We hired Sam for our engagement and wedding photoshoot, and we received excellent pictures for both events. He did a great job at capturing our happy moments. Sam was also personally a great person to work with. He made us feel very relaxed and we never felt rushed during our photoshoot. Sam also went above and beyond to meet our requests. We came a away with some excellent photos and a great relationship with an awesome person. If we ever need a photoshoot again or need to recommend a photographer to a friend, Sam will be the first photographer to come to mind. read more

I initially found Sam while browsing social media for potential wedding photographers about a year before our wedding. I'm personally not a fan of the stereotypical glammed out wedding photos where a lot of hair/makeup/etc is required, and was looking for someone who could take more artistic, unique photos for us. So glad we found Sam, his work caught my eye from the start and as he continued to work with us through engagement photos and then the big day, it became super clear that he is an experienced professional and was the perfect fit for us! Neither my husband (still weird to say haha) nor I are easily relaxed in front of a camera, so it was pretty nerve wracking for us to even think about getting professional photos taken where we didn't look like hot messes. However Sam's super calm demeanor and clear direction made everything feel so easy. The day of, we had about 40 people for photos in a variety of spaces at the St. George Botanical Gardens in the US Virgin Islands, and Sam did an amazing job at crowd control. There was no sense of anxiety or rushing even though it's so hard to direct such a wandering large group of people. He was also totally open to the ridiculous poses we wanted to do for fun. We never felt any pressure to stand in or pose in places that felt difficult or unnatural for us. I also really appreciated his attention to detail during the shot setups, I'm sure something he's developed into second-hand nature through his career thus far. Sunglasses and purses were all appropriately out of view, boutonnieres and were perfectly in place with his direction, and we got some crazy artistic shots of us utilizing the colors and shapes and textures around us so well. Ultimately, it was his unique techniques that resulted in absolutely stunning and mind-blowing photos that are so cool to have for the rest of our lives. While Sam's work speaks for itself, we really had such an enjoyable experience having such a wonderful photographer who wasn't too intrusive but firm enough with herding our crazy friends into place to get the best shots. Without us even really noticing his whereabouts throughout the day, he gave us over 1000 absolutely fantastic photos from our wedding day and he worked solo with minimal equipment - really goes to show how his work is seated in pure skill. Several of our friends are already expressing interest in hiring him for their weddings in the future, and I'm also thinking about what future events we could have him join us for again. read more

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We went with Sam because we didn't want the typical, tired, and staged wedding photos. Of course we got the family shots, and I kissed the bride and all that, but Sam did an amazing job capturing interesting and unique angels on the moments that we'll never forget. Moreover, he was just a blast to work with. Fantastic putting us at ease. We aren't folks who would typically do well getting posed and placed, and that's not what Sam did. To be sure, he knew how to get us to do what he needed, but the entire process - during the wedding and also during the included engagement photo session - felt natural and authentic, and I think it shows in the amazing photos we have. Cannot thank Sam enough for his part in making a perfect evening, and can't recommend him highly enough! read more

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My husband is a Patreon member and has always admired Sam's work. His photographer friends and him had always said that if any of them ever got married they would get Sam Hurd for their wedding. And we did! When my husband showed me Sam's work I was instantly sold. I then began obsessing over his Instagram and getting more and more excited to have him there on our special day.  Sam probably doesn't even know this yet but we were already 100% set on booking him before we even had our Facetime call.  Talking with him for even 5 minutes on the call sealed the deal for us even more. We couldn't sign the contract fast enough. We wanted to lock him in! His Personality shined over the call. Even though we were fans and admired his work so much we felt like he instantly treated us like he would a good friend. He was friendly and you could tell that this wasn't just his job, what he does is truly his passion. We had plans for a big 150 person wedding in Las Vegas and then things definitely took a different turn being that our wedding  planning started in early 2020. We new that our  plan for a big wedding needed to change.  We were sitting in my parents backyard one day and said you know what we could just get married right here. Right then and there we change our minds and decided to go from a 150 person wedding to a 10 person wedding.  When we reached out to Sam not sure what his reaction might be he came right back to us with an amazing enthusiasm for our new plan of having an intimate ceremony. Sam Arrived at our house ahead of schedule. He was friendly professional and had every single member of our family as well as our vendors feeling comfortable.  Sam had never met our videographer until that day but it was so hard to tell because the way they work together was flawless. I have told my husband how it blew my mind that although he was around me all day long I barely even noticed because of how comfortable he made me feel. Let me mention to you another amazing thing about having a micro wedding with just family. Instead of having to rush to take bridal images while all of our family and friends waited for us during happy hour at a large wedding, we got to take full advantage of having extra time to spend on bridals.  Knowing the creative genius that is Sam Hurd, We wanted to maximize our time as a couple with him for him to get to be as creative as possible. And we are SO happy we did. If you view our gallery you can see all the magic that Sam created for us. To say we are happy with out photos is an understatement. We are in love with every single image. My advice to anyone hiring Sam is to just let him take the wheel and create in the way he wants to create and watch the magic unfold! We know this won't be the last time we see Sam. He is an incredible photographer and a wonderful person and we're so grateful that we chose him to capture our special day read more

