Where do I start? Joleen is not only an amazing photographer but she is also an incredible person!! Super easy going. She made everyone feel completely at ease! Super important on your wedding day. We had a small ceremony in the forest and she was the perfect choice to photograph it! I completely trust Joleen and know she always does a fabulous job! Weddings are important especially during these crazy Covid times. Joleen was the perfect choice for my daughter's intimate wedding ceremony. read more

Joleen Willis Photography - The ceremony! (Not one of Joleen's pictures, cell phone image) - Photographers Near Me

Joleen photographed our engagement shoot and wedding and we are really happy we chose to have her capture this important time in our lives. We looked at many photographers and talked with a handful over the phone or in person. We ended up picking Joleen since she was someone that we were very comfortable talking with and she had an amazing portfolio. Her prices were really reasonable and fit within our budget. We were really happy that she offers an engagement shoot as part of a package since we knew that getting comfortable with your photographer before your wedding day is so important! Joleen offers a great mix of organization and spontaneity. In the case of our engagement shoot, she was up for lots of climbing up and down San Francisco stairs and helped make us comfortable and confident so she could capture us really well. Her final photos for the engagement shoot were wonderful and we knew that she'd do a great job with our wedding day. We had a number of beautiful images to choose from for our save the date, moving announcement, wedding website, family gifts, and even a custom jigsaw puzzle. In the planning of our wedding day, Joleen was very helpful, realistic, and patient with us as we navigated our timeline. She was professional in providing expectations about how long something will take to photograph. She was responsive when it came to all of our questions and helpful in communicating guidance. On the day of the wedding, Joleen was on time and really helpful and flexible during the getting ready process, first look, and couple photos. At the venue, she did a great job orchestrating our bridal party and family photos. Joleen did a great job operating behind the scenes during the ceremony and cocktail hour. She provided the perfect amount of guidance during photo opportunities (like signing the marriage license or during the cake cutting) and was also flexible with impromptu group photos as well as the weather not being able to provide a sunset shot. Her sneak peek photos of our wedding showed her great eye and she finished our entire wedding album a few weeks ahead of schedule which we really appreciated. She did a wonderful job capturing our ceremony and reception as we enjoyed our big day. We wanted a candid feeling with our photos and Joleen delivered! She did an amazing job. read more

Joleen is the sweetest and most fun person but also an AMAZING photographer! From the first phone call with her, we knew she was a great match. I, the bride, was super nervous about looking fake or dorky with all the posing but Joleen has a way about her that makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera! I was twirling my dress and laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself which I usually shy away from cameras. Then her editing skills are amazing! I looked FLAWLESS and this is only the "sneak peak" pictures as she is still working on the rest. She truly is talented and makes you feel so beautiful in your own skin! Thank you Joleen for truly making our wedding magical!!! Oh.. and she is very organized which I loved! She was all over making the schedule work perfectly with my wedding planner. If you are OCD like me, she is a must!! read more

I had to sit with this for a while before I wrote it, to make sure it wasn't from an emotional place. I thought I had found our photographer. She was free the day of our wedding and super excited to work with us. I loved what I saw, and couldn't be happier. Then, in my email to her,​ I mentioned being queer. She then wrote a very long and thoughtful homophobic email back, stating why she couldn't work with us because she "didn't know how to pose gay people." Let that sink in. Now, she tried to say that she hoped it wouldn't hurt our feelings, and other things like that, but guess what? It does. It really hurts. I'd like to break a couple other things down as well: 1) We never said woman and woman, I said queer, I even let her know we present as a straight couple, so actually,​ there would be zero difference (if for some reason she was actually telling the truth, here would be her out, but I never heard back). 2) She said she tried once and felt like she wasn't doing a good job, ok, so she tried. Let me add more background, our wedding is on a Friday near her, and she already is booked Saturday, so a Friday wedding for her is perfect. If this is her job and she is not homophobic and wants to improve, all she had to do was say "Hey, this is a little outside of what I have a background with, but if you would be willing to work with me (or offer $100 off or something) then​ I would love to take the time to learn and improve, I just may have to ask more questions than​​ normal. I'll leave that up to you as an option and understand if you want to work with someone else." Ultimately it was clear since I never heard back that she is homophobic. I really didn't think it would happen to me, I figured it was midwestern​ people​ that dealt​ with this...but I did too. So I felt it was important to write this so if you have gay people in your wedding, are gay, like gay people, anything gay, you know what her stance is. (I found a wonderful photographer through another friend that loves all people, is in the area, and takes GREAT artistic photos!) read more

