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Weddings

About

Susan Helgeson Photography is a photographer located in Santa Cruz, California, who serves the Monterey area. Susan would love to share her passion and talent with couples for such a special time of their life. She promises to blend in with the crowd and capture the raw beauty and emotion of your day in a fun, professional way.

Services Offered
Susan Helgeson Photography offers couples different photography styles to expertly share their love story, including contemporary, natural, photojournalism, and traditional. She is reliable and courteous and will make sure to consult with couples on what they want for their special day. Couples may receive their photos in a variety of formats, including albums, on canvas, digital files, flush mounts, matted prints, regular prints, proofs, Save the Dates, and Thank You cards. Susan Helgeson Photography also offers the following services:

  • Additional hours
  • Custom graphics
  • Destination/travel
  • Engagement shoot
  • Hand-coloring
  • High-res images
  • Liability insurance
  • Multi locations
  • One event/day
  • Second shooter
  • Slideshow
  • Toning
  • Trash the Dress
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

Add'l Hours
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Slideshow
Digital Files
Prints
Thank You Cards

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

2nd Shooter
Add'l Hours
Custom Graphics
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Slideshow
Albums
Digital Files
Flush Mount
Save the Date

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Natural
Photojournalism
Traditional

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Second Shooter

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Canvas
Digital Files
Flush Mount
Matted Prints
Prints
Proofs
Save the Date
Thank You Cards

Reviews of Susan Helgeson Photography

Barry
Barry Sent on 04/27/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous photography and much more!

We chose Susan based on her online portfolio which demonstrated the greatest range of clientele types and variety of points of view and couldn't be happier. She not only created great shots during an engagement session and the actual wedding day, she was instrumental as an advisor helping with our programming of the day's events and was our secret supporter during the wedding, always on hand with advice and suggestions but never ever in the way.
I love her work and the work she did helping us have the perfect wedding! Thank you, Susan!
J
Julia Sent on 06/08/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Susan is a wonderful photographer, she has captured our engagement, wedding and maternity photos and has done a wonderful job each time. The pictures come out better than I could have planned and Susan is such a pleasure to work with. She always gets your pictures back to you in a timely manner and they are very high quality. I can't wait to have her photograph my new baby girl when she gets here.
Colleen and Walt's Wedding
Colleen Sent on 06/05/2017
5 out of 5 rating
You guys are awesome!! You were so professional, and easy to work with. You made our day even more special and I can't thank you enough!
A
Andrea Sent on 03/17/2015
5 out of 5 rating
Susan Helgeson, is an amazing photographer. She did our engagement session and our wedding. Me and my husband wanted to feel comfortable with our photographer on the day of our wedding. She is professional, courtesy and makes you feel like a superstar. She knows how to deal great with Big portuguese personalities you know we all have an opinion! :-).....Shes great, does amazeing work!
M
Melanie Sent on 10/21/2014
5 out of 5 rating
Susan and Yve were amazing to work with and our photos were perfect. So excited to see the album.
R
Rebecca Sent on 05/13/2014
5 out of 5 rating
My Fiance and I were so pleased with our engagement photo shoot! Our experience was so wonderful we wish we could do all over again. We had such a blast working with our photographer Yve. She was so personable and so fun to be around. She was also very professional and took her time with us. This made us feel relaxed and reassured that our pictures were going to come out great! (from our little sneak peak they are so adorable! Yve truly captured our friendship and love story). Because we didn't feel rushed that helped my fiance and I to enjoy the moments completely. Thank you Susan Helgeson Photography for giving us a wonderful experience and beautiful pictures that will last us a life time!
Sincerely
Michael & Rebecca
K
Karen Sent on 06/10/2013
5 out of 5 rating
We couldn't have been happier with Susan's services! She was always available to answer even the most trivial questions I had and her excellent service did not stop after the wedding. She followed through with every promise made and the hard-bound album she prepared is a true treasure. We can honestly say that flipping through the book puts us right back to that special day! We would recommend Susan to everyone.

