After 10 + years since my last headshot, I needed an update for my website and other social media…read moreaccounts. I was looking for a high quality, creative photographer near me (San Antonio and/or Austin). When I came upon Zesty Orange in Austin (Round Rock), it was everything I wanted: someone who had a nice portfolio of pictures to view, could advise me in the correct clothing to wear, provided posing directions, and also offered makeup and hair services. Olesya's communication before our session was great. She scheduled a pre-session meeting to go over what to expect and answered all my questions. Her email communication always kept me informed on other topics, and let me know my appointment was approaching. I saw she offered other services (Branding and Professional presentation) which was a nice combination with her being a photographer. On the day of the photo shoot, I had a wonderful makeup and hair session so I felt like a movie star (not overdone - just right). Olesya's manner made me feel very at ease, and she posed me in various settings and positions. My favorite part was seeing how great the photos turned out! It was hard to pick three, but I finally did. I highly recommend her for any of your photography needs!

We had our daughter's smash the cake photoshoot done by Olesya and I can't recommend her enough!…read moreThe entire experience was amazing from beginning to end. She made sure everything we envisioned happened and was helpful with the choosing of the color palette and outfits. The day of the photoshoot, her patience and big smile brought magic to the studio and our little baby shone brighter than what we ever expected. She has so many outfits to choose from, created all the set decor and provided the cake for smashing. The high quality of the prints and products are above what I imagined. Overall, amazing experience and service. She is extremely talented!

As owner of a classic limousine company (Austin Classic Limo) catering primarily to wedding…read morecelebrations, I have had several occasions to participate in weddings that were coordinated by Brass Tacks Events. Most of the weddings I participate in DO have a formal arrangement with a wedding/consultant company. Believe me, I've seen every level of professionalism (and/or lack of it). I have to say, these guys are GOOD! Written schedules are communicated to each provider for the wedding, well in advance, and EVERY tiny little detail is covered to the nth degree, with the entire event scheduled right down to the minute. From my observation, if I wanted everything to be perfect and anxiety-free at my celebration, my first choice would be Brass Tacks Events.

I attended an event that Brass Tacks Events was the planner…read more Everything was fantastic!! His personal touches for the client (my best friend) are really what made him stand out. Extremely easy to work with. I wouldn't even call him a planner I would call him a producer. Anyone can just fit the puzzle pieces together and hope it works, Kevin's not like that. Kevin has developed relationships with the vendors that he has brought in, which does two things: Kevin can negotiate a lower price then the client, because Kevin uses them all the time. And the vendor knows that they have to be on top of their game or else they will lose Kevin's business. I am sure Kevin and his team had other events to plan, while they were planning my friends event. But you would've never known that based on the fact that Kevin always answer the phone, showed up to meetings, and always gave us the attention that we were desperately needing

Annie Ray can make anybody look cool…read more Her "photobooth" photography style is edgy and fun, in no small part because of her incredibly likeable personality and the way she eggs on her subjects like some kind of totally cliche French photographer ("Give me more! Give me more!"). Yet her subjects catch her enthusiasm and channel their inner goofball/badass/child/whatever, striking ridiculous poses, making faces they would never otherwise make in public, even taping gross, who-knows-where-this-has-been fake moustaches under their noses to help them get into character. Yet somehow, magically, everyone looks hip and cool and funky and lively in the end product. Or maybe everyone looks totally dorky and ridiculous, but it doesn't matter, because all your friends look that way in their shots, too. Annie Ray is some kind of photographic genius. Everybody wants some of what she's got. Fortunately, she's happy to share. P.S. The photo posted above is NOT one of Annie Ray's shots. It's a shot I took of Annie Ray while obnoxiously exclaiming, "Give me more!" --- EDIT, January 2012: The photo I posted with this listing was removed by Yelp because it allegedly violated the Content Guidelines. When I inquired as to how it violated the Content Guidelines, I was told that I was supposed to "avoid uploading close-ups of other people." Uh...every single photo for this listing includes a close-up of other people. Yelp, if you're going to remove my content from your site - which, by the way, I have donated to you for free and you have made money from - it might be nice if you gave me the honor of providing me with a reasonable explanation for why it was removed. Just a suggestion.