Sam shot my wedding last week in Brooklyn, NY. I don't even have the wedding photos back yet and am going to go ahead and just give the guy 5 stars. Seriously. His presence on your wedding day is like everything you could ask for from a photographer. He's never stressed, he never keeps you waiting while he tinkers with camera settings, and he's just someone you kinda want to grab a beer with. He's also not "in your face" during any of the key events where you want to be lost in the moment. I've been a groomsmen in about 7 or 8 wedding so I've seen all sorts of photogs working styles, and I've even shot some events myself. Sam is simply great. He's posted just a few shots to his Instagram and I already have the utmost of confidence that everything will turn out wonderfully. My wife and I always feel weird when we go to someone's place and see a 24x36 canvas closeup photo of a groom just kissing a bride. But Sam's work feels like art. We'd be awfully happy to frame any of it. Oh the GIFYYY photo booth he offers is tons of fun and way different from the standard photo booth with props you see at every single wedding. I also highly recommend it. read more

This review isn't for Sam's photography itself, but for the overall business experience of trying to book him for our wedding day. My fiancée and I were really excited to book Sam for our wedding next year. We independently heard great things about him and really loved a lot of his work that we'd seen. The problems came about with actually trying to book him. We engaged in communications with Sam for about 3 weeks looking to find a time to meet. Finally, the day before our scheduled meeting, he informed us that the day, which he'd originally said was available, had been booked by someone else. At no time during the weeks of our emailing back and forth did he mention having another couple potentially pending on that day. If he would have mentioned that he had another wedding potentially pending on that day, and that whoever provided a deposit first would lock in the contract, we would have gone ahead and locked things in weeks ago rather than being led to wait for a meeting that never happened. Sam suggested another photographer friend of his who was available on our wedding day, but unfortunately, the suggested photographers photo style didn't really seem to measure up to what we were expecting to get out of Sam. Post this experience, my fiancee and I have interacted with other wedding photographers who have gone to great pains to be forthright and transparent with us and our upcoming nuptials. read more

Three words to sum up Sam: Innovative. Fun. Brilliant. I saw Sam's work when he photographed an acquaintance's wedding and it showed up on my FB news feed about three years ago. I've followed his work ever since. Photography is a personal passion so I probably spent more time researching photogs than anything else for our wedding. Despite trying to find someone a bit more in our budget, we always came back to Sam, and we're so glad we did. Sam is so incredibly talented and he pushes himself to create new ways to capture people and places, resulting in some of the most amazing photographs. He's a busy man so we made sure to schedule him far in advance for things like engagement session and any questions we needed answers for. Even with his busy schedule, Sam is so easy to work with. He gets back to you promptly, knows exactly what to do to make you fell comfortable and even had our wedding party cracking up during group portraits. All of them commented on how great Sam is - both to work with and his photographs. He also got us both our engagement and wedding photos within the promised timeframe. I'm still in awe at how amazing the images from our wedding came out, and of the beautiful art that Sam creates through the lens. Book.him.now. You will not regret it. Your photographs are the ONE thing you'll have after the day is done. You can see highlights of our photos here: http://www.samhurdphotography.com/2014/wedding/wedding-photographer-in-washington-dc-megan-greg read more

