not love to do posed/portrait type shots and he was 100% up front with that from the beginning. I still got amazing pictures of myself alone, my husband and I, the bridal party, etc. But there were a few posed shots that I thought were "normal wedding pictures" that we didn't get. So it's important that you know what you want and arrive prepared. Also make sure that beautiful candid, real moments from your wedding are what you want. Because if they aren't your priority, TJ may not be the photographer for you. It was rainy and cloudy on our wedding day and TJ was very determined to help us get some of the outdoor and vineyard shots that we wanted. He came prepared with a large umbrella and extra lighting. The shots he took turned out great and we got exactly what we wanted despite the weather. I will absolutely recommend him to every friend who gets married in the area and will likely return to him later in life for pictures of my family.

T.J. is a pleasure to work with. He was willing to work with us to create our perfect photography package from the beginning. He was very sweet and gave me a solid timeline of how the day could go based on a number of scenarios we discussed. He was prompt and ready to go on the day of our wedding! He is not super loud or directive, but captures the great candid shots we wanted without us knowing. He is the type of photographer who you can easily forget about (in a good way!) while he's working your wedding because he blends in and is non-intrusive, while managing to still be everywhere. My husband and I are not the most photogenic or creative people around, so in some ways we wished he directed us more (suggestions for poses together as a couple, photo ideas with the group, etc.), but if we had just asked that of him, I am certain he would have taken the lead. T.J. is great and we love his style! It is very natural and candid, while perfectly telling the story of the special day.

T.J. is provides great documentary photos, extreme customer-focus, and awesome value with his current promotional rate. We are thrilled with our wedding photos. All 1000 of them. Strongly recommended.