Attention closet models! Annie Ray is your photog!…read more Some people may ask "Why do all these folks feel the need to act a fool in front of cameras?? I don't get that behavior." Well, partially it's to have a physical memory of the event and the friends we love. But mostly it's cause an Annie Ray photo shoot is like a ride at Six Flags. It's a "weeeeeee" kinda fun where you can be as adventurous and loud and silly as you dare. When the ride is over, most folks get right back in line again. And just like a rollercoaster ride, you can end up with a crazy pic of your adventure. But Annie Ray specifically as a photographer is a joy. She's ebullient, effervescent, energetic, and encouraging which is great when you are working with stoic camera shy boys like my hubby and bff. And she makes ME look good even tho I normally take horrible pictures. I can never get my face to act right (in fact, no telling how many of the 20 or so that she takes she pitches to only post a few on her site....). And she remembers people. Having worked many a Yelp party and working with countless faces, I am amazed that she remembers my name and when she met hubby last event, she was so excited and demanded we take more pictures of just us, encouraging him "Randy love Keri! Loooove her!"...which of course hubby took to mean "Stick your tongue in her ear!!". I always look forward to an Annie Ray photobooth. She is an Annie Ray of Sunshine!

Daran, the creator of Colored Lion, was my wedding photographer and he was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!…read more I truly couldn't have asked for anything more out of the pictures he was able to capture that day. He did whatever it took to get the shot in 90+ degree heat. He came with fun, creative ideas, and even laid down on a dusty bridge infested with flies to get the most amazing shot of the day...my husband and I on a worn, abandoned bridge, with vibrant green woods surrounding us as the sun set through the trees! Take a look at it on his website. It will take your breath away. Daran even captured my sister in mid air when she did the "dirty dancing" lift with this best man as they made their entrance! Unreal. If you are looking for a wedding photographer or simply a photographer who is creative and willing to do whatever it takes to get that shot, then Colored Lion is the company you need to work with. Daran has a truly natural talent with color. He enhanced the color of my pictures and took them to a whole new level (I seriously didn't think they could get any better). His eye for the aesthetic and passion for color is simply something that cannot be taught. He is the the heart and brains behind Colored Lion. To me, a great photographer has nothing to do with the fancy, expensive equipment someone has or the latest editing tools they have access to. Everyone is a "photographer" now days. Daran, however, is the real deal and I cannot recommend Colored Lion enough!

On the day I proposed to my wife, I knew there was only one person in Austin who could capture the…read moremoment. Daran at ColoredLion worked with me weeks and days before the big moment to give me additional ideas and tell me exactly where he would be and what would make the best setting and best pictures (and calm me down the day of). All of his advice was spot on. He got the photos of a lifetime without us even remembering he was there. We've had dozens of people say it's the best engagement photo they've ever seen. I would use Daran at ColoredLion again in a heartbeat, for any event, big or small.

I met Jennifer a while back and I have to say that she has blown me away with her work and her…read morecustomer service. She has always made sure that I am prepared, that I know what to expect and that I get to enjoy beautiful art and portraits every day. She has truly become a great friend. I just can't recommend her enough!!!

EXCELLENT! great staff and outstanding service. Twist Tours Photography provided me with wonderful…read morephotos of two homes I just finished building. My favorite staff whom I had the pleasure of working and coordinating is Mandy. She provided me with outstanding customer-care and attention. She is a very responsive and responsible individual and has such great attitude to help and provide quality service! Thank you Mandy. My interactions with other staff and the photographer were Ms. Bee at the office, very lovely person with great attitude. The two professional photographers who actually cameby for shooting and did a great work were Laura and Meredith. I had the opportunity to meet both of them on the day of shooting and appreciate their attentions to my suggestions and their professional work, both extremely nice and kind individuals. Thanks to all of you at Twist Tour Photography and keep up the good work! Mehrdad Vatani

I use Twist Tours exclusively on all of my listings! They are on time, fast, and deliver the most…read morebeautiful product I've seen. Each of my listings get their own virtual tour, and the photos are just incredible. I can't say enough about them!

While attending a friends bridal shower, I was wowed & blown away with Sammie's voice and…read moreimmediately got a card from her. We hired her for our wedding on 8/13/21 and she left me in tears! Sammie was extremely easy to work with. We communicated back and forth regarding music selections and timing and she executed everything right on time! She even let my son sing an impromptu duet with her; she sang a Bruno Mars song and my little one came out of nowhere and joined in! He's a HUGE Bruno Mars fan and Sammie adjusted the mike and allowed him to sing along with her. I have already recommended her to two other people. I have already recommended her to two other people. Having the ability and willingness to learn new songs specifically for our wedding allowed us to put our personal stamp on the music selection. I really cannot say enough things about Sammie!

