Working with Emily was an amazing experience. She is a master of her craft, professional, and goes above and beyond to connect with her clients. During our elopement photo shoot, Emily made the whole experience feel so sincere and genuine. Although it was our first time meeting in person, we felt an immediate connection as if we were working with a close friend. Her personality and good heart shine through in our experience and her work. It was so effortless and fun working with Emily. We cannot wait to work with Emily again!! She's such a kind soul and truly loves what she does. Thank you Emily for not only taking phenomenal photos but also making this experience once of a kind and one that we'll always remember. Best, Hao and Julie read more

Where to start?!? My family planned a vacation to Oahu and immediately I knew I needed to book something with Emily. As a photographer myself, I know the importance of family photos and I wanted to find a photographer who could shoot film as well as digital (something that was hard to find in San Diego!) Once I decided I wanted Emily to take our family photos, I decided I wanted to also book a mentorship session with her. Reviewing our family photo experience: Emily was so communicative and helpful in working together to find the perfect spot to take our photos! We had rain forecasted on the morning of our shoot so we changed plans last minute and it was perfect! She also helped me decide on what outfits to wear and was just generally the best hype girl I could ask for! We chatted back and forth about my vision for our time together and I was just so excited for our photoshoot! I chose to add a film photography package and she shot TWO rolls of 35mm film during our session which is super impressive!! During our photoshoot she was so kind and calm and worked so well with our crazy almost-four-year-old and 7 month old! She captured my vision perfectly and I can't say enough good things about our time together!! Reviewing my mentorship experience: I really value continuing to learn from other photographers whenever I can and I knew Emily had experience in underwater photography - something I have been interested in but have been too chicken to try. I'm NOT a diver by any means but Emily was so helpful in choosing a spot that wasn't super hard to swim out to and even bringing snorkle gear and fins for me to use! I brought my 35mm film underwater camera and she taught me how to use her underwater housing for her digital camera. I also need to mention -- as soon as we got in the water, there was a freaking sea turtle right right there!! (We gave it plenty of space but OMG SO COOL!!) After playing around in the water and learning how to get some cool shots (it's waaay harder than it looks!!) (& she found us the cutest couple to model for us!!) we hopped out and she showed me how she would edit the RAW photos and gave me all her tips and tricks to continue to build my business. Here's the best part: a few days after our mentorship she sent me THE BEST recap email. She included everything we talked about the whole day: gear recommendations, poses for underwater, how to get more inquiries, tips for editing underwater photos, literally everything we talked about. (Which was AMAZING because I wasn't able to take notes and I immediately forgot everything we talked about as soon as we got home LOL.) All in all, Emily was such a kind and thoughtful person to work with. Looking back at our time on Oahu both the family session and mentorship session were the highlights of my trip and I will be forever thankful for our time together! Thank you Emily! read more

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Emily is unmatched when it comes to her talents as a photographer and her genuine kindness as a person. Immediately, I felt connected to her work and the authenticity it displayed and very soon became connected to her as a person. My husband and I hired her for our elopement on Oahu and spent the months leading up to it getting to know her through Instagram. She answered all of my questions promptly, helped me source some vendors, and was honest about any expectations I had. We booked a couples shoot with her a few days before the elopement to get comfortable in front of the camera and honestly, it was like old friends getting together. She provided so much direction, guidance, and expertise the entire time and made my husband and I feel so confident and comfortable. I'd highly recommend adding a couples shoot prior to your elopement if you're not local or used to being in front of the camera! On our elopement day, she was early and set-up by the time we arrived. She knew exactly what to do and worked PERFECTLY with our videographer whom she has just met a few days prior at our couples shoot, too. It's really important that your vendors work together and not against each other, and I felt like Emily and our videographer actually left as friends! It made us feel even more comfortable that day. Throughout the entire day she proposed very natural movements and activities for my husband and I to do so she could catch authentic, raw emotion from us. We did a few portrait style shots, but her expertise is really those kinetic moving shots. By the time I woke up the next morning she had already sent over a few photos for a sneak peek. I was SHOCKED at her turn around time. A few weeks after that we had all of our photos back, more than I could have imagined. Every single one of them is stunning and perfect. We have them displayed everywhere we can! Emily is not only talented but a pleasure to work with. I'm so sad we're not local to Oahu to shoot with her more often, but I've made it a point to let her know we will be always reaching out anytime we are on the island to shoot with her again. And on top of that, we are still connected and keep up with each other almost a year later. If you're looking for a photographer for your elopement, seriously there's no need to look any further. Emily is the BEST option on Oahu. read more

