My name is Hannah. I have been reading these crazy, weird and poorly written reviews by what appears to be from a bogus person based off of Janessa's replies. Now, I'm not one to leave reviews but this just angered me. I know Janessa, I worked for her and I'm not going to sit here and allow someone to obviously blatantly lie about her. I can see that she is a very busy photographer and has dozens upon dozens of repeat clients to this day! I stopped working for her because she moved her studio away from my hometown and since traveling to Gridley was a hardship I unfortunately had to quit the best job I ever had. Janessa is not mean. She does not yell and if she ever did yell at an employee, they probably deserved it. Janessa has the most patience I have ever seen. She works with newborns for a living, and based off of what her newborn photos look like, i think you would all have to agree, she's a patient person. This person spreading this hate is obviously PISSED that they lost the BEST job in the whole world. I salute Janessa for putting up with nonsense. She always manages her clients well, she's patient, she's kind and my god, has she got the biggest giving heart I've ever known?! She would give you the shirt off of her back. Literally. I'm patiently awaiting a response from her current employee here, you know, the "light skinned" one? LOL. I cannot believe Brianna would go to this extent. Brianna, you do know who Janessa is, right? You can't break this business even if you really put real effort into it. What you did was just made a name for yourself, and it isn't a good one. I can only imagine what Janessa has/had done for you, and now you've really blown it. Janessa, I am so proud to call you my friend and I was blessed to call you my boss lady! You rock! And I'll never forget how extra you are for your clients! I'm serious you guys, she goes the extra mile for your shoot. I've watched her drop a grand at a time planning your session. She will make it special for you. She's running an amazing business and she is not over priced for what she provides. She has a lot to offer and it's sooooo well worth it. -Much love to all for taking the time to read this and decide for yourself what's bogus and what's not. read more

Where do I begin? If I could give her zero stars...I would. The unprofessionalism that oozes from this women keeps me baffled as to how she even has or keeps her customers. There are MANY things about Janessa that were irritating to me during her time as our wedding photographer, but these are the ones that stood out the most. 1. Too much personal information is given out during sessions/correspondance. I don't need to know how/why and the entire circumstances in which your ex left you and so on and so forth. It's also not a good idea to disclose that you have been in trouble with the police. 2. She actually gossiped about OTHER customers during sessions, making several racist comments about some of them. Complains that other people were too picky with their photos/setup. For the price you have to pay....it better be perfect! Seriously? 3. Your wishes are not taken into consideration. She has this arroganace about her that she is the worlds best photographer and nothing you can suggest would be better than her idea. My thought is, Im paying you...if I want this shot then shut up and click the camera. 4. We had to actually be a bit forcefull in regards to getting to our reception. We wanted to get to our guests and do our big arrival, she actually got an attitude with us because we were so tired of taking pictures! 5. Last but not least....you have to pay an insane amount of money to even book her. Then she will give you the story that someone else is trying to book her, so you need to hurry so she is available. Then you have to pick one of her biggest packages TO EVEN HAVE RIGHTS TO YOUR OWN DAMN PHOTOS. I wish we had never used her for our wedding. She sent me an awful photobook with half of the pictures I hated. It basically looked like she used Shutterfly to even do the damn thing. I couldve saved the money and done the same thing myself! Stay clear of her, she is a total drama queen that will act like white trash at your wedding. read more

I have seen and admired Janessa's work for years over social media. She is very good and talented in her field of expertise. I took the plunge and set up a session to have our 3 year old twin granddaughters photographed. I contacted her via messenger on Facebook and we had a session date and time set up in very reasonable timing. Upon arrival Janessa and her assistant Alyssa greeted us warmly. The studio was very nice, clean, and well put together. The outfits and props were top notch. Both ladies worked very well together getting the best shots out of our twins. They were both very professional and worked very well with our little ones. They were extremely patient and fun! We were very pleased with the many proofs we had to chose from at the end of photographing. Alyssa was very attentive to the twins and played with them while Janessa worked with us both to choose our final photos. They both make a great team. By the time we left the studio our girls had so much fun and felt very special. They loved dressing up in the dresses and headbands and the overall attention they received while being photographed. Upon walking out of the studio we all had a fun time and were excited to receive our final photos. I would highly recommend Visions by Janessa to anyone in the market for top notch photos. Our family looks forward to future sessions with these wonderful ladies. read more

