During the wedding planning process, my fiancée and I placed photography high on priority list. After the music turns off, the guests go home, and the flowers wilt, you will still have your photos for a lifetime.

My wife (then fiancée) and I searched far and wide for a photographer who met expectations and budget. After scouring over a hundred websites and speaking to several photographers, we chose Mr. John Yao. It was one of the best wedding decisions we made.

John's style is clean and fresh. His photos are less posed and more natural, capturing the emotion of the day, the moment. Judging from his blog, even when shooting at the same location, each couple's session is unique. He is an expert in finding beauty in the mundane.

But his best quality is his ability to make us feel comfortable in front of the camera. After months of planning, we were so nervous for our engagement shoot. But within in the first ten minutes of the shoot we were at ease, focusing on each other rather than then the camera or all the distractions around us. When the engagement photos arrived a few months later, we received tons of compliments; but more than that, each time we get a chance to revisit the photos, they take our breaths away.

Needless to say, by the time our wedding came, we knew we were in good hands. And this peace of mind on your wedding day is priceless. We are eagerly awaiting our wedding photos.

The logistical things first - John was very personal and professional in his step-by-step preparation for the wedding photos, providing us in advance with a clear contract and personal communications in the time leading up to the rehearsal and ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, John's interaction with our wedding party, family, and friends showed great consideration, creativity, and patience - his excellent planning and execution carried throughout the wedding, even during the more stressful times for photographs (e.g. large group photos). John was mobile and flexible - never intrusive or impatient - and handled all parts of the ceremony, reception, and formal photography with great skill and warm enthusiasm. His communication with us during the after-ceremony group sessions with the wedding party and us as a couple helped everyone relax and be completely at ease with the photo taking. This comfort with the camera - for both John and everyone in front of it - shows in the beautiful images that resulted.

John's photos are, in a word, classy. But that doesn't begin to describe how great they are in composition, technical detail, personal interaction, and timing (this is the groom writing, from one photographer to another). The photographs John captured on our wedding day are of the highest quality, and they're all personal, creative, and artistic images that we'll cherish for a lifetime. Looking at the photos one month following our special day, we don't get a sense that these were simply "pictures of the wedding," but images that captured the event and emotions so well that it was like reliving the moments again.

We highly recommend John to any bride and groom who wants excellence in photography, great attention to detail and care, and a truly wonderful person to work with in preserving the best memories of their wedding.

John is exceptionally friendly, patient and creative. My husband and I couldn't be happier with how our photos from both our engagement session and wedding turned out. John made us feel comfortable the entire time and had some really high-tech cameras to ensure we got the best photos possible. He also did a great job at being efficient at our wedding banquet as we hustled from table to table to take photos with everyone. The photos with our bridal party were extremely fun and unique as well. We hired him as a photographer, but he soon became our friend and still keeps in touch with us! Thanks John!

John is an awesome photographer in terms of both his work product as well as his professionalism. The most important attribute for us when we were looking for a photographer was the quality of pictures. Other studios offered us a ton of products (e.g., print-outs, albums, canvas photos, and thank you cards). However, if we didn't like the photos themselves, we figured that wouldn't enjoy all of the additional products. After meeting with John in person and seeing his portfolio, we were sold immediately. His shots always provide a fresh look and feel. He can make ordinary people and settings look amazing. He is also very friendly and personable. Although we had never been photographed by a professional before our engagement session, John made us feel comfortable from the first shot. Our biggest concern was the pricing, which tends to be higher than the lower end studios mentioned above but lower than the truly high end boutiques. At the end of the day, we decided that the price-to-value ratio made sense. We figured that we were getting a rising star at a bargain price. We would definitely recommend John and SimplyTwo for your wedding!