Sammie has the voice of an angel! When we were planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to have some…read morespecific songs that meant a lot to us incorporated into the ceremony processional and recessional. She created her own rendition of them for us and they were beyond beautiful and perfect! She is so easy to work with and patient with any questions we had. Sammie does a great job with transitions and cues and really has the MOST beautiful voice! I feel so lucky she was able to play at our wedding and I would 10000% book her again. Thank you for being such an important/perfect part of our day Sammie!!

If you are looking for a 5-Star Professional Photographer, I highly recommend you give a call to…read moreJames. James was our photographer for our client appreciation dinner party at the SFO Airport Marriott. Our clients were older adults (age 55 and up). I asked James to take holiday photos of each guest and then work his magic as our event photographer throughout the night. Jame's shot list included clients, candid photos, high impact dancers during performance, and many group photos that our CEO & each table greatly enjoyed. James was very approachable and gave great directions when each client went to take their holiday photos. Most importantly, James was very flexible and proactive in capturing the evening' moment as I was running around. Throughout the entire event, James was very communicative - always replying to my emails - and offered his tips/advice in setting up our photo area. On the day of the event, he knew the event schedule and when/where he needed to be to capture the moments. Lastly, James was on time, professional, easy to work with, and extremely flexible. Our photos were edited and uploaded onto Google Drive & given a thumb drive. THANK YOU JAMES! We look forward to working with you for our future projects.

3/20/19 UPDATED REVIEW for 11/18/18 Wedding at Mercury Hall in Austin, TX: James was over 1.5 hours…read morelate to our event (missing all of our first look photos at the Van Zandt) and showed up seeming to be under the influence of drugs/alcohol. He was ultimately asked to leave after our wedding ceremony, because he was such a mess and his "assistant" was no help either. To this day, James has not provided an executed contract after multiple requests for one. Probably because he does not want to be held accountable. We should have seen James' lack of communication as a red flag, and honestly regret moving forward with him as our photographer. James has an endless amount of excuses for every single one of his mess ups when working with him. James can try to give excuses and claim he was not stumbling around during our wedding ceremony, but unfortunately we have 94 wedding guests as firsthand witnesses to his sloppy unprofessionalism. During our wedding ceremony, James was stumbling around and tripping over bushes. Not because there were uneven stones, but because he was trampling around in the landscaping. It was even distracting for me, the bride. James could not walk without stumbling, so during our ring exchange he planted himself crisscross applesauce in the middle of the aisle with his elbows on his knees in an attempt to stabilize himself. After my groom and I shared our kiss, we began to turn to walk down the aisle and there's James still planted in the aisle. We had to awkwardly stand there smiling waiting for him to register what was going on and get off the ground. He then proceeded to hobble along in front of us with his back to us (not taking any photos) as we exited down the aisle. We tried to give him the benefit of the doubt to shoot our ceremony even after he was arguing with us 10min before our ceremony was to begin, because he wanted us to push back our wedding ceremony 30min so he could try to capture sunset photos on an overcast day at dusk. My eldest brother had to ask James to step out of our suite because James had me in tears minutes before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. James was asked to leave our wedding because it was upsetting for us just to be around him/interact with him. He could barely carry a conversation. The reason there was one wedding guest with a DSLR taking photos during our ceremony is because I had to call one of my best friends to ask her to bring her camera to the ceremony when James informed us 30min before he was supposed to arrive that he would be would be an hour and a half late. I was in full hair and make-up in tears, because I was having to worry about whether or not our wedding photographer was going to show up. The 194 photos James finally sent us aren't like the photos in his portfolio. His photos were unedited, burst shots, out of focus. Incredibly sloppy work that he took over two weeks to give to us. We were able to salvage a total of FIVE photos. James missed the entire procession. James may have had some good moments as a photographer, but our unfortunate experience is also what he is capable of. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT take the risk in hiring him. James was not harassed or accused of anything other than being unprofessional, dishonest, and a complete disappointment. Note his Yelp review from Marty S. on 9/6/18 where he did a NO CALL NO SHOW to a wedding. I've contacted that bride and she confirmed James was fired from Bellagala after not showing to her wedding.