James Lester Photography Reviews
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
5.0 out of 5 rating
23 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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![Madison]()
Madison J. Sent on 05/16/2024James is the BEST!
We could not recommend James enough! He photographed our wedding in Santa Cruz in March 2024. Leading up to the wedding, James was so kind, thorough and answered all of our questions. The day of the wedding, my husband and I read our vows to each other, just the two of us, and James captured everything perfectly! He also made us feel so comfortable (even though we both are usually uncomfortable in from of the camera). James captured beautiful pictures in the Santa Cruz forest but also captured super fun photos of our friends at a brewery afterwards. We could not be happier!
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Staci H. Sent on 04/15/2024
A must for your wedding team!
I am so glad that we found James. His work speaks for itself; the photos from our wedding day are stunning. One thing you can't really grasp is how hectic the wedding day can truly be. I really appreciated the calm and sweet energy that James has; it was a nice break to take photos with him. It can be such a strange experience to pose in front of a stranger but he quickly felt like a friend.
I had a lot of guests tell me that they were impressed with how on top of things he was and I couldn't agree more. He knew the florist that we were working with as well--it made me feel like my vendors were all on the same page. Again, such a gem! Thank you for everything! -
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![Kelsey]()
Kelsey D. Sent on 11/07/2023James Lester is an amazing photographer!
James was AMAZING. He has a great eye, a calming energy, and really captures the details. We just got all our photos back and our expectations were beyond exceeded. From the moment we chose James, we felt like he really understood the vibe of our wedding. The photos are proof that he knew exactly what we were looking for and he really delivered! If you are looking for a wedding photographer who will put you at ease and capture gorgeous details from the big day James is your person! Thank you James! -
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![Ellen]()
Ellen C. Sent on 09/03/2023Wedding Photography
Working with James was a highlight of our small wedding in Paso Robles this summer. He was so fun and easy to work with on the day, came up with great photo op suggestions, and helped arrange us and guide us on how to stand and look good for the best photos. Beyond just being so nice and accommodating, he was also super fast and sent us our photos within the week! We were so pleased with his work; the photos are stunning. Highly, highly recommend!! -
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![Taylor]()
Taylor Sent on 09/03/2023Seamless Experience!
We were very lucky to find James, and I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for a stress-free and quality experience. He was extremely friendly and professional, and put us at ease throughout the entire planning process and event. He was very engaged beforehand, answering the many questions we had and helping us find the perfect locations and setup for all of our photos. On the day of the event, it was clear he had significant experience and knew exactly what shots to get, but he was also very flexible with any specific photo requests we had. The photos turned out wonderfully. Thank you James!! -
Laurie B. Sent on 07/08/2023
Best wedding photographer!
James was patient and professional. He has an eye for the perfect picture. His calm demeanor enabled us to be so relaxed during our photos. James was flexible with all of our desired shots and incorporated his artistic eye into each one. The photos turned out amazing. We could not be happier! -
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![Lori]()
Lori F. Sent on 04/21/2023Gorgeous Photos!
James Lester did an absolutely amazing job capturing the perfect moments of our wedding day! He was communicative in the booking process, had a cool vibe both through email and in person and was very patient with us! We were excited to receive our photos ahead of schedule! James shot every group of guests we had requested. He assured us the lighting was perfect for our sunset photos in the Eberle Winery vineyard and sure enough, the pictures were gorgeous! He gets our very highest rating! -
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![Genevieve]()
Genevieve S. Sent on 12/11/2022Amazing work!
My husband and I LOVED working with James! He offered us a package that included both our engagement photoshoot and full day wedding day photos. It was a great deal and very fair pricing for excellent quality pictures. Having the engagement photo session was super helpful because we had never taken profesional pictures before, and it was good to get to know James prior to our wedding day. He’s also an extremely nice and accommodating person! 10/10 would recommend for any of your photography needs :) -
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Anthony M. Sent on 01/01/2023
Wonderful!