Wow! What an incredible find! So lucky to have found the PERFECT wedding photographer for our wedding. Throughout our planning process with COVID, Sam was always extremely responsive. On the wedding day, Sam was extremely chill and our wedding party informed us of how much they enjoyed working with him. Sometimes, people may find photos overwhelming but Sam's experience wasn't at all. It was easy and enjoyable. Sam shocked us by finding a hidden gem of a location to take our wedding photos. We didn't even think of this spot. There wasn't much greenery at our location, and somehow he found a gorgeous area full of trees and perfect lighting. Sam is extremely talented. His photos are not the boring wedding photos that all look the same. His photos have so much character and color. He's great at not only capturing candid moments, but also great at photographing the wedding decor (flowers, etc). He really impressed us with how many different photos he was able to take during the ceremony & reception. Would highly recommend!! read more

Hands down, the best wedding photographer. Sam photographed our wedding last May and was an amazing addition to our day. He was flexible, calm and documented the day perfectly. He is very confident in his work and takes beautifully creative pictures in a matter of seconds. It seems like he is taking standard pictures (which he does as well) but then has some of the most creative portraits that capture the moments. Check out his website or FB to see what he does. You won't be disappointed. read more

I highly recommend Sam. Not only is his work spectacular (superb composition and colors), at our wedding he was professional, adaptable, friendly, and able to get all of the shots while not being intrusive. I wish I had thought to have him photograph the entire weekend!! Very awesome photographer to work with, and the photos speak for themselves. read more

Sam and his work is really as good as it gets! He is an amazing and talented photographer that I couldn't be more happy with. I found Sam online, and met with him to view his work before we hired him for our wedding. After meeting with 3 other photographers, he instantly clicked for me. He was so organized, personable, and just genuinely cared about making sure that I found the right photographer (whether it was him or not). I knew from then he was the real deal, but he surpassed all my expectations when we actually got to see his work after the wedding. He doesn't capture images - he captures your story... your life... It is unbelievable, and you will not be disappointed. Thank you Sam for everything! read more

Sam recently photographed my wedding and my husband and I are simply beyond thrilled with his work. If you're looking for someone who will bring a photojournalist's eye to your event and throw in some creativity, elegance -- and fun -- Sam is your guy. Along with all this he's a terrific person to work with: organized, punctual, responsive and digitally savvy. Plus it was such a pleasure to have him with us on our "big day" - he's upbeat and made plenty of very smart decisions on the fly as to what or where we should shoot. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer for their wedding or other event and would hire him again in a second if we had the need. read more

I genuinely feel bad for anyone who doesn't have Sam as their wedding photographer, for the following reasons: 1. He is such a chill guy, and a very calming presence on your wedding day 2. He is so talented at instructing you how to pose in a way that looks completely natural & showcases your personalities, and he gives you a lot of variety in your poses / locations. 3. If you have a couple of ideas for photos you want to take, he's like "yeah! let's do it!" 4. His photographs are so unique and stunning - each one is truly a work of art. You won't even realize that he's doing something artsy when he's taking the photographs, and then when you see them you'll be amazed! 5. Even the standard family portraits are gorgeous - he's so good at finding the best place at your venue to use as background, and his lighting and editing techniques make everyone look gorgeous. 6. Throughout the reception, he was like a shadow - always there when you needed to grab him for a group shot, but not a noticeable or intrusive presence. And he got so many hilarious dancing action shots! We are completely obsessed with every single photo. Book him - it will be the best decision you make for your wedding! read more

Wish I could give more stars! Sam photographed our wedding and anniversary shoot and his pictures are amazing. He has a wonderful artistic eye. He captured all the emotions of our wedding day! He did not miss a beat! He also has an easy personality and was very flexible both before and during our wedding. If you are looking for artistic pictures that will give you chills for years to come - Sam is your guy. The images are the perfect combination of beauty and emotion. You will be blown away. read more

The best there is. Period. Worth every penny and more! Words cannot express how blown away we were when receiving our wedding photos. How beautifully this talented artist captures a moment! He has such a unique vision and creates interesting, gorgeous works of art that will hang in our home for years to come. read more

Where to start ... Sam is just plain amazing. We were recently married and Sam was our fabulous photographer. I spent hours looking at many different photographers sites until I found Sam. In all his photos you can feel the emotion and you actually feel like you are there, his pictures give me goosebumps every time. Every single picture he took from our special day is wonderful and I will recommend him to everyone I know. From the moment we had our first meeting with him we knew it was a perfect fit. He is just such a great guy, l I felt so comfortable around him and that's a huge plus on your big day! His photographic eye is just amazing. If your not sure who to use for you wedding - check out Sam's blog and website - you will be happy you did!!!! read more