Karen Cogswell and John Maenchen
U
User1158330 Sent on 05/10/2013
5 out of 5 rating
When my daughter Maia and I were planning her wedding, we heard from several people about what gorgeous wedding photography Susan Helgeson does. After looking at her web site and meeting with her, we were sure that she would be the right person to entrust with this important job, and were we ever right! Susan was a real pleasure to work with--she's relaxed and warm, and a total professional with an artistic eye and great sense of timing. We're all thrilled with the photos and albums, which captured the day perfectly and are a true family keepsake.
S
Suzanne Sent on 05/09/2013
5 out of 5 rating
I had the opportunity to meet with Susan twice before my wedding day. Once with my Mom and the 2nd time with my Fiance.

I hit it off with Susan from the get-go. She was calm and confident within herself that just oozed radiance. She also offered an album that was more traditional and exactly what I wanted. I liked that she didn't "assume" I was a modern bride and wanted the "coffee table" look album. She had ALL different styles from traditional to modern laid out for me to look at.

I had interviewed about 3 other photographers aside from Susan. Susan never once asked me who else I had met with or who I was mtg. with within her profession (((thank you))). The other photographers really made it awkward / uncomfortable when they would ask me what other photographers I had interviewed. And they all kind of did it the same sly way at the end of the mtg... what gives?

Susan and Yve (her assistant) were magical. They were professional, fun, and helpful in getting the shots I wanted and then some! The were never intrusive and blended so well during the reception I forgot at times they were there.

Susan even drove my husband and myself to the beach to catch the sunset for pictures. It was absolutely amazing and really the highlight of my night. I had second guessed going last minute during the reception in fear of leaving my guest. Susan reminded me how bad I wanted the sunset shots and I felt like a little girl as we all snuck away to the beach. The beach shots are absolutely b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l and as I look back to that day, I am so grateful Susan reminded me how important those shots were to me. It was one of the reasons we picked the venue!

My wedding day was nerve racking enough and Susan's calm energy helped balance my emotions.

I would highly recommend Susan and I am blessed my parents provided me the opportunity to hire her!
D
Don Sent on 05/08/2013
5 out of 5 rating
Susan Helgeson Photography is definitely the right choice to work with you. I say work "with" you because that is absolutely what she does.

We hired her for our wedding. We reviewed numerous photographers' websites before we quickly narrowed down to our short list. After meeting Susan, we knew we found the right person to capture our wedding.

She was able to capture emotion and style with her technical abilities and was an absolute pleasure to work with. She's very easy to communicate with and really shows that she cares about her work. It's still an art for her, not just a job.

Her professionalism and personal nature were the perfect combination to make us feel comfortable during the "before" pictures, and had the tenacity and people skills to control a large family for photos "after" the deed was done...

We are so pleased with her work. She captured what we had hoped. Our best day with the best photographer...

we would always highly recommend her!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

19
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

2 Endorsements
seascape flowers seascape flowers Wedding Florists

Susan Helgson has a great eye for photography. We've been working together for years and she always captures the true emotion behind the event. It's a treat when we get to view our work through her eyes!

Every Last Detail Wedding & Event Coordination Every Last Detail Wedding & Event Coordination Wedding Planners

I always enjoy working with Susan. She brings a very personal and soft touch to her wedding photography. She has a very calm demeanor and has the abilty to keep my brides and grooms calm while being able to stay within the timeline of the wedding day. Looking forward to the next opportunity to work together. Patty Speirs, Executive Coordinator Every Last Detail Wedding & Event Coordination www.eldweddings.com

Map

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Susan Helgeson Photography frequently asked questions

Susan Helgeson Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • Add'l Hours
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Slideshow
  • Digital Files
  • Prints
  • Thank You Cards
Susan Helgeson Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Add'l Hours
  • Custom Graphics
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Slideshow
  • Albums
  • Digital Files
  • Flush Mount
  • Save the Date
Susan Helgeson Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Contemporary
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
  • Traditional
Susan Helgeson Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • One Event / Day
  • Second Shooter
Susan Helgeson Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Flush Mount
  • Matted Prints
  • Prints
  • Proofs
  • Save the Date
  • Thank You Cards
Susan Helgeson Photography is recommended by 99% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5 in quality of service, 4.9 in average response time, 4.9 in flexibility, 4.9 in professionalism and 4.9 in value.

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