I am so glad I hired Adam for my surprise proposal to my girlfriend. Living in SoCal and having…read morenever been to Monterey/Big Sur, I planned my whole proposal based on google searches, reddit threads, and word of mouth. Being a Big Sur/Monterey local, Adam provided extremely helpful insight and feedback for my proposal. He definitely helped relieve a lot of the stress during the planning phase of my proposal. On the day of the actual shoot, the day-of jitters was overwhelming at times, but Adam's energy and demeanor was very centering. He was patient and gave my new fiancee and I space to calm ourselves, and also knew when to take charge and guide us with our poses. He also had amazing and creative ideas for how to pose and brought us to local, reclusive spots to take intimate photos. Best of all, Adam always had a smile on his face and he made us really think like we were supermodels walking the runway haha. If you're going to do any photoshoot, especially a proposal or engagement shoot, in the Big Sur/Monterey area, I would highly recommend getting Adam!!

I was referred to Adam through another photographer who unfortunately could no longer capture my…read moreengagement due to a last minute date change caused by rainy weather. From the get go, Adam was incredibly personable, communicative, and had great recommendations on proposal spots and tips on how to propose. We came up with a plan to propose at a secluded cliff and a surprise picnic at the beach afterwards. Adam was more than happy to coordinate with Dreamy Events by Ev and even suggested to push the proposal a bit earlier to accommodate for driving time in order to give us one full hour for photos! Adam delivered our sneak peaks and full album photos in a timely manner. Let me tell you, the photos came out AMAZING and we are so glad to have found him!!! Adam was incredible to work with and we would 100% recommend him to anybody looking for a photographer in the Carmel/Monterrey area.

We used Ed and Nancy photography for a family reunion. Our pictures came out fantastic! The quality…read moreof the pictures have a ethereal vibe! We were a large group of 20 people and of varying ages. Ed and Nancy were patient and had fabulous ideas on how to pose and look natural. They also suggest a great spot to take the pictures. Warm and friendly and super responsive all the way from setting up the appointment to showing up on time and delivering the pictures way before the date we were expecting them. I would highly recommend them! And plan on using them again soon!

We contacted Ed and Nancy because our friends had taken photos with them and we loved their photos…read more Ed and Nancy were able to schedule a photo session with us a week before we were in town. They gave us samples of a variety of colors which would suit the scenery and this was so helpful. They were very quick in responding/communication before during and after the session and we felt that they not only considered our ideas about the session but truly understood us as a family. We are so so happy with their work and highly recommend them. Their professionalism is clear in everything they do. We are grateful for the experience and the memories to last a lifetime! Hope to have more sessions with them again in the future!

Roberto took beautiful portraits for our family reunion at the beach. He was friendly with the kids…read moreand easy to work with - He also has a good eye for setting up pictures for a large group. We were so happy with the experience and the quality of the photos that we have hired him 3 times. We will hire him again for the next family reunion.

Great quality and a trust-worthy business from Roberto Montanez! I highly recommend anyone and…read moreeveryone looking for excellent photos for their engagement and their wedding party! He truly captured all the moments my wife and I will remember for the rest of our lives. Thanks again Roberto!

My husband and I got married back in October and Maria at Pink Light did such a beautiful job…read morecapturing so many amazing memories. Prior to our wedding day she was so sweet and helpful and on the day of she was very prepared, with locations and poses in mind so we didn't have to think of a single thing. It was AMAZING! You can tell Maria absolutely loves what she does, she has great energy and very talented! We are going to treasure these photos forever!!

Maria from Pink Light was so fun and easy to work with. I'm awkward in front of the camera, but…read moreMaria made it fun! She captured so many great shots. Shortly after my wedding, she sent me a little sneak peak to share with family and friends. I would absolutely work with her again. Her prices seemed on par with other photographers I looked at and friends have worked with.

Willow is amazing! My husband and I really appreciated how patient, kind, and accommodating she was…read morethroughout our planning process and wedding day. She helped us feel at ease and cared for. And we were blown away by our photos!!! They are incredible! We highly recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding photographer.

Willow was the photographer for my nephew's wedding. She did a beautiful job. She also did my…read moreson's . . . Such beautiful photos!

Shannon is truly incredible--just book her! From the moment I saw her breathtaking dog photography,…read morealong with her stunning landscapes and masterful use of light, I knew she was the one we wanted for our big day. She exceeded every expectation. As a one-woman powerhouse, Shannon captured every moment beautifully--and then some. Her photos are absolutely breathtaking, some of the most stunning I've ever seen. Beyond her talent, it was Shannon's energy and spirit that made the day even more special. She was kind, calm, and such a joy to be around. Everyone who met her couldn't stop raving about how fabulous she was. If you want to take the stress out of your big day, do yourself a favor and book Shannon--you won't regret it.

I was fortunate enough to have Shannon shoot for our engagement photos in Big Sur, California…read more Shannon exceeded our expectations in making our vision come to life. She was so comfortable and fun to work with. One of the best things also was how quick she was on getting the photos back to us! We were so happy with how the photos turned out and would love the opportunity to work with her again!