Janessa is beyond amazing!!!!!!! I'm a SoCal customer and when I say I LOVED every bit of my experience with Janessa I mean just that! Everything about Janessa is PROFESSIONAL! Let's start with her assistant she was beyond patient and helpful with me. She answered all my questions in a timely matter she's just an all around sweetheart. No lie it felt as if knew the both of them for years. The moment I met Janessa she was so warm and inviting! I was so nervous about one pose I did where I was hanging from a trapeze stand mind you I was 8.5 months pregnant and scared out of my mind but I really wanted to do this particular pose. Janessa not only reassured me that I wasn't going to fall but she tested out the trapeze herself to show me how secure I would be. She gives great direction!!! She provided beautiful dresses and robes for me. She was so good with my 3yr old! Janessa is hands down the BEST photographer I've ever met. I'm so grateful that I came across Janessa's Instagram page! My maternity shoot was nothing less than amazing. When I received my photos they were so flawless. PERFECT!!!! I am beyond happy with my overall experience! I would definitely go back and recommend Janessa to any and everyone!!!!! -Tiffany read more

My experience with Janessa was nothing less than amazing! She is very personable and her taste is classy and unique, well worth every penny! Janessas work is defiantly the WOOOOW factor!! Her modern studio shows how professional she is, although one of her employees was not holding the same professionalism as she was, I was glad to see by my next session with Janessa that she got rid of her and hired Alyssa a very sweet and clean cut gal who you would trust handling your precious newborn. During my session with Alyssa and Janessa they were both constantly sanitizing their hands and my daughters pacifier, with her old assistant she was very sloppy and would show up in sweatpants and not care about the clients, someone you would not want handling your newborn!!! I'm glad to see Janessa is now hiring employees that take pride in their work! Janessa has captured both my maternity and newborn pictures and I can't wait for our sitter session! She made me feel beautiful in month nine of pregnancy and week one postpartum.10/10 recommend Janessa to all mothers and mothers to be!! read more

I discovered Janessa's photography page almost 5 years ago, ever since I saw her work I knew that when I had a baby, I would go through her to capture pictures of my little one. Here we are 5 years later and I finally had my session with Janessa today. Janessa is absolutely amazing! She was so gentle with my son, and made sure he was comfortable and positioned safely for the photos. She talked to me and my fiancé the whole session and made us laugh and feel very comfortable. At the end of our session she went over all the images with us and answered all of our questions we had. Janessa had captured the most stunning images of my son. She was able to do a quick edit to help us not be discourage because our son is jaundice so we thought he would be orange in every picture but not the case! We fell in love with every single picture and so grateful that we now forever have these pictures. I'm definitely going to be returning to her for my sitter session, cake smash etc. Her work speaks for herself and I definitely recommend! Thank you again Janessa! read more

If I could give 10 stars I so would!! A friend recommended that I have my newborn pics done by Janessa, and I couldn't be happier with the results!! She immediately responded to my request and set up an appointment within a few days. The communication with her throughout the entire process was excellent and she made me feel like we had been friends for a long time! The specific instructions she gave to prep my baby for the shoot were so helpful and made our photo session run smoothly. Janessa is amazing and you can see how much she loves what she does. She is so patient and I loved the way she worked with my newborn. We did not feel rushed whatsoever and she ensured that we got all the poses we wanted. Her creativity shined as I let her work her magic, we couldn't be happier with the pictures!! Thank you for capturing the most beautiful images of my baby boy which we will cherish forever! I can't wait to go back and do milestone pictures as well as a family portrait with you :) read more