Joleen was absolutely wonderful throughout our entire experience - we couldn't have asked for a better companion on our wedding day! We started with engagement photos in July 2016, up at Stanislaus National Forest. She knew all the best spots for breathtaking photos and even snagged us all a camping spot for the night (since we were gunning for those sunset photos). Not only was the turnaround super quick, but she guided us through outfits, ways to frame our story, and made sure we laughed through the entire shoot. I was also unfortunately attacked by mosquitoes (150 bites!) and Joleen did an amazing job editing the bug bites out. It made for quite the story later, and she really helped us through it! For the actual wedding in September 2016 at Rushcreek Lodge at Yosemite, Joleen was a lifesaver. She helped us plan through the entire day with multiple revisions, in 15-minute increments, and helped us keep everyone in check and on time. She arrived super early (8 AM or so), stayed with us through the entire day (ended at 10 PM), and captured everything we wanted and more! Her assistant canceled on her last minute, but you would not be able to tell from the number & quality of photos that it was taken by a single photographer - we didn't even know there was supposed to be an assistant until halfway through. My bridesmaids pitched in and it was a ton of fun for everyone! I cannot recommend her enough for making our day successful, memorable, and for being the sweetest & gentle 'alarm clock' as she walked us through the day. I didn't have a separate wedding planner, and Joleen's calming presence was very much needed. We received a sneak peek while we were on our honeymoon, and were completely blown away. The final results and the photo album were stunning and our entire family - especially the moms - could not praise Joleen enough for capturing all the feelings that day! Hands down, the best decision we made for our wedding. Thank you so much, Joleen! read more

We hired Joleen for our wedding. We live in Washington so we needed someone who was attentive and willing to coordinate with an out of state couple. She worked with us through a fairly stressful wedding process and was professional and attentive. The day of the wedding she spent quite a bit of time getting all of the pre-ceremony shots perfect. Her "first look" was so wonderful. Also, she had us disappear for 10 minutes after the ceremony so that it could just be my husband and I. Those were some of the best shots of the whole night. Unfortunately, after the ceremony that is when we felt she dropped the ball. The contract stated ten weeks to get proofs and a flash drive containing our digital prints. After ten weeks we had to contact her to find out what was going on. She did get us proofs a few days later but the flash drive that actually contained the high resolution images (we had no printed photos only digital) failed to appear. I sent out an email nine days later to ask when we would receive the flash drive. She did not respond to my e-mail. Yesterday, I left a voicemail asking about it. She failed to call me back. Today however, I received the flash drive. It was mailed a week after my initial inquiry (Almost thee months after our wedding). The pictures are fabulous. She is a talented photographer. I just wish she had honored her contract and communicated more. read more

Too bad there are only 5 stars to rate, because if I could, I would rate Joleen a 20 stars!!!! Joleen was not only inconspicuous, talented, professional, sweet, artistic and knew how to take all the right angles, the right shots, and was always there at the right moment to catch that special look. Whether it was with the bride and groom or the guests or family. She was just perfect for our daughter's wedding and we could not be happier with her work. We highly recommend and you can be assured that you will be happy with the turnout of your wedding photos. As well as engagement shoots. We thank her very much and for that we love her too. read more

Joleen's photos are gorgeous. She's so creative and professional. A friend of ours had her shoot their wedding and they were the best wedding photos I'd ever seen, so when we got engaged I knew we had to get her. She did our engagement photos in 10/2014 and wedding in 4/2015. I just loved everything she did for us. Her photo books are beautiful too. We used the engagement one she made us as our wedding guestbook and it was a big hit. As for the wedding day, she was our favorite vendor...she created the full day schedule, was on top of everything, and was super calming and organized. She made the photo times effortless for us. And she captured EVERYTHING. Within 1 week of the wedding she sent us a "sneak peek" of 80ish finished photos from the wedding day/night. It was so nice to get them that soon when all the memories and excitement of the day/night were still fresh. We had the rest of the photos within 11 weeks of the wedding. There were hundreds! Honestly we don't have a single negative thing to say about working with Joleen. She's worth every penny. Highly recommend her! read more

My fiance and I were looking for a photographer that would be amazing. We wanted someone who could capture our wedding the way we saw it. We wanted someone who was creative and would think of things we wouldn't. Photography was one of the most important elements of our planning because we both really love photography and wanted it to be something that we couldn't be happier about. Well, we are so glad we went with Randi. She was all of those things! She was absolutely INCREDIBLE. We asked her to do our engagement photos first and were overjoyed about how they turned out. She was so helpful and made us feel so comfortable. She is a master with photoshop and sent us our pictures so quickly! After this we were so happy to ask her to do our wedding as well. The wedding was incredible. She pictured it exactly how we did. The feel of the photos were exactly what I had dreamed all along. She was again very speedy with the finished product and we could not be happier. If you are looking for someone with amazing talent, a wonderful eye for beauty and someone who will make you feel at ease on your big day, then look no further! read more

Joleen traveled to Idaho to shoot our wedding!! She is an absolute wonderful photographer that makes you feel comfortable on the day of your wedding. She invests her time in not only your photos but also your wedding, venue, family, and so much more. She created a timeline for the day which was so helpful for our other vendors and this unorganized Bride haha and most importantly, her photos were AMAZING!! She truly was the best decision of our entire wedding planning process!! read more