Several couples told me that one of their biggest wedding regrets was not having quality photos from their big days. I knew that finding a photographer that understood my vision and requests was incredibly important and I wanted to have photographs that captured all of the highlights and emotions from our elopement. Emily was the photographer for us! Not only is she incredibly skilled and talented at what she does, Emily is such a sweet, caring and thoughtful person. She took the time to get to know us, checked-in periodically and sent planning ideas our way. On the day of our elopement, Emily arrived early and was so helpful. She helped put my blindfolded husband's boutonniere on while I got ready. She held our phones and even carried umbrellas around with her in case of rain. Emily gave us some pointers to help get effortless and natural shots that did not feel forced and too posed. We were on a schedule to get to our catamaran sail after our ceremony and Emily assisted with facilitating different photos with our families to get us to our sail on time. All of our family members mentioned how lovely and sweet Emily was. Emily also took photos from our sail and underwater snorkel, which are breathtaking. Loving the images we received is an understatement! I look at them every day, even multiple times a day. The images beautifully capture every moment from our elopement and the quantity of quality images is mind blowing. I spent many days trying to figure out which images to print and which to put in our photo book because there are so many to choose from. The pictures are truly amazing and Emily is a master at what she does. Friends and family who were not in attendance said that they felt like they were because Emily did such an amazing job. We are so thankful to have worked with Emily. Emily is the absolute best and should be your elopement photographer! read more

Wow. Where to even begin?? Words cannot express how wonderful Emily Choy made the experience of getting our engagement photos taken!! She was very professional and prompt with her responses throughout the whole process! Something we found to be SO helpful that she sent was a personalized location list based off of the type of scenery we said we would prefer in our photos. Emily made sure to tell us she wanted the whole experience to be very comfortable and enjoyable. She took the time to tell us about her photography style/goals and about her personality (she has the BEST personality and is so sweet/genuine)! She also asked lots of questions about our relationship so that we could get to know each other before we even met in person. During the shoot, my fiancé and I were just blown away by how much fun we were having and how comfortable Emily made us feel the whole time!! I absolutely recommend choosing Emily Choy as your photographer, she will make your experience unforgettable. Thank you again, Emily!!! You truly did an amazing job, and we appreciate your hard work more than we can say!!! - Andrew and Grace read more

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Emily is so sweet and really made our experience feel natural (I'm SO awkward in photos). Our trip to Oahu had been stressful, but looking back on the photos I don't feel any of that. I feel so grateful she was able to capture our family having a great time and loving on each other. I 100% recommend making time to have Emily freeze time for you. You won't regret it! read more

Emily Choy Photography - Session Photography Near Me

Emily Choy was INCREDIBLE to work with. My husband and I are from Texas, eloping to Hawaii. We were a little nervous taking the path less traveled but I wanted something a little more adventurous for our photos. I showed Emily my inspo and she scouted out the most dreamy location. Overall she was so kind and easy going. The images we got back were honestly better than anything I could have envisioned. I've never felt like I'm living in a fairly tale. She really knocked it out of the park. I almost literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I cannot wait to get them printed. read more

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If you're coming to Oahu (or any Hawaiian island) you NEED to book a session with Emily!! She is so sweet and so fun, we loved having our photos taken by her and we LOVE the photos so much! We are so grateful to have beautiful, professional photos to remember our first trip to Hawaii together with!! we were able to shoot at iconic Waimea Bay and got to see some insane swells! Thank you so much Emily!! read more

Emily Choy Photography - Session Photography Near Me

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Emily blew us away as our wedding photographer! We are so thankful that we had her as our go-to gal for our big day! She was SO FUN to get to know with from start to finish, from her quick communication early on to hanging out with her all day during our wedding. Emily did a great job directing us to beautiful backdrops and making sure we had pictures with all of our loved ones! She made us feel comfortable, provided a fun environment for us to be goofy, and allowed us to prioritize certain pics that were most important to us. We also had a 2nd shooter who worked very cohesively with Emily, and then Emily edited all pics so everything looked seamless when we received the pictures! We also got our pics back exactly 1 month after our wedding - like all 1,000+ of them! How awesome is that?! Couldn't recommend Emily more - she is a gem to work with! read more