Our experience working with james, was absolutely wonderful! It felt like he really understood what we were looking for in our photos and delivered on that perfectly! As a bonus, it felt like we were working with a friend! We had two shoots with him, a private reading of our vows to one another, and an official ceremony with family and friends. We are in love with how the photos turned out and are so thankful. We’re also excited to have them printed and put into a photo album. This should go without saying, but we recommend him, his work is exquisite! Thank you james for capturing all of those moments and memories. -
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![Melody]()
Melody A. Sent on 08/13/2022Beautiful Photos by an Easygoing Photographer
James Lester Photography was recommended by our wedding planner. As we loved James's portfolio, we hired him for our wedding. In our first meeting, we told James that the groom wasn't very comfortable getting his photos taken -- James made some suggestions on how to manage that discomfort, which we appreciated. The day of the wedding, James was calming and cheerful. He managed difficult personalities among the guests with aplomb.
We had planned to take bride/groom photos overlooking the ocean at sunset. James kept an eye on the weather, and when he noticed that the fog was rolling in earlier than usual, he coordinated with the wedding planner to take those photos earlier than planned while we still had good light.
The finished photographs are beautiful! In addition to formal photos of the family and wedding party, James captured many wonderful candids of our guests enjoying the wedding. Every time we scroll through the wedding album, we find a new photo we love. -
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![Amanda]()
Amanda J. Sent on 06/18/2022Talented and Professional
James was wonderful to work with. He was communicative and kind throughout the process. He was a calming presence throughout the photo session and I was wowed by the product we received. James was familiar with our venue and has a good eye. He captured all of the right moments and made us look great! -
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Kelli M. Sent on 03/18/2022
Definitely would recommend James!
James was great through the entire (short) planning weeks. We decided to elope and James helped us pick the beach for the perfect place and was so responsive the entire time. James was able to get us our whole album so quickly and they were PERFECT- despite the windiest weather we've ever had on the central coast. -
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![Vineece]()
Vineece R. Sent on 12/31/2021Captured Memories
James possesses a talent for photography and it shows in his work, capturing couples in the most breathtaking and serene places. We were lucky to book his services for our wedding in October 2021 and he was a blast to be around. He made us feel comfortable in front of the camera and provided us plenty of guidance to ensure our poses were natural and organic. We thought we knew what to expect when he delivered our photos to us since we've seen his website and social media accounts, but we were not prepared for the beautiful images he captured at our wedding. We highly, highly recommend him to be your photographer! -
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![Anthony]()
Anthony Sent on 02/22/2020Amazing Photographer...He's our go to as our family grows
James was a great for capturing our wedding. We first met James for our engagement photo shoot several months before. He was very professional and flexible, accommodating two locations and our puppy as well. He was quick to process the photos, much faster than we anticipated.
We met the rest of the team on our wedding day with them putting in a long day, including a very long church ceremony. James captured amazing photos Marisol (bride) getting ready, her dress, and bridesmaids. So many family and friends felt that James and his team captured the moments and atmosphere that slipped by us as the bride and groom. We really enjoying working with James and his SLOtography team. Our family is growing and would definitely make the drive from LA to SLO to have James take our family photos. -
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Amanda Sent on 10/12/2018James shot my wedding and exceeded my expectations! He was so easy to work with and has such a natural eye for photography. Prompt communication, online invoice, flexible (we asked him to stay an extra hour on our wedding day), everything was a breeze. When we received our sneak peek photos during our honeymoon I nearly cried with how stunning they were, and I’m so excited to see the rest. I can’t say enough good things about our experience with him!
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![Andrea]()
Andrea Sent on 10/25/2017The most important thing to know is that James Lester is really wonderful. My husband and I were referred to him, because we were looking for someone with flexible hours, as we didn't need a full day of photography for our evening wedding. He got back to us immediately, and was really energetic, positive, and flexible with designing a day that fit our needs. He continued to be flexible as the day got nearer and we altered our time table for the photography session with him. On the day of the wedding he was on time, perfectly dressed for our central coast casual wedding, really friendly and easy going, and he captured not only beautiful pictures of my husband and I before, during, and after the wedding, but also great photos of all the details of our wedding decor, guests, food and desserts, and dancing.
He said I could expect a photo gallery to be ready in about 4 weeks, and literally 4 weeks to the day I got the email letting me know they were ready - and I couldn't stop looking at them.
I strongly recommend James Lester, and I will hire him again if the occasion for a professional photographer ever arises. -
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