Joe Payne Photography Reviews
Reviews
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![Laura]()
Laura Sent on 02/05/2020Joe is a true professional who delivers stunning, unique wedding photos!
When looking for a wedding photographer, we knew we wanted to work with a someone who would capture the day as it naturally happened, and not try to direct or pose every little moment. After speaking with Joe and looking at his portfolio, we knew instantly that his style and philosophy aligned with ours, and we hired him for our September 2019 wedding. We did not do engagement photos, so the first time I ever met Joe in person was on the wedding day! I knew his photos would be amazing, but he had never shot at our venue, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
Well, let me just say that Joe is an absolute master of wedding photography. There is so much that to being a wedding photographer: you have to keep track of schedules, manage personalities, adapt to the weather, capture every moment in changing conditions, edit thousands of photos, and deliver them in a short time span, among so much else. Joe did all of this, and more, with a level of professionalism and talent that I can’t even comprehend.
First, I’ll talk about the photos. Good god. The sheer number of stunning photos we got back, all of them beautifully edited, is astonishing. Literally thousands of photographs, each of them more beautiful than the last. On our wedding day, we let Joe do his thing and tried not to interject too many specific photo requests. I am so glad we did it that way, because Joe skipped the overdone Pinterest-inspired photos I thought I wanted, and instead shot an array of artistic, unique, and beautifully stylized images that genuinely capture the emotion (and craziness!) of our day. Moreover, Joe individually reviews and edits each photo, which adds so much to the finished product and really sets him apart from other photographers.
Aside from the photos, here are some more things I loved about working with Joe:
• He is prompt and direct in his communication, without fail. He is so on top of his shit, and it makes your life easier as bride/groom.
• He goes with the flow, but is assertive when he needs to be in order to keep things on track.
• He is on time, and he works his butt off the entire day. At one point I was genuinely concerned about how intensely he was working in the heat! Our guests even commented on how he seemed to be everywhere at once!
• He is very experienced and great at problem solving when you need it most. Rain delayed our ceremony and completely ate into our photo time, but he did such a great job of managing the changes and keeping things on track.
• Fabulous British sense of humor.
• The way that he delivers the photos to you is awesome. You can download them all from an online portal, which is an A+ on the user friendliness.
All in all, I just want to thank Joe from the bottom of my heart for how much he contributed to not just our wedding day, but our lives and memories. Our wedding was pretty wild with activity, and he captured every moment from family portraits to fireworks. We will cherish the photos forever. If you are reading this and considering a wedding photographer, I can't recommend Joe enough. -
![Abe]()
Abe L. Sent on 12/19/2024Incredible!
PHENOMENAL wedding photographer! Every photo Joe takes is a work of art, and we have treasured the spectacular images he made for us. He has a great eye for capturing heartfelt moments, utilizing natural light, and working a scene. He is also a joy to work with, which is so important given how much time you will spend together on your wedding day.
Joe put in TONS of effort for our wedding. He delivered over a thousand fully edited, beautiful images; that truly blew us away. Because he invests so much time and effort into each wedding, he does only a limited number of weddings – so book him far in advance! It was the best investment we made. -
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Germaine Sent on 03/24/2022
Creative Memories
As an "experienced" mother of a bride and a mother of the groom, I realized how important capturing this special day in photos is to long lasting memories. My daughter and I saw some of Joe's photos online when we were searching for a photographer and after talking with him, knew that he would be one to whom we would entrust this enormous task...and he did not disappoint! Joe's professionalism, kindness, flexibility and artistry are reflected in the beauty of his work.
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Natalie Sent on 11/20/2020
Fantastic Documentary-Style Photographer
I hired Joe Payne for my Oct 2020 wedding. Joe Payne was incredible and captured so many special memories. His documentary-style allowed me to be fully present in every moment. He was professional, cheerful, gave great instruction, and knew how to use the light to create stunning images. We love the photos he captured of us, and will cherish them forever. Highly recommend! -
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![Krista]()
Krista Sent on 04/13/2020One of a kind!
I’m actually a professional makeup/ hairstylist and I have worked with Joe many times. Every single time was a truly wonderful experience. He has a way about him that I can’t explain but deeply appreciate.
His eye for capturing a moment that no one else sees is probably ONE OF his best qualities, His personality is the other. I challenge you not to smile while he is in the room!! He is respectful, wildly creative and All about the details.
No need to keep looking , you found the perfect photographer !!! On such a rare day , get you a photographer to match :)
You will NOT regret choosing him. -
![Kiki]()
Kiki Sent on 06/18/2019A true artist!
We LOVED working with Joe Payne Photography for our wedding. From the first meeting over Skype with Joe, we really clicked and felt Joe's style and personality truly matched what we were looking for. We had our engagement photos taken with Joe, which we found to be absolutely gorgeous and helped us to know what to expect from Joe. He made us feel at ease as we solidified plans and timelines for our wedding day, inputting great suggestions to help the day go smoothly and was responsive to my many questions. On our wedding day, he and his second shooter Erin were exactly where they needed to be and on-time. They were very pleasant and fun to be around and unobtrusive in our special moments. Joe took charge when he needed to in order to get the shots we wanted, such as the larger group portraits, which I greatly appreciated. Now that we have our photos and album back, I can say with confidence we are absolutely thrilled! Joe's photos are truly artwork and capture our day so beautifully. We know we will cherish them for years to come. And, we have already hired Joe to take our upcoming maternity photos. Joe Payne Photography is worth every penny! -
![Sandra]()
Sandra Sent on 05/29/2019Could not be more pleased with our whole experience!!!