Janessa is my all time favorite photographer! She has photographed my son from baby to now 4 years old and he even loves her. Janessa isn't "just" a photographer, she is truly an artist she has an amazing gift at documenting special moments from unique perspectives like in my amazing pregnancy announcements using my son to announce,I was blown away with all her ideas incorporating him in the special announcement. She's also so easy to work with I have used her for Boudoir images and she made something that would easily be awkward not knowing where to put your hands or how to position your body for me not awkward at all I was completely comfortable and she definitely makes you feel beautiful. Trust her her guidance and creativity always pays off! Each time I've used Janessa I have always been 100% satisfied not only does she do an amazing job each and every time but her love for photography is amazing. Definitely go to her for all your photography needs you won't be disappointed read more

Amazing photos!!! She captures those beautiful special moments...Her work speaks for itself..I happened upon a picture she took around 2006..I fell in love with her work and followed her work...I knew then that when I got pregnant she would do my maternity session and several years later when that day came I looked her up and called her and booked her..it was my dream to have Janessa take my maternity pics and as chunky as I felt pregnant with twins and as slowly I could walk..she was so patient and her creativity was just amazing..she made all my chunkiness feel so beautiful and then when I saw the pictures they were just perfect..Then ofcourse I called her again for our newborn session...just took my breath away!!! i adore those pictures and have several of them blown up and framed in my living room..I keep two in a locket I had specially made..her work is just magicle..she has such a special gift...her work speaks for itself its just magic is what I call it :) read more

Janessa is an amazing photographer but an even better friend. Since the first time i contacted her she went above and beyond & made me feel comfortable it was like i already knew her. She texted me/called me to make sure she knew exactly what i wanted for my daughters newborn pictures. She showed up & blew me away with how spot on all the props were all the way down to the teeny tiny little tiara she bought just for that day. She was so patient w/ us. She fed my daughter, held her, changed her diaper and soothed her. I wasnt expecting all of that but she did it. I could go on & on about how amazing she is. I booked her for my daughters newborn & 6 month pictures & soon she will be doing my daughters 1st bday pictures. I love her & her work! & not to mention the prices &little mini shoots she does are amazing & always a success! I will always hold her close to my heart & she will always be the one I run to for AMAZING pictures! Penelope & I love Janessa! read more

So I'm a late night yelp browser. I admit. I came across this amazing photographer. I just left an email to book a session with you Janessa. I cannot wait to hear from you tomorrow, or at your earliest convenience. Your work is just lovely. I just read some amusing reviews and some really awesome ones. I can clearly see what's going on here. Don't worry, it did not effect my decision one bit. I may have stalked your Instagram for a brief moment as well. You are crazy talented. I am having a baby and I'm Interested in the belly-baby combo! I look forward to hearing from you and booking! Updated response; I couldn't reply Janessa, but I did choose the package I want. I will call Alyssa around 9:00. I work night shift and had a little break to message you. I get off work at 7 am, so I'll stay up for a little while so we can connect. Have fun editing! I can't wait to see more of your work. read more

Janessa is the best photographer around. She is sweet and extremely professional. I have worked with several photographers and a couple things that make Janessa stand out is her professionalism, originality and ability to work with children. She will take her time to pose you or your child and fix a shirt or collar so that way everything in the photo looks perfect. So many times photographers just say stand over there and smile and then when you get the pictures back there are things out of place that SHOULD have been fixed. She took Christmas pictures of my 1 year old and she was so great with him! She even got him to smile! Her background set ups are always so cute and original. She doesn't do the copy cat pictures which is really nice, they are always amazing and original. She is a true artist in itself and a pleasure to work with. I will continue to do business with her. read more