We HIGHLY recommend John @SimplyTwo!!!! My husband and I were In search for that perfect wedding photographer. We met with/talked on the phone with some photographers and we didnt feel any kind of connection. We were referred to John by a friend who spoke very highly of him and I must say, as soon as I saw his work I was hooked!! He knew how to catch the PERFECT shot and he definitely uses creativity with his pics. I am still in amazment as to how beautiful our pictures came out! Not only is johns work absolutely beautiful, but his personality can brighten up any moment. His kind, warm, relaxed, and funny personality is so pleasant to have around on such a big day!! SimplyTwo Photography will forever have our hearts :).

Simplytwo Photography went above and beyond what we expected in a photographer. My husband and I first met John when we were scoping out our wedding venue. We were instantly impressed that John wanted to meet us all the way in Long Beach. I have to admit, when I first met John, I asked myself “who is this guy in jeans, polo shirt, and Rainbow flip flops and why is he carrying a Betty Crocker cookbook”. After 5 minutes of talking, we felt like we knew John forever! He showed us his portfolio on his ipad, which was cleverly hidden in the Betty Crocker cookbook, and we were hooked.

John is very receptive of your ideas and expectations. His ability to capture the right light, angles, and his knack for the little details are superb. John definitely knows how to make you feel like a natural and look like a superstar. We had so much fun with John and were so impressed with the photos that we ended up taking 2 engagement sessions, wedding day, and post-wedding photos.

Not only is John a great photographer, he is a great wedding planner and “bride whisperer”. John helped with planning our wedding day itinerary and on the big day, he knew the right things to say to ease my stress and anxiety. Also, he was great with the wedding party and definitely made them feel comfortable as well. My husband and I could not be any happier with our engagement and wedding photos and we can’t wait to have John capture our future memories. Thanks for everything John!

John is the best! He is professional, friendly, and takes awesome pictures. The pictures are so natural, just the way we love them! Thank you John! You definitely captured the wonderful moment of our lives.

We were referred to John by a photographer we had randomly found online - we are so incredibly grateful for the referral. We did not have a professional photographer at our wedding but regretted not hiring someone after the fact. One week post-wedding, John agreed to go back to our wedding venue with us and take some special shots! From our very first conversation on the phone, John made me feel incredibly confident and at ease about what we were asking for and wanted to achieve - a handful of a few great shots of my new husband and I dressed up again in our wedding garb that I could actually frame. He was incredibly easy to talk to and really seemed to understand my situation and what I was looking for.
On the day of the almost two hour shoot he made the two of us feel so comfortable - I'm generally not at east in front of a camera! Everything was really natural and John was great at picking the right locations at the venue to shoot at depending on the available light. We had so much fun!
And about a month later we received TONS of amazing photos! We are so pleased with the results and John's friendly nature and professionalism. I would recommend Simplytwo Photography to anyone looking for an extraordinary wedding photographer!

John did a great job on our engagement pictures and wedding. He was organized and made sure we got all the photos we wanted. Very easy to work with and willing to work with you.

John Yao of SimplyTwo Photography is Simply AWESOME!

I can honestly say there was a time in my life when I didn't know I was going to marry my husband (bc we hadn't met yet) but I knew I wanted John to be my wedding photographer. I have been following him and his work for years now. He was the official wedding photographer of at least 3 of my very close friends and he consistently did an amazing job. When it was time for us to sign the venue contract, I made sure John was available before we set the date.

John is super talented, experienced and knowledgeable. I liked how he was open to our suggestions of engagement session locations or specific poses. But if we weren't sure what we wanted, John would get inspired by the location's angles, light, etc. Some of our best engagement session pics were taken in an alley on our way from one place to another. We got so many compliments... if only people knew we were literally staring at cars in a parking garage.

I'm glad John was on hand to capture every moment of our big day. He walks the fine line of being relaxed and making us feel comfortable, but also professional and in charge of a big group. John is great at making our bridal party and guests at ease in front of the camera.

I especially dig his preview links that he sends us. It's great to forward over to our friends and family.

John's work is EVEN better than I expected. We love every picture he took!