Working with Maria Villano photography was the best aspect of our wedding. Here's why, Maria is the…read moreend to end professional talented photographer who has her organization and expertise down to an art form. She helped us out in so many aspects of the planning process and is trustworthy. She cares about your vision and your comfort level all the while capturing great beauty and magical memories. The results of our photos was and still is overwhelmingly wonderful. We are so grateful to have been able to work together from the start of the planning process, to engagement photos (so fun too, and we don't love cameras), to one of the most special days of our life. I could go on and on about her eye for detail, calm and thoughtful approach and her love for what she is doing in the industry. You and your partner will be lucky and relieved to work with her. For an event that goes by so fast, Maria will help you see things you might have missed during the day. Beyond grateful she was our wedding photographer.

My fiance and I are from Alabama and he surprised me with a proposal on our trip to Carmel. He…read morehired Maria to photograph and it could not have been more perfect! He spent a very long time researching photographers in the area and it was the best choice ever! We have gotten so many compliments on our photos and I look at them constantly! Im so glad we will always have these pictures! Thank you Maria!!

My husband and I are extremely dissatisfied with Elyse Destout Photography…read more Short version: Due to Elyse's poor photography skills/choices, lack of communication and inability to reschedule a photoshoot in a timely manner I will never have the beautiful infant photos that every other family seems to have of their family's newest addition. I am deeply saddened, as this is something I can never get back. I can't express how upset this situation has made me. Long version: I scheduled a photoshoot for my newborn, she was 2 weeks old at the time of the shoot. The studio was beautiful so I was very excited. Instead of photographing my daughter against pulled down backgrounds, Elyse set us up against her studio's wall (no background). Out of 70 photos there were maybe 2 that I was in love with... But the background was stucco and chipped paint!! IT RUINED ALL THE PHOTOS. They looked like I had taken them in my living room. I mentioned this to Elyse and she offered to reschedule. I tried scheduling a shoot immediately since my daughter was already 1 month old by this time. It took Elyse 2 full weeks to respond to my email. I tried calling but was unable to leave a voice message because her inbox was full. She never attempted to call me back. When she finally did email me back with one available time slot (on a day I had previously said I couldn't do), I emailed back asking for any other options. This time, she NEVER responded! I sent her a couple more emails but by the time my daughter was 2.5 months old I threw my hands up and emailed Elyse asking for a full refund. She called me immediately, literally 5 minutes after sending the email - where was this sense of urgency before?? I let it go to voicemail because I was so upset about the whole situation that I was already in tears. She left a message apologizing, telling me she's been sick, and wanted to offer the "year of photos" for no additional charge because she DOES NOT give cash refunds. I emailed her shortly after explaining that I was very disappointed - I had paid $150 for this service. I declined the full year of photos because I couldn't imagine dealing with this level of unprofessionalism for a full year. Instead I chose 40 of the horribly executed pictures to receive digital prints of (what the original package was). She ended up releasing all 70 digital prints to me, but that means nothing to me since I only wanted 2 in the first place. I will never leave such precious photos in her hands again, and I recommend you do some more research before booking her. I've been kicking myself for not writing her off after the first two week gap in communication and going to another photographer. But $150 is more than I could afford on leisurely purchased right now, especially with a newborn in the house.

My new wife and I were married on 09/14/13 and we chose Elyse to be our wedding photographer. Let…read moreme just start by saying it was an awesome wedding and she captured it exactly as we pictured it. I highly recommend Elyse Destout as a photographer for your wedding. We have had nothing but compliments from our family and friends who have all said that she was very friendly and professional. We found her at a local wedding expo at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk early in the year and we were so impressed by her photography and her personality that we booked her on the spot. She is great at not only getting all the typical staged shoots but she also as an amazing eye for getting the candid shoots as well. She is able to capture the perfect moments and she can do post production on any of the pictures to make them black and white, sepia, of pops of color from a single item. She even threw in a photo booth for the day of our wedding and it was an amazing success. Our guests loved the booth and had tons of fun taking pictures. She was very reasonable with her pricing and has tons of different packages depending on what you are looking to get. If you are looking for a wedding photographer in the Santa Cruz area I would highly recommend considering Elyse!

This review is 4 years overdue but Ben was there to help capture my wife and I's engagement. Not…read moreonly was he super professional but he was extremely helpful in picking the perfect spot. If you're looking for incredible photography work, Ben is the best option. You won't be disappointed!

Ben was super friendly and easy to work with! We both are introverted but this photo session came…read morenaturally and was so fun :) Our engagement photos came out so well and we are excited to work with him again for our wedding in a couple of weeks :D

We used Rebecca Stark for our micro ceremony and wedding reception (two seperate days). We loved…read moreour photos from both days and loved how easy it was to get along with Rebecca. She did a great job dealing with the harsh sun of our micro ceremony and helping us feel comfortable taking photos. Our sunset photos from our reception are beautiful. She was a great choice!

Rebecca photographed our recent wedding on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. she took stunning…read morephotographs, before, during, and after the ceremony. She made sure to get many different poses, candid and staged, and included the ocean view and cliffs that we had requested. We ended up with around 150 high quality photos, and she provided them in a gallery we could share with people, and also downloadable in hi-res for printing and sharing online. Highly recommended!