There aren't enough words of praise in the English language for Shaun of Top Shelf Photo! We were…read morelucky enough to find him on Yelp for our engagement photos, and in mid-November of 2024 he braved the chill of Palomar Mountain to take spectacular photos of us. Nonstop compliments from friends and family, and received much quicker than anticipated. Once we got into wedding planning, Shaun was the obvious choice for our photography needs. Along with his second shooter Jess (Jessica Christie Photography), he again knocked it out of the park. Couldn't have asked for more perfect photos. On a more personal note, Shaun is the above-and-beyond type of person to take the absolute best shots possible. Like, fixing the boutonniere on my suit himself for the exact right angle, or gently shoo'ing away stinkbugs while helping my wife to re-tie her wedding shoes type of person. His passion and dedication for his craft are inspiring, and I guarantee if you don't love being in photos as a general rule (like myself) he will absolutely put you at ease and make it look like you've been modeling all your life. Thank you for everything Shaun, from the bottom of our hearts.

Top Shelf was truly top shelf. We used them two separate years for family photos. Loved it.read more

Jenn was an amazing photographer. She really captured the day so beautifully! We would definitely…read morerecommend this team to everyone! They were all very nice, welcoming, and excited to be apart of our special day!

Oh my goodness, I cannot speak higher of the Pauleen and Dustin duo. My wedding day was…read morekick-started PERFECTLY with their guidance and energy and I would not imagine my wedding day with anyone else. The second photographer, Jenn, she killlled it with all the groom's photos. So many awesome snaps were taken for me to look back on moments I missed throughout the day. Some amazing shots of my guests just enjoying themselves have been my favorite to look back at. Thank you so so much to Pauleen , Dustin, and Jenn!! Also, before Dustin entered my bridal suite, Pauleen asked if it was okay for him to enter, and I think even her going that extra step to ask if he could enter really was so sweet and I am so touched she was so thoughtful. During my big day when I just felt like Mickey Mouse smiling for the crowd, Pauleen and Dustin kept the energy upbeat and kept reminding me to breathe. Loved them so much!! Can't imagine my day without them. We also snuck into the Windmill Food Hall arcade to sneak some photos since we were so good on our timeline and they turned out to be some of my favorite photos! Hello new profile photo! Thank you so much to your team.

Heather was so gracious to accommodate a reschedule of our photo shoot when we managed to get…read moredelayed by LA traffic on our way to the shoot location! We're not from the area, and we didn't expect to be stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours longer than we had planned. :( But like I said, she was sooo gracious in offering up her personal time to do our photo shoot the next morning, and the pictures are amazing. Love how she captures the light in the photos, and she was great at putting all of us (me, husband, and our two boys - 7yo and 4.5yo) at ease. Would highly recommend her for families in the Oceanside/Carlsbad area or anyone passing through, but I would not recommend trying to book with her on a travel day. :D Give yourself extra, extra time to get through that LA traffic!

My husband and I booked Vallentyne Photography for our anniversary coming up. We wanted to do…read morepictures on the beach. Let me just say that Heather the owner and photographer answer all my questions, made the process so simple, and the turn around time for the photos was quicker then I thought it would. The photos below my husband and I away. We loved every single photo and will cherish the photos for years to come. She did an amazing job capture our love. I highly recommend her you will not be disappointed and she is so professional and down to earth. My husband and I will definitely book with her again. Thank you again for making it so hard to pick a favorite photo. I mean look at how breathing taken the photos are.

Leah was AWESOME. I did extensive research on photographers in the area, and she had one of the…read morebest backlogs I saw. I was amazed at how well she handled multiple kids and the location, everything was seemless and smooth even with multiple toddlers who were getting tired. Cannot recommend her enough for family shoots, she was professional, fun, experienced, and had a very quick turnaround time for both responses and 100s of photos.

I needed some fresh headshots for a career reboot. Leah's photos and editing are exactly what I…read moreneeded. I'm grateful.

I love the photos that Melissa took of me soooo much she made me feel so beautiful. She is so sweet…read moreduring the session and gives great direction.