Joleen was the perfect choice for us! From the engagement photos to the wedding day she was so involved in the planning process that I didn't have a worry in the world. She provided us with a sample timeline of the wedding day when we first met and we were quite impressed with her attention to detail. With so many decisions to make regarding wedding planning, seeing the care and organization she puts into her business gave us every bit of confidence we needed. She has an eye for the shots that blow you away. We just received our wedding photos and we can hardly believe we look this good!! She made us feel so comfortable (even in the cold rain on our wedding day!) and did such a great job capturing those special moments. Not only did we have a wonderful experience with her, but our other vendors spoke highly of her as well! It's great to see such a great team of people support each other in this business. Thank you for everything Joleen! read more

Joleen is incredible! She shot my wedding in 2012 and I am still loving my pictures! Not only does she pay attention to detail and offer an amazing experience for the bride, groom and all involved, she has patience like no other! I had 17 groomsmen/bridesmaids, three flower girls and an 18-month old ring bearer along with a very large extended family and she dealt with all of our unique personalities with the utmost poise and class. The book she made is still one of the nicest wedding albums I've ever seen. I highly recommend using her services for your big day if you want everything to be perfect. read more

Joleen is extremely talented! She's very professional, fun and easy to work with! She's on my vendor referral list-she's someone you can trust with all of your photography needs! read more

Joleen took our engagement, wedding day, and day after photos. My husband knew Joleen from their high school years and days after we got engaged we started planning all of the big things. He suggested I look at her work and from the instant I laid eyes on her stuff I knew I had to have her. So much so, that we actually planned our wedding date based on her availability! Even when we decided to change our date we made sure that she would be available on the new date. Joleen does an amazing job capturing every aspect of the wedding. Her photos of the details are incredible. And my one requirement for all three photo sessions was that they weren't posed photographs. She exceeded my expectations. Joleen is also extremely organized! She always had a game plan and I really appreciated it. Before officially booking Joleen I compared prices to other local photographers. I have to say, you get the most for your dollar with her. Her timing on your big day is unlimited (I calculated how long she was with me-- 15 hours!!) but you also get an engagement and day after session (and some of my favorite photos are from my day after session). Seriously, if you want great quality photos, an organized photographer, and someone who makes you feel comfortable instantly-- book Joleen. read more

My husband and I are from Washington and hired Joleen to take our ten year anniversary pictures when we in California based on her photography style and amazing portfolio... She was great to work with! She treated us like royalty, planning every detail, so professional yet very down to earth and perfect with our kiddos! The picture surpassed our every expectation and was quite a magical experience! I cannot say enough good things about Joleen! Now we have beautiful pictures and beautiful friend! AMAZING... Life changing event! read more

I was looking for a wedding photographer that could capture our wedding in a dreamy artistic way, without completely breaking the budget. Joleen was amazing!!! Every picture was stunning and I was so happy with the results! She was so sweet, relaxed, and the perfect calm energy on our wedding day! We loved that her package was simple and included everything we wanted/needed. She also took incredible engagement photos for us. Since our wedding she has gone bicoastal to pursue fashion photography in New York in addition to weddings, which I think is so fabulous! She is so talented and I still love to follow her work. read more

AMAZING! I don't even know where to begin! Joleen helped make our day so perfect! I'm in love with the sneak peak photos she sent and I can't wait to see all of our wedding photos. As a fellow photographer, I was super picky about selecting our wedding photographer and Joleen far surpassed my super high expectations. She did an amazing job and even made my husband feel comfortable in front of the camera even though he hates taking pictures. Joleen was fun, organized, and was so attentive to all my emails throughout the wedding planning process while I planned from another state. She worked so hard in the heat on the wedding day, and she stayed late to capture pictures of all of us dancing. We loved having her there and I'm so thankful I selected her as our photographer. I would hire her again in a heartbeat! read more

Joleen is an amazing photographer! My daughter had a destination wedding on the Mendocino Coast last weekend and the "sneak peak" images, available for viewing within just a couple of days (http://joleenwillis.pixieset.com/karyngregsneakpeek/). The images capture the love, family and fun had by everyone joining us for the celebration. We couldn't have done this without the "Sonora Team" that included the Heather Johnson (http://www.flawlesshmd.com), Rich McClure (goodlifephotobooths.com) and of course, Joleen. read more

Joleen did a great job with our wedding, from start to finish. Our wedding was in Twain Harte, CA at the Christmas Tree Farm. My husband and I live in Southern California, but Joleen did a great job of communicating with us long distance through email and phone conversations. She had a wonderful personality, and it was evident that she loves people and photography. Joleen captured our day beautifully, returned our photos to us in a timely manner, and assembled a photo album of the day for us. Everything was professional and convenient. I would highly recommend Joleen; she was amazing! read more