Check out his website and contact him now if you need a wedding or engagement shot photographer. I would give him more stars if I could.

John is by far one of the most professional and creative photographers I have ever met. He is wonderful to work with and does his best to make sure not only that he gets all the pictures that you want from a wedding but that you get even more than what you expected. You will never for a second doubt that you are his top priority. He is constantly thinking of shots that will take your breath away and he is always conscious of time without ever making you feel rushed or stressed. Working with John was easy to say the least but more than that, it was extremely fun and enjoyable! He did our engagement photos which turned out amazing and I cannot wait to see the wedding photos!

John at SimplyTwo Photography is an amazing photographer, who is very personable and original
In his creativity with your wedding photos. We had tons of fun with John shooting our engagement, wedding and trash the dress session. John makes each session adventurous, organized with a smooth schedule, which makes any couple at ease and stress free on the day of the wedding. We are so happy to get priceless shots from all the sessions with John as it truly reflects
The Care and attention every couple would want from their photographer. Thanks for building wonderful memories with us, John!

John is incredibly talented at what he does and even my husband admitted that John's worth every penny we spent. (that really means something as he tends to think everything is a waste of money :P) I've gotten countless compliments on our engagement session and I honestly can't wait to see our wedding pictures! I have no doubt that those turned out great as well.

John also is so easy to work with and makes having your picture taken fun. As you all know, taking pictures can sometimes be awkward with all the funky poses photographers like to place you in. But it's different with John - he tends to capture you in your most natural state of being in love with each other :) He'll also watch out for the little details like if your hair is out of place, if your 2nd chin is saying hello to the world, etc. I mean, WHO DOES THAT?? Answer - John does! And I'm so glad he did that for our wedding day, because who wants pictures of their hair being anything other than perfect on their big day? He keeps an eye out for details that your own bridesmaids seem to miss.

I've told him this several times, but honestly, from day 1 - John was my most important vendor. He is good at what he does and captures the most amazing moments on his camera(s). Not to mention he's so much fun to be around! (my bridesmaids loved him!) And he's always been there to give me his sage advice on all things wedding related. He's not only an amazing photographer, but an amazing friend as well and I can't wait to work with him again in the future! (perhaps when we have kids?) ;)

John Yao is amazing! He maintains professionalism while putting you and your bridal party totally at ease. His work is stunning and he can make any conditions look amazing. You do not need to worry about bad weather ruining your pictures if you hire John Yao. He produces incredible images every time. He will be attentive and helpful throughout the whole process!

John Yao is everything we can ask for in a photographer! He is an extremely talented and professional photographer with a fun personality, endless creativity and an eye for details. Not to mention he is flexible to accommodate our schedule changes, quick to answer our many questions/emails and kind enough to find us vendors for different needs. He has a love for weddings and the couples he works with, and it truly shows in his work. Bonus: he also speaks Mandarin...so he was able to communicate with our family members on the wedding day! We haven't seen all the pictures from the wedding yet, but based on the preview pictures and the comments we've gotten so far from our family and friends, we have full confidence that they will turn out beautiful!

We loved working with John! Yes, his images are amazing. His photos timeless and very creative. AND he will do whatever is needed to get the photos he wants. We are no experts in photography, all we know is we loved them all and we loved how he captured not only images of our wedding....but how people SAW our wedding. Everytime we look over our photos, its as if we are reliving it all over again. Capturing not only every detail, but every emotion as well. Which was THE MOST important to me...as with every wedding. It goes by like a blur. Now, we can treasure every moment over and over again with John's photos.

John's laid back personality, calming voice, and overall friendliness made us feel comfortable the day of and prior to our wedding. He was like a bridesmaid disguised as a photographer. He helped calm me (the bride) down a couple times over other vendors' mishaps. He carried a magic bag with little helpful things for the wedding that we overlooked. John was a pleasure to work with and we have never met a photographer more passionate about his work than him.