Okay so I had looked everywhere for a canvas for my daughter's nursery of a flamingo picture I loved. No luck online or any local stores here local. Then I remembered what amazing work Janessa had done for her custom backgrounds and decided to reach out to Janessa. We both came up with the first mother flamingo but I wanted something more. I then asked if she could add a baby flamingo. What she came up with was amazing!!! I am so in love with this painting and the work that Janessa put into it!! Now my daughter has something special and unique for her nursery that means something to me and her as mother and daughter! thank you so much Janessa for taking the time to work on this for me and my family. Also for being so quick on ordering and delivering the final product. You are amazing and so talented!! read more

Long overdue review from 2019...but Janessa was very easy to work with. I ended up having my baby early and she was able to schedule me in. I was postponed due to a cough that Janessa did have but was informed accordingly, in which I had no issues with that. For me, it means that she cares a lot about the well-being of her clients. I definitely appreciated her patience when we were setting up the probs and selecting different accessories. The way she handled my daughter, she was very gentle and you can tell she was very experienced. Her studio was very clean and organized. I was very impressed with how prepared she was with her "ready-cart," in any case if there should be any accidents. Photos came out beautiful, I appreciated the time she took to edit them! Definitely recommend. read more

I booked Janessa for my daughters newborn pictures based on the pictures she had done of my cousins newborn. They were beautiful. I drove all the way from San Jose to Yuba City just to have our pictures done by her. I love how creative she was and how she incorporated our ideas as well. She is very professional and patient. My 4 day old daughter was fussy and Janessa got her to fall asleep and was very attentive to her. Her prices are very reasonable and she does beyond exceptional work. I've even been back for a Valentine's Day shoot. She really is talented and knows what she's doing. I will definitely make the three hour drive down again for her six month pictures. Thank you Janessa! I would ( and have) recommended her to my friends. Don't listen to the other BS reviews. read more

My husband, son, daughter and I had our family photos taken with Janessa right before we moved on military orders to Japan, and she did the most unbelievably amazing job! She was patient with my children, understanding of their fidgety 5 and 6 year old ways, and had us in and out quickly with the most stunningly gorgeous photos I could have ever hoped for! As fast as she was, she was that much more accurate with our positioning and sun light to get the best poses and shots possible during our mini session which tells me that she seriously knows what she is doing :) Her prices were very affordable too especially considering the level of professional work she provided. I hope to get another chance to work with Visions by Janessa as soon as we move back to the U.S. :) read more

I have used Janessa for every photo shoot that I have needed. She is not only talented but she takes pride in her career. There is not one time that we have been rushed or hurried through our shoot. She is excellent with kids and very very patient. her being a mother she can understand that not all children want to sit and smile. She is more than interactive and focused on what the children want to do and works with that to capture their real personality. Hands down I recommend her to anyone searching for a photographer. Janessa is an on site and a traveling photographer with many tricks up her sleve. Any vision that you have in your mind, Janessa brings life to it. I recommend her for any of your photography needs!!! read more

What describes Janessa's work? Artistic, creative, beautiful, fun, dynamic, soft....I can go on and on. Janessa has been doing our pictures for almost 7 yrs. She's done my newborn, family, holiday, and mini's for us. We see her 2-3 times a years. She knows how to capture the beauty of the location, the personality of my children and the love between us all. I wouldn't trust our pictures or my children with anyone else. Only Janessa knows how to get my children to behave, and focus for their sessions. Even I can't do that. We think of her as part of our extended family now. Love love love her! I HIGHLY recommend Visions by Janessa Photography for your next photo session. read more

After researching many photographers in over a 100 mile radius, we decided on Janessa! We could not be happier with our decision. The entire process was handled perfectly, from the initial scheduling to the delivery of the photos. Janessa and her assistant were incredibly responsive throughout. The portrait session was amazing, Janessa is a true baby whisperer that was able to get our little one's into beautiful poses with no fuss.. Oh did I meantion it was TWINS... 2 infants!!! Plus she was able to incorporate daddys motorcycle safely by photographing them each separately! Photos were available incredibly fast. Thank you so much for everything! read more