Matei Horvath Photography Reviews
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
21 Reviews
98% recommend it
Awards
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Mimi T. Sent on 05/23/2023
Wedding Day Photography
My husband and I very happy with Matei's work on our special day. He was punctual, responsible, and very responsive. We found him through instagram and was very impressed with his portfolio. We felt comfortable working with him and the pictures came out very artistic and avant-garde, which was the vibe we were looking for our wedding day. We appreciate Matei's professionalism and we hope that he will be of great service on your special day as well. -
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Alka M. Sent on 01/18/2023
Stunning work
My husband and I hired Matei and team for our wedding a few months ago and we had such a great experience! Besides the actual photos (which blew us away...our friends and family are in disbelief with how amazing they turned out), the full experience with Matei/Viv/Phantia was seamless end to end.
When reaching out to different vendors for our wedding, we felt like Phanita and Matei were extremely genuine and we loved that they were so familiar with south asian wedding events and customs. During the months leading up to it, the team was super responsive and easy to work with.
On the weekend of, they showed up early - sometimes even earlier than we got there - to make sure everything was set and they had some ideas of where to shoot. Viv was so wonderful and creative to work with for our pre-wedding events. Matei looked like a proud dad all weekend :D and was overall a very calming presence. They knew all our vendors well and worked seamlessly together to make it happen.
Now the photos - really well done and tastefully edited. We got a TON, ~1600, across 4 events , and Matei got it done weeks earlier than expected. While the portraits are beautiful, my favorite ones are the candid shots he captured so beautifully. Every little memory you have from the wedding...trust me he got a picture of it! -
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Jessica D. Sent on 04/02/2020
Wedding Day
My husband and I looked into so many companies and individuals photography work. We went back and forth with numerous people. It took us about a month to decide and really choose who we wanted to go with because it was one of our top requirements for our wedding day. We wanted to make sure that our big special day was filled with memorable shots captured in our most precious moments of life together. We are very happy and in love with our wedding album. Matei does an exceptional job and delivers astonishing results. His photos show how well he really is. He is phenomenal and his work goes to prove it, his work shows how much he loves photography and loves what he does. We will definitely always be working with Matei to capture more memorable celebrations and on all occasions. We truly appreciate you! Thank you so very much for working with us and shooting our wedding! -
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Matthew K. Sent on 11/06/2018Talent and personality beyond compare
What this man and his assistant did for my Wife and I at our wedding in August, is almost indescribable. The memories that he captured of our family and friends were nothing short of spectacular. You don't know how crucial a good photographer really is to any affair. Let me tell you, Matei Horvath is nothing short of a godsend. His creativity, eye for the moment and even for the moments that aren't quite obvious, is simply unmatched. He not only captured beautiful memories, but he was able to bring everyone's personality shine through. If I spent the rest of my life thanking Matei for what he created for my Wife and me, I would need 3 lifetimes to have it feel like I thanked him enough. If you want proof of what he brings to the table, just look on his instagram feed. Don't take my word for it. Let your eyes be the judge. You will not be sorry you did that. -
Danish Sent on 07/18/2018Having an exceptional photographer was top on our list during the wedding planning phase. My wife began the search for one about eight months before the wedding. Her friends had referred a few photographers but Danielle wasn't satisfied with any of them. About a month into the search, she came across Matei's Instagram feed.
Before you leave this review to check out his Insta, bookmark my thoughtful notes because you may misplace them as you end up browsing his work for endless hours.
Back? Where did the time go, right? So, Matei's Insta. We were both immediately captivated by his unique style and talent. It turns out Matei's keen eye and skill were just one part of what makes him one of the best in the business. Matei has a personality that puts people at ease. When Danielle & I walked out of our first in-person meeting with him & Phanita, it felt like we had just visited with longtime friends. Our guests loved him too. We hired Matei to cover two ceremonies and a reception over two days. We couldn't have been happier with the experience. The shoots were efficient and smooth, the portraits fun and creative, and the group shots well organized and structured. Viv, Matei's assistant photographer, was awesome too. Matei captured Danielle's getting ready moments while Viv shot mine emanating a cool calm as I spent a nervous hour tying my bow tie.