Emily Choy Photography - Session Photography Near Me

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Amazing pictures and editing. Cannot say enough good things about the experience and the photos themselves. Emily did everything to accommodate us and we can't thank her enough! read more

Choosing Emily was not difficult at all. I knew already that I liked her work after following her on Instagram for a couple years. The challenge we faced was deciding if we wanted to elope, have a big traditional wedding, or have a micro wedding; we ended up wanting to plan a wedding in Hawaii 2022 after inquiring with Emily. However, after nights of stressing on how I'd plan a destination, micro wedding in the middle of a COVID surge, I asked my fiancé about eloping instead. We reached back out to Emily and told her about the situation and was extremely understanding of why I would not want to have a micro wedding as well as supportive of us deciding to elope. Thankfully, she had an opening in January and we locked in a date! We had a little over a month to plan for our elopement in Hawaii! After hiring her, I felt all of this weight lifted off of my shoulders because I was going to marry my best friend in my dream destination with my dream photographer! Leading up to our departure to our arrival and wedding day, Emily made sure to get to know us. One question was "what does your perfect day together look like?" We shared it with her and she helped us incorporate those pieces into our wedding day. We really loved that because she was going to capture who and what our love really looks like. She was so sweet in making us feel welcomed and hyped us up for our wedding day. Our day together felt so easy and comfortable, we trusted her with everything! Our photos came back breathtaking, just like the island! It was everything I had dreamed of. I really felt like we were back on the beach or up on the mountain again. My family and friends were in amazed with our wedding day and how Emily captured it all. My hope was for them to feel like they were experiencing every moment with us since they couldn't be there to witness it all and Emily made that happen! She sent us sneak peaks the day after our ceremony which was awesome and our photos came within a few weeks after! One thing I wished we did was chosen the 8 hour session instead of 6 hours so that we could have had more time to take photos of us getting ready and more photos at our ceremony location before we did our other portraits (remember travel time is included). If you're on the fence about booking with Emily, please inquire and ask to talk to her! She is honest and easy to talk to. We had a lot of questions on how to plan from thousands of miles away and she helped ease our worries because she was timely and communicated with us so well. She is so adventurous and fun you will definitely enjoy your time with her as well as her photos! Follow her on Instagram and check her posts regularly! They're so informative on how to plan for adventure elopements and photo styles so it helped us with deciding what we liked as well as kept us hyped up for our own special day! Eloping was the best decision we made and have Emily capture it all. If we could, we would do this again in a heart beat! Maybe an anniversary adventure couples session when we go back! read more

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Emily was an absolute joy to work with. I found her on Instagram and instantly felt connected with her work. She is just as kind and warm as you would think she is! We had the most wonderful sunrise photoshoot to celebrate 20 years with my husband. Our photos are breathtaking and I could not recommend Emily more. She is such a talented photographer who was able to capture beautiful and real moments. I recommend her to everyone! read more

We booked Emily to capture our honeymoon in Hawaii. She was so friendly, easy going, and direct (we didn't know what we were doing). And on top of that, delivered amazing photos that we will cherish forever! I mean just look at these! If you're asking for a sign to book her, this is it!! read more

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Emily is truly such a joy to work with! My husband and I booked her for a session in Oahu to help document our first trip to Hawaii, and gosh am I glad we did. I am a wedding planner in Georgia and take photography very seriously and truly felt such a connection to Emily's work and process. She is really professional, friendly & has so much talent. We also really enjoyed our time with her on the day of our shoot. She had some great recs for local things to check out, as well as had some great prompts for guiding us through our photos which made us really comfortable. She has such an amazing eye and we will truly cherish these photos for years to come. I have already ordered prints from her and look forward to hanging a few in our home. Don't even think about it, just book her! read more

