It seems a huge shame that a few reviews might scare people away from Jay's excellent work! He's absolutely a five-star wedding photographer and was wonderful to work with. I admit, I was nervous after we sent an inquiry for our wedding based on his beautiful website portfolio, and then noticed he had such mixed ratings on Yelp and The Knot. We didn't have any referrals to go off of. Thankfully, the strength of his photos made us continue on. From looking at his website, we thought his compositions and choices were a cut above every other photographer we looked at. He had a semi-journalistic style (candidly capturing the action like you're there) that we both loved. My now-husband was set on him if at all possible. We asked him upfront about the negative reviews, and he was very calm and non-defensive about our hesitations and shared his thoughts on what may have happened. Our impression was that there were some extenuating circumstances of the reviews (and the same handful posted on multiple sites). Also, although he didn't say this, it seems that he doesn't spend his time being a salesman, for the most part. He didn't have slick vibes and hasn't bothered to polish his Yelp/platform image or solicit reviews -- he never nudged us for one, although other wedding vendors did. His approach may be because he gets work through word of mouth in his home city of Eugene, OR and doesn't bill himself as just a wedding photographer: he also photographs maternity, portraits, and other types of photography. He clearly does a lot of work and doesn't ask for reviews or he would have a lot of positive reviews! From our experience, Jay is authentic, highly skilled, professional, and reliable. The one thing that may bug a few people is he is not always the fastest communicator via email when he gets busy, but we thought he was speedy where it counted. His contract was reasonable and his rates were also very reasonable for a photographer of his caliber. He also put a lot of thought into building buffer in his travel, which I appreciated because there's a little more concern about flight delays when working with an out-of-town photographer. We flew him out first for an engagement shoot with us in San Francisco and he didn't charge us anything more beyond the travel expense (it was included in the package we selected). This served as a way to get to know each other before the big day -- highly recommend an engagement shoot for any wedding photographer you choose. He made us very comfortable and gave gentle guidance about how to pose for the best effect. During COVID times, he respectfully wore a mask. He was really generous with his time and very open to the kinds of shots we were hoping for, in multiple locations. We re-shot our proposal, which was originally done when we were alone, and he really captured the emotion. Before the day, he was also very encouraging of coming as we were and taking shots that felt like us -- I went with dressy jeans and a meaningful t-shirt in some shots and a nice sweater in some others. He made an album of so many wonderful shots. I was a little stressed out on our wedding day that I'd asked to do so many different group portrait shots, but in the end I was glad I had. Jay was detail-oriented and tracked to make sure we got every portrait and group photo on our list. He had people fix their ties, hair, and accessories before the photos, and kept people talking and laughing while he snapped. He was very flexible to what we wanted with just enough suggestions/tips for where to put one's hands, legs, etc. All the guests seemed very comfortable with him and were impressed by his affability and observational skills. He got so many shots of us and our guests having a great time that we love. He had an eye for dramatic moments and framing without us having to say anything specifically. We also generally asked him to get some pictures of the scenery, atmosphere and tables and he came through with great artistic shots that preserved some areas of the wedding we hadn't even seen. Amazingly, he came right from another wedding the previous day, and on 3.5 hours sleep he completely killed it. He didn't even tell us, but one of my husband's groomsmen (who was operating our video camera and thus a photography insider) found out that Jay got a lens error during the ceremony kiss and immediately dropped the camera and picked up his other one and got the shot! This is the pro level you pay for. Jay also went above and beyond, Photoshopping some pictures of our family members who had to wear masks for our event--after thoughtfully preparing substitute photos with the same lighting on the day--so they could safely have key group pictures of themselves without masks. Got our well-curated photo set back within 4 months, which was shorter than some of my friends' experiences, and we will treasure it always. We felt super lucky to have Jay as our wedding photographer and would recommend him to anyone! read more

Not only have I worked w/ Jay for years now (Because he's the absolute best in Oregon period) But he actually cares about the people he shoots... You don't get that w/ most photographers... He goes above and beyond... and honestly if you are ever lucky enough to work with him not only will you get your $$ worth, but you will see what I'm talking about.... He's that good. read more

My husband and I flew Jay to San Francisco for our wedding in 10/08... the results are amazing ---- he is a wonderful photographer and has been fabulous to work with. I highly recommend him for any sort of wedding or other photography. read more