We received our albums a few weeks ago. We have clicked through them so many times since and continue to be in awe at the wonderful skill of Matei Horvath. -
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Lauren Sent on 02/06/2018I'm not sure words can express how happy we are to have had the honor and pleasure of having Matei photograph our wedding events. He photographed our surprise proposal, engagement photos, Sangeet and wedding. Everything turned out perfect. Matei is incredibly easy to work with and was able to keep us at ease during a potentially stressful day. His assistant Viv was also a joy to have around on the wedding day. The final product was incredible and exactly what we had hoped for. The photos were absolutely stunning and captured all the details and small moments of the day. I would highly recommend future brides to consider Matei!
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Tina Sent on 01/06/2018Matei is not just a photographer - he is an artist who cares deeply about the people he captures. There are many intimate moments that one shares with a photographer throughout the engagement shoot and wedding-related events. Matei quickly put us at ease and comforted us to be ourselves and live in the moment while we shot with him. We spent half the time cracking up at his jokes! We hired Matei for our engagement shoots (more on that later), henna ceremony, and wedding day. He quickly became a close friend, someone we looked forward to spending time with and trusted 100% to capture our most intimate, special, and unforgettable moments.
During our initial engagement shoot, we had unexpectedly bad weather. We weren't sure whether to continue the shoot, but after taking a sneak peek at Matei's test shots, we were blown away by how he transformed the cloudy, foggy, gray day into a mystical and romantic backdrop. The pictures were stunning, and in a different way than we'd expected. However, we still wanted a sunny photoshoot so we hired him again to do a second run with us in better weather. The second set of pictures had the same remarkable eye for special moments and creative angles, but a totally different texture and aesthetic. We were blown away at his versatility!
For the henna and wedding days, Matei captured so many emotional moments between our wedding party, family, attendees, and the bride and groom. He got the tears and the laughter so beautifully - and we continue to relive the experiences through his lenses. We received endless comments and compliments on our beautiful pictures, which are now proudly displayed on our wall and our families' walls.
On top of his incredible artistic talent, Matei and Phanita were super professional, flexible, and a joy to work with. We can't wait to work with Matei again for so many more life events. He's one of our friends now and we'll cherish his images for a lifetime. -
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Mukti L. Sent on 09/15/2020Simply the best.
Matei Horvath photography is simply the best on multiple levels. Allow me to explain.
Our wedding took place in December 2016 in Santa Barbara, CA but was originally supposed to happen 2 months earlier in Jamaica. When Zika hit in the first half of 2016 we decided to shift wedding locations and the whole experience was pretty stressful. I was scrambling trying to get back deposits, rearrange dates with all of our vendors, and re-plan a 400 person Indian wedding (which is no easy feat!) Matei remained calm (as he always does) and was able to figure out how to fit us right into his hectic schedule. Immediately I felt at ease and knew we chose the right person to photograph our wedding. He was chill and easygoing; just what I needed to keep my stress at bay.
As we approached the wedding we opted to do an engagement shoot with Matei as well and I am SO happy we did it. Matei is this rare combination of a true artist with an extensive education in photography so he not only knows all the beautiful places to go but his timing is perfect and he has a keen eye for very unique angles and lighting. I woke up the morning of our shoot to check the weather- a thick fog was rolling into our well-planned shoot location (Malibu) so, naturally, I was very concerned about how our photos would turn out. How do you capture sunset photos when there's no sunset? Yet again, Matei calmed me with his easy temperament and assured me our photos would be gorgeous, maybe even more so with the fog. And OMG was he right. We started hiking up into these random mountains in Malibu (I was like where am I going??) and 20 min later we ended up on this sandy hilltop with a breathtaking view of the ocean that I had never seen before or even knew existed. Our photos ended up having this element of mood and drama that we never would have had on a beautiful sunny day. The images were perfect. To Matei, perceived adversity is actually an opportunity to create something beautiful. He's kind of a McGyver in that respect.