Emily is AMAZING!! After we met to discuss important captures, she executed it PERFECTLY at our wedding. From her timely communication, to her delivery in quality of captures and edits... my husband and I were beyond impressed with her. The photos speak for themselves. Emily kept in touch and gave me up-to-date timeline on when to expect photos after the wedding. Due to her magical editing process, she sent me a few early sneak-peaks and then sent me the rest of our photos 4 weeks after our wedding date (true to her word)!! She was a joy to work with, her radiant energy and laughter kept our nerves at bay. Overall, the shoot was fantastic and Emily was an expert at getting right in the action of the wedding but somehow simultaneously being unseen... I don't know how she did it!!! I HIGHLY recommend her as your photographer extraordinaire. Love you Emily!!!! xoxoxox happy bride read more

Emily was a joy! She was easy to communicate with about any aspect of the shoot. My wife felt very comfortable with all the the instructions Emily was giving to her during each photo to really capture the bliss in our body languages and faces. We are so happy with how the photos turned out! Loved spending the time with her as it felt like a good friend was taking them instead of someone we actually just met. We will always recommend Emily for your photography needs. read more

We were lucky to sneak a family session in with Emily on our family vacation. Working with Emily was such a dream. From her client call to the gallery delivery, she has created a well-oiled machine. I love that she offers help with styling if needed, can give great recommendations for hair and make up and that she gave me some options of locations to shoot with photos and details about each space. And all of this isn't even mentioning her eye for capturing the small moments that feel the most real and her dedication to getting a great shot. I cannot recommend Emily enough, she even got the shots my kids wanted and was able to work with my 4-year old who was pretending to be a dog for half of the session. read more

Emily is hands down the best photographer to work with! She did my engagement shoot, family photos, and wedding photos, and all of them turned out more amazing than I could have imagined.The photos really captured the moments that were so precious to us. Emily was so easy to work with! She was so good at responding to our questions and helping us along the way with all 3 shoots we did. Even if you are uncomfortable in front of cameras, Emily will immediately make you feel at ease. Her verbal cues and instructions were easy to follow and helped us feel natural the whole time. If you are looking for the perfect photographer, then Emily is 100% the one! read more

I absolutely recommend Emily! I always thought photoshoots were stressful...until I started working with Emily! I found Emily on Instagram and starting from the communication, she was extremely responsive and prompt. Emily would always respond back and she even helped me pick the outfit details (the little things!). Her main work is to capture YOU as you are and to make YOU feel comfortable. You feel special :) I love the raw emotions in her work which is why i was drawn! She makes photoshoots fun and is great at coming up with ideas if you want "poses". Some of my favorite photos were the candid photos with hair in the face-she is magical at capturing those little moments. Many of my friends and family have seen her pictures and they couldnt believe the quality...they could literally "feel the love and joy". The reason they could was because it was real. No fake laughs, real laughs and kisses! It's not your standard shoot with contrived poses. I would say, if you havent booked with Emily, you are MISSING OUT. Working with Emily is so much fun!!!!!!!! Just book and be down to HAVE FUN. Get ready to sweat/workout (in a good way!!!). Emily kept us updated throughout the process and she even texted sneak peeks! Her final delivery is a website where you can easily download images to your phone or computer! so easy! JUST BOOK! read more

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I cant say enough about Emily!!!! She is amazing, wonderful, kind, encouraging, and just down right the nicest human you will ever meet! Not only is she such a great person but her pictures are INCREDIBLE!!! How many more adjectives can I use to describe her??? I was nervous about getting photos done because my husband and I have never gotten professional ones done before. I told her that we will probably have absolutely no idea what to do! But Emily made it so easy and natural! When I met her I felt like I had known her my whole life. I recommend to everyone I know that is going to the island to get pictures with her. They are beautiful photos and I will cherish them for my entire life. Thanks Emily for not only being a fantastic photographer, but a great new friend. :) I hope our paths cross again soon!!! read more

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My fiance and I booked Emily for our engagement photo session in Hawaii. The travel costs we paid for Emily to fly to Kauai was extremely reasonable and her overall cost was worth every penny. Not only did we receive hundreds of photos when we only expected several dozen, but Emily was so easy to get along with and directed us throughout the entire shoot. This was the first time my fiance and I had professional photos done and Emily made us feel so comfortable and we truly had so much fun during the entire shoot. I can't speak highly enough of Emily and her photos!! If we weren't from Ohio, we would definitely book Emily for all our future photography needs!! :) read more