I cannot emphasize enough what an exceptional job Joe and his assistant Richard did as our wedding photographers. Joe was the first vendor I booked after we had our date and location, which was super lucky as he is in high demand. His expertise in documentary and portrait style photography is immediately evident in his online portfolio, and completely sets him apart from other wedding photographers. His use of lighting and composition is simply STUNNING. When I called to inquire about his availability, Joe’s warmth and easy-going nature came through even over the phone. He met in person with my (now) husband and I, and sent us a detailed questionnaire to get to know us better and make sure he understood exactly what was most important to us to capture that day. Our other vendors were also excited to learn we hired Joe, as they enjoyed working with him previously.
On the wedding day Joe and Richard were right on time and both had a great sense of humor that put everyone at ease. We wanted a full hour for our first look since we don’t have a lot of great photos of us as a couple. Joe scoped out sites all around the venue earlier that week to take full advantage of the time. We took a few formal family photos, mostly before the ceremony, so we were able to make it to most of our cocktail hour. The majority of the event I didn’t even notice he was there and was able to just relax and enjoy the time with my guests.
Both Joe and Richard worked SO hard. They were down on the floor, up on chairs, constantly moving around the room, whatever was needed to get the most unique shots. They really did the beauty of our venue justice (The Cotton Room), but it is the intense emotion they captured from so many of our friends and family that we will truly treasure forever. Joe did a fantastic job editing the close to 900 photos he shared with us. The turnaround was impressive (6 weeks), especially considering this was peak wedding season and included a holiday weekend.
Bottom line, it is SO critical to hire a wedding photographer with a lot of experience in the particular style that draws you in. For us, we wanted a more artistic and authentic representation of our day and there was no question Joe was the best choice for this. We are giddy about the results and can’t wait to share the photos with everyone with love. -
Jill Sent on 02/11/2018Joe was a fantastic photographer for our wedding. He is genuinely interested in making great photography. He does an equally good job of capturing great moments between people and also creating beautiful compositions. We are very happy we chose him for our special day. He provided a good balance of posed photos and more artistic portraits and candids.
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Hallie Sent on 01/28/2018Joe is such a wonderful photographer to work with. He exceeded our expectations in every way. He came out to our wedding venue a week early and scouted some amazing shooting locations that were definitely off the beaten path. Joe’s journalistic style was just perfect for our vision. The day of, he was respectful of every wish and need I had during our photo sessions. Joe captured some of the most amazing and artistic shots from our wedding day, and we could not have been happier with our choice of photographer. Our photos were ready in 4 weeks and when we ordered a large portrait to hang in our home, he drove from Raleigh to Greensboro to hand deliver it. We will definitely be using Joe as our photographer in the future as or family grows.
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![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 07/29/2017Joe is literally the best photographer AND person. From booking him in October until our wedding in July, he was so accessible to my now-husband and me, willing to meet in person or chat on the phone whenever any concern came up. We were several states away while planning our Duke Chapel wedding, so this was a huge help as long-distance wedding planning is quite stressful. We also just enjoyed meeting with Joe whenever we were in Durham because he is hilarious and a genuine and great guy. I don't even think I need to go into how great his pictures are....you can see that for yourself! He is a true artist.
If you are considering Joe for your wedding, you should book him now! -
![mary]()
Mary Sent on 12/07/2016Wonderful service! So nice and easy to work with. Not to mention talented beyond belief! I highly recommend!!!! -
![Kelly]()
Kelly Sent on 12/07/2014The moment I met Joe Payne at Panera Breads, I knew I wanted him to be our wedding Photographer. He was professional, polite and very accommodating. Joe recently did our engagement photo session. We picked some cotton fields close by our home in Fuquay Varina, with some old barns and I knew Joe would make magic with the surrounding areas. We were extremely pleased with his quick response, flexibility and professionalism. The shoot was a success! He guided us enough but made the time fly by as we were just hanging out, laughing and talking to one another! It seemed all natural and not staged, which is what I wanted. Out side the box pictures. Joe quickly posted 3 pictures and they were absolutely breath taking! Everyone that sees them keeps telling me how fabulous they are! We can't wait to see the rest!!!!
We are both very happy and confident we booked Joe for our engagement pictures and wedding day! I have nothing but high hopes and I know he will surpass them!
Thank you Joe Payne! Can't wait for the wedding!!! -
![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 08/28/2014Joe was a pleasure to work with on our wedding day! My husband and I are both a bit camera shy and he made us feel instantly comfortable. We got a great feel of how he worked before the day during our engagement shoot. Because of that, we felt comfortable with what we should be expecting on the wedding day and had a relationship with him beforehand.
Joe shot our rehearsal dinner and wedding day and did a spectacular job. He had a way of being with us so he didn't miss a moment without making us feel like we were being followed. Joe focused on catching natural moments - not the moments that are staged and posed. I was impressed that Joe, and his assistant, Jimmy, were constantly working with the light and making the most of every situation.
Not only is Joe a photographer that knows what he needs and what he needs to do to get beautiful photos, but he was such a pleasant person to have around. He was focused and ready to get the job done, but not stuffy or awkward to be around. I would highly recommend him to anyone. -
![Jenna]()
Jenna Sent on 06/02/2011We couldn't have asked for anything better. Not only did we receive
breathtaking photographs but Joe was also such a pleasure to have as a guest at our wedding.
We truly enjoyed working with Joe and thanks to him the whole day went so smoothly. Our photos really are amazing, they capture our day
perfectly. Joe's unique style truly reflected the emotions from our wedding day. Joe was very professional yet friendly, patient,
enthusiastic, and extremely talented! We appreciated his time and talent and were tremendously grateful to him for photographing our
special day.
We certainly hope to work with Joe again in the future and would be honored to refer him to all engaged couples!
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