Indian weddings are generally spread out over a few days and Matei and his team were right there with us, documenting the moments all along the way. They always showed up on time, smiling, ready to work, and you kind of just forget that they are even there. They blend right in. And MAJOR props to anyone who can handle a crazy Indian family the way Matei and his shooters handled us!!! They laughed with us, became part of the family within seconds, and made us all feel like we were working together. It was pretty amazing.
Naturally, our wedding photos were better than I could have imagined. At this point, I knew they would be. But something I didn't anticipate was Matei's acute ability to capture very raw and real emotion. There are a few images he shot during my wedding that I tear up thinking of to this day. There is one specific image that means everything to me: as I walk out into the crowd and approach my soon-to-be husband, Matei focused his lens on my usually very stoic, reserved father. He is choking up, struggling to hold back his tears. When I saw this image for the first time I had to catch my breath. How did Matei know to do this right at the moment he did? This is what sets him apart from the rest. Matei understands people to the core of his being. This coupled with his art form creates a very rare breed of talent you don't come by too often.
Needless to say our wedding was not the last time we used lovely Matei to capture our life moments. We did a post-wedding shoot (which I HIGHLY recommend because you get relaxed photos with your partner without the stress of the wedding) and very recently a maternity shoot as well. And I've already booked Matei for my newborn shoot. I'm never letting him go!!!!
Truly a gem. -
User2089070 Sent on 04/06/2015To capture the beauty of nature and the connection between a couple without sacrificing one or the other requires both an artistic and photographic talent. Matei exudes in this ability and made our pre-wedding and wedding memories all the more magical.
His warm demeanor made our experience extremely joyful. Both my fiance (now husband) and I had never been professionally photographed before and so, we were most excited to share yet another new experience together.
Without hesitation, we would highly recommend to have life's expected, unexpected, beautiful, and thrilling moments captured through the eyes and lenses of Matei Horvath Photography. -
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Paalika S. Sent on 02/17/2020Disappointed with the lack of direction
We loved Matei as an individual. Unfortunately, after receiving 1000 photos, we found maybe 15 that we were happy with. My bridal party, family, and friends all agreed that he did not provide any direction during our shoot. Usually brides will have tons of photos with their mom draping them, tons with their family getting the bride ready, tons with the bridal party pre-ceremony, but we did not pose for any of these. It disheartening to see other photographers clients have many more posed, clean pictures. Even for the few posed pictures we have, he gave no direction for the individuals in the picture to stand closer/further/more angled. He shot his posed pictures as is. I have several candid pictures, but as a wedding photographer, you cannot just provide candid pictures. Photography is about capturing the moment, yes, but also having the ability to sense what poses will capture those moments. In several photos, my dupatta could've been fixed as well as my husband's outfits, but none of this was addressed by him or his team. It isn't the bride's job to tell the photographer what poses she wants or to make sure their dupatta is correctly placed for photos, it is up to the photographer to make sure that they are providing direction based on the events occurring. The fact that, as an Indian bride, I have 0 pictures of my mom draping me is disheartening to say the least. Did I think about this the day of my wedding? No, because I have a million other things going on in my head - this is why we hired professional photographers to assist with posed photography. I understand that his style is more about candidness and angles but as a wedding photographer, direction to the bride and groom on this very hectic day is crucial. Our reception "action" pictures also often have either my face or my husband's face covered by a hand in the air or some variation of this. Our videographer recently provided us with our wedding videos and all throughout I couldn't help but think "where was this photo?" "where was Matei during this occurrence?" "how has the videographer captured this so beautifully but we don't have a picture?" Very disappointing to see other vendors providing their clients with a variety of beautifully posed and candid pictures while we will never get a chance to re-do these.
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