We wanted to hire a professional photographer because we wanted beautiful photos of us that we truly love, photos that we could walk past in our home and never tire of for years to come. That is exactly what we got with Emily. Having taken professional photos once before, we were familiar (and not too happy) with photos that made us look "posed" and stiff, so we really wanted more natural photos that felt more like us. When we came across Emily's gallery and photography, we immediately fell in love. Her photography captured couples so naturally with breathtaking scenery as the backdrop. As soon as we contacted her, she was extremely communicative and helpful. She was constantly available to answer any questions, to help with styling, and to suggest various locations to fit any preference. She does a great job of trying to get to know the couple before the shoot so she can tailor the shoot specifically to the couple. It wasn't just hiring her then seeing her at the shoot - we had many discussions via email and texts beforehand. This effort and the research on her part really stood out to us. Because of it, we felt more comfortable at the shoot - like a friend was taking our pictures - which helped everything feel so much more natural. We were concerned with the actual shoot feeling awkward, but we were shocked at the end of it by how much fun it was! Her prompts are perfect in terms of capturing really great movement and special moments. She doesn't try to fix your hair every second it gets out of place which I love...she lets it blow and captures the beauty of how it flies in the wind! Her location suggestion fit exactly what we had in mind. Not only that, but she made one location look like we went to three or four locations in one shoot because of the variety of shots she took there. She knows exactly how to make use of a space and take advantage of its full potential. We could not believe this was the first time she shot at that location! All of this is just about our experience working with Emily...I haven't even touched on the final product - the photos themselves! First of all, her work ethic is incredible. When we shot with her, she was due in about a month. She ended up unexpectedly having her baby early and still got our complete edited gallery to us in less than two weeks after our shoot!!! That is a clear testament to how hard she works. And nothing was rushed because the photos were incredibly beautiful, so much so that they actually made me cry! Second of all, her editing style adds so much to the photos and elevates them to an even higher level. She edits the photos beautifully in a true-to-life manner with a hint of moodiness. Basically, perfection. Third of all, and the best part of what she does, is the way she captured us sharing a quiet moment, or laughing at something we said to each other. She didn't prompt these delicate moments, but she let them happen naturally and was there to catch them. Her ability to do this is something really special about her work. When I see those photos, it takes me back to those moments, and I can relive them over and over and remember exactly what he whispered in that moment to make me laugh. Emily somehow figured out how to bottle up a beautiful memory and a feeling of happiness. That is what she gives you, and frankly, it is priceless. Hiring her was one of the best investments we have ever made. To anyone on the fence about booking with her, I'm willing to bet that she will be one of the best investments you will ever make, too. read more

My wife and I booked Emily for a couple's shoot during our vacation this past summer. Emily was awesome to work with, was very knowledgeable about the island and all the great locations! She was great at replying to our emails communicating everything in a timely manner. Our photos turned out amazing and we couldn't be more pleased with them! Everything went smoothly from booking to delivery, and I would highly recommend Emily! read more

Looking for an engagement photographer was way more overwhelming than I initially had expected. I saw so many different photographers online but as soon as I saw Emily's photography I knew she would be perfect. We are not models and are admittedly very uncomfortable and awkward in front of the camera. Emily made our nerves disappear. We had an incredible day shooting our "adventure shoot" with her. It will be a day we will never forget and has become our favorite part of this engagement this far. She made us laugh and genuinely enjoy the shoot and it showed in the photos. Our photos exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to plaster them all over our home. She captured our relationship perfectly in our romantic, silly, fun pictures in the most breathtaking setting in the world. I recommend Emily to everyone I know traveling to Hawaii for any sort of photography. She is a genuine person with a easy going personality. Book with her now! I promise, you won't regret it. read more

Emily is such an beautiful soul and incredible photographer! My husband and I booked her for an adventure session while we were staying in Hawaii and boy was it an adventure! We hit rain and mud and everything you possibly could, but Emily was so much fun the entire time! She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and it wasn't awkward or weird. We literally laughed the entire time and I absolutely LOVE the photos of us. They are real and raw and 100% reflect me and my husband's love for each other!!!! Emily was such a gem to work with - she seriously cares about her couples and is such a fun light to be around! I 100000% recommend her for anyone looking for couples photos in Hawaii! read more