Melissa has done a lot of work for me & my family and I've also worked for her. I can't say enough…read moreabout her skills. Not only is she a stellar photographer, but her warm and giving personality also extended to a sort of mentorship when I was becoming a photographer. I have always looked up to her ability to be calm, creative, and kind in fast paced environments. It's something I still struggle with in photography. As a person who is usually behind the camera, many of the photos I have of my children are without me in them. The ones I do have and love are almost all by Melissa. There aren't many people I can trust the way I trust her and I owe my family memories, and my career, all to her. She's the first person I check with when I have a referral and the first person I think of when I need anything personally. And she will always be. Can't imagine things any other way.

I used 1904 for my wedding and could not have asked for a better photographer! His use of lighting…read moreand angles are awesome! My husband and I also ride motorcycles so that is how we found 1904, but even if you do not ride, do not hesitate to hire Phillip. For our wedding he also paired with Belinda at Pinky's Pix and together they were the perfect team. My only regret was not hiring them for the full night. We had them arrive early so that we could take pictures before the wedding started so we did not have them for about the last 1.5 hours and I really wish we did.

fargin badass photography. Kinda has a gritty, industrial style to it in my opinion, and thats…read moreawesome. I'd like to get him out for a zombie shooting range me and the buddies do in the desert sometime. Be nice to get some high def pics of live fire.

Olga does an amazing job photographing our family ever year! My boys are young and restless (and 2…read moreand 5), and she somehow works her magic to capture their smiles. We are so thankful for her talent!

Olga has been our family photographer for 8 years and she never disappoints. Photographer shoots…read moreare fun and the photos are beautiful.

Fan-freaking-tastic headshots!…read more Seriously - want to look professional without looking too much like Glamor Shots-meets-stock photo? Get thee to Natalia. Stat. Natalia, is really cool - kept me laughing and melted the awkward right of my smiles (plus there's a gallery to pull your images from, so you can dump the awkward and choose just the fabulous and fresh). Bonus: no Toddlers and Tiaras overwhelm for this camera-shy gal!

Natalia is an incredible photographer with a wonderful eye for structure. She has done several…read morearchitectural shoots for me and I've been thrilled with each one. The process with me smooth, quick, and easy. She also got the edited images to me very quickly. The images are versatile enough to use in our Ranch & Coast Magazine article as well as our own website. Love her work!

We had a great experience with J & J Allen Photography taking care of our wedding! This couple…read moremakes a great team and their energies and skills really compliment each other; their clear direction, organization, and creative perspectives fashioned a seamless event with naturally beautiful photos. They come with the style and a modest swagger you'd expect from talented and sweet people!

I have used J & J Allen Photography for many years now to do my family holiday photos as well as my…read moreprofessional business photos. My family photos always turn out amazing and are a beautiful blend of portrait, and life-style shots. They are able to capture the life in our family with all the active, crazy, smiles and laughs my kids can through their way! They always have great suggestions for locations and positioning. They have also done my professional office photos three years in a row now. We have a medium size office and they are able to capture great group shots of everyone! They also have done individual head shots for my business cards. I highly recommend J & J Allen for your photography needs! They are excellent photographers and easy going, making it a relaxed atmosphere for photo shoots. Can't wait for my photos this year!

I saw Chelsea's photos and I knew I had to have her photograph my family! Her work is classic and…read moretimeless. We had a little bit of weather on our day to take pics and that didn't stop her from finding new, fresh and fun ideas for our shoot! We're all a little camera shy and she made us feel so comfortable. She's sweet and knows her stuff! She guided us through the entire time (not easy with an antsy 5 year old) She's just so great! I highly recommend her for any and all of your special events!

We needed some photos to round out my daughter's portfolio and Chelsea was able to come up with…read moresome great ideas for locations, poses, and even clothing resources to help us capture just the looks we were going for. She is very easy to work with - thoughtful, respectful, and professional - all while having fun and making it seem easy. She has a real eye for lighting and seeing art where many people would not. The final products were provided with minimal turnaround time compared to other photographers we have used and were just amazing. The entire process was a pleasure.