Jay Eads Photography - Jay is a Great photographer! - Photographers Near Me

Our experience with Jay started out positive when we did our engagement photos. He was very responsive and seemed very excited to work with us. We also stayed in touch throughout the year until our wedding. About a week before the wedding he sent me a message asking that I form a list of certain pictures I would like with certain people, locations, etc...He did none of them. The day of our wedding, our photos started over an hour late for no reason. I was completely ready and just needed to slip on my dress for photos. I asked jay to take a picture of me in my Bride robe touching up my makeup and he said we didn't need to. I had to ask again and make him do it. I also had cute hangers for all of my bridesmaids with their names and asked that he take a photo of all our dresses and hangers...he didn't do that either. At this point our photos have started late, and we didn't get 90% of the photos we wanted. I asked that he take our picture in two rocking chairs and he said someone was sitting there instead of asking them to move. He took our marriage license photo on a hot tub. Our wedding venue was so beautiful and he literally had us stand in the same spot majority of the time. Our venue also had a beautiful indoor wood bar and I told him I wanted fun wedding party photos with the bar, that too did not happen. Not only did we not utilize the whole property, I didn't get a single one on one photo with my ring bearer who is my nephew. Not one framable photo of my mother and I or father and I. Our family photos that he took were very unorganized. He also did not take any photos of our wedding rings. After this is all said and done, two months go by and we haven't heard anything from Jay. My husbands sister got married 2 months after us and received her photos from her photographer before us. We reached out to Jay several times and he would never respond. We tried email, text and social media. We would see him post things online then proceed to ignore our messages. One night I wrote him an email regarding our photos and also had a friend of mine email him at the same time pretending to be a new bride that was interested in using him. He wrote her back immediately and still never responded to me. We finally got our photos online 5 months after our wedding and just now 8 months later got our photos on a cd from Jay. He made a lot of open ended promises and we are truly disappointed. We really wish he had just communicated with us and let us know he was behind read more

Unfortunately we never had the chance to actually work with Jay due to the lack of follow through. I contacted him last summer to discuss doing a trash the dress underwater shoot. He called me immediately and we had a great discussion about session ideas. He was personable and had great social skills. We decided that we would plan for next summer due to it being September and the weather getting cold. I got a email from Jay last June checking in about the photoshoot. We made a plan for Tuesday, August 11th, our actual wedding anniversary to do the shoot. A few days before I texted him and we made a plan to talk. I called and no answer. I left a message. No call back. I texted again. No answer. I still have yet to hear from him. We are both pretty understanding people. If he had a family emergency or something come up, we would have liked to know and we would have been sympathetic. I've waited until now to write a review in hopes that we would hear from him. It was a bummer looking forward to this, taking off work on a week day only to have our anniversary plans fall through. In the plus side, his work is beautiful. read more

Jay does great work. I see photos he takes every year of a colleague's children and does a wonderful job.

Posted a very similar review on Google, but just wanted to say that Jay Eads is an amazing person, and an extremely talented photographer. We are lucky to know him, and lucky to have hired him. His contracts are detailed which is great, because both parties know what's fair and right within them. I believe 100% that any negative reviews are due to a client not understanding that. The one regarding the contract issue certainly is, as I read and re-read my copy of his contract and she was completely in the wrong. Hoping that this review can counteract hers, as I would hate for anybody to miss out on knowing and working with Jay! As for my personal experience, Jay was patient, invested, and listened in order to deliver exactly what we wanted. Made everything about the transaction personal, and took GORGEOUS, perfect pictures (engagement and wedding). I hope to hire Jay for the rest of my life's photography wants. He does SO many weddings and other shoots, and still managed to personally edit and deliver our many beautiful pictures within a few months. So grateful. I recommend him to everyone I know, and am happy to do so here! read more

I would be apprehensive before doing business with Jay Eads. Here is my personal experience. At the end of the summer of 2012 I signed a contract with Jay Eads for my wedding in 2014. This contract was incredibly wordy and I felt I should have had an attorney present before I signed it. I was required to pay $1,300 down for his services. Our wedding plans changed and Jay was not available to photograph our wedding per our previous conversations. We received no engagement photos or wedding photos, so I contacted Jay and I asked him for either a refund or for the money to be transferred to a different session. He said the money was non refundable or transferable and would give me neither one. After this occurred, we offered him a 10% consideration and requested that he refund the rest to us. Now, in order to get our money back, we are going to have to go to small claims court to show that no services were ever provided to us. We gave him a year advance notice and Jay should be able to book the date since he is such a busy wedding photographer. He indicated to us that he had had two couples inquire about the date. He will be getting paid time and a half for our date which was August 2, 2014. We are a young couple just starting out and I am working my way through college. I feel very taken advantage of. read more

Jay is absolutely WONDERFUL! He made every second of every shoot so much fun and he is beyond talented. He really takes the time to get to know you and really reflects who you are in each and every photo. It is amazing to see him bring out the best in people and I am so lucky to call him a friend. There are the good photographers.. and then there are the great ones..the ones you actually build a relationship with.. the ones that you want to photograph every special moment ..from weddings..to new babies... to graduations... we will definitely be using Jay as our family photographer! Thanks Jay! read more

Where can I begin?! My husband and I love Jay. He has gone above and beyond what I ever expected and everyone absolutely loves our engagement photos. We were lucky enough to get a few sneak peaks of our wedding photos and I cannot wait to see the rest!!! At first I was nervous to be in front of the camera for our engagement session, but Jay made me feel at ease and we had such a BLAST!!! Laughing and having a good time together. He really captured in the photos our love for one another and personalities. Plus he is literally up for anything which is awesome. I had a fun idea to do some of our photos under sprinklers and he was totally game and was up for whatever we threw his way. The best part is he makes you feel comfortable in your own skin which equals AMAZING photos. He has an awesome quirky artistic eye and edge that we love. We consider him a great friend now and I cannot wait to do all our big life events and family photos with him in the future. read more