Ryan Chard Smith Photography Reviews
Reviews
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![Makena]()
Makena Sent on 11/22/2024Ryan is the BEST!!
If you are looking for an all star photographer, look no further!! I have had the pleasure of working with Ryan professionally over the last few years, and when it came to my wedding, I knew that I wanted to work with Ryan. Not only is his work insanely beautiful, but he is the most kind and calming person to be around. He has such an amazing presence, and he totally made me and my husband feel comfortable, even though we aren't photo people! Ryan made my entire wedding day feel so seamless and fun! I never felt photo-ed out because there was no pressure to be portrait heavy, and I felt like I could just enjoy my day because Ryan was just capturing the day authentically! I cannot even express the amount of gratitude I have for Ryan. He is the absolute best person to have with you on your day for so many reasons!! THANK YOU SO MUCH RYAN!! #teamvansforever -
![Hayley]()
Hayley Sent on 10/30/2024Captured the big and small moments
No words can truly express how grateful we are for Ryan’s ability to capture our multi-day wedding weekend with such care and craft. Our situation was unique since we had a very early 9am City Hall small family ceremony and a bigger party at our favorite restaurant the next day, yet Ryan was very flexible and created a package that worked for our two-day celebration. Not only were the final pictures visually stunning and unique, impressing all of our family and friends, but Ryan was truly able to capture both the big and small moments in a way we will cherish forever. We had never been photographed before as a couple and Ryan had two prep calls with us before the wedding weekend to get to know us and put us at ease, and was super clear at communicating throughout the whole process. Would highly recommend and can’t wait for a future opportunity to use Ryan again! -
![Christianna]()
Christianna Sent on 08/02/2024Amazing Wedding Photos
We can not recommend this photographer enough! Ryan was so professional, made us feel comfortable in front to of the camera, and captured some of the most stunning photos we will cherish forever! So happy he was with us on our special day! If your'e looking for someone to capture beautiful candid moments who has an incredible artistic eye, Ryan is the photographer for you! -
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![Elana]()
Elana Sent on 08/01/2023Creating Magic!
I truly could not recommend Ryan more, and will be working with him for any future photography needs! I found Ryan before I even booked a wedding venue, I could tell our visions were aligned and that he would capture the energy. That is an understatement -- Ryan created pure magic with soft and lovely colors and lighting, and made everyone feel so comfortable and easeful. It felt like instant friendship, and the whole process was a joy. Not only did he capture our wedding and family in such a loving and beautiful way, but also our friends! Many of them have changed their social media profiles to portraits he took, and I'm just so grateful for the care, skill, and kindness that went into it all. Can't wait to work together again! -
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![Annie]()
Annie Sent on 11/28/2022Talented & kind photographer
We so enjoyed working with Ryan over the past few years to capture an elopement session on our favorite beach and our (postponed) wedding this past July. He's incredibly kind, thoughtful, and easy to work with and has a calming effect that we appreciated while feeling jittery pre-wedding. His photos are simply stunning and have a dramatic yet timeless aesthetic. We've loved pouring over our wedding gallery and passing photos along to friends and family that he captured so beautifully. His photos speak for themselves and we hope you have the chance to work with him! -
![Jannette]()
Jannette Sent on 11/14/2022Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
There are many things to say about Ryan but I will keep it somewhat short and sweet. Although I haven’t previously worked with a wedding photographer before, I can say that Ryan is top of the line and the best of the best. Ryan not only has a gift in capturing the perfect, beautiful and grand moments but he has an eye for capturing the little details that are easily overlooked but are very meaningful. Not only are the photos impeccable, Ryan as a human is brilliant. He made us feel so comfortable throughout the day. He didn’t feel like an addition to the wedding day but like being around an old friend. He is professional, responsive any time we had questions, thorough, creative, handles time management well, and just all around a super person. There are not enough kind words to describe Ryan and his amazing talent. You will not be disappointed in hiring him. He is very thorough and took into account all our wants and visions we had in capturing our big day and exceeded them times a million. We don’t even have all of our photos yes but the ones he has sent us are going to be treasured through many lifetimes. -
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![Aleah]()
Aleah Sent on 11/10/2022Excellent wedding photographer!
From first contact with Ryan, he was an absolute dream to work with. Responsive, thoughtful, considerate - and very talented! He was such an easy vendor to coordinate with. Our wedding day had a lot of twists and turns and Ryan was so patient and kind and rolled with it - in the end, everything worked out wonderfully and we got beautiful photos, and I was so thankful to have hired a photographer who was not only talented, but compassionate as well. -
![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 06/11/2022Loved working with Ryan
We totally love our photos - they capture our day and the people and the vibes so beautifully, and it's a joy to look at them and relive how happy we felt! We also just loved working with Ryan and our conversations leading up to our wedding, and the day of - he is not just a photographer but a wedding adviser in many ways, and so pro-love, and his presence and enthusiasm was so deeply appreciated. We just loved spending time with him and having him as part of our wedding. -
![Liliana]()
Liliana Sent on 03/21/2022Majestic Wedding Photos 4/24/2021
Some of the best wedding planning advice I got was, "a good photographer can make a simple wedding look amazing and a bad photgrapher can make an expensive wedding look cheap." Let's just say that Ryan made our wedding look majestic.
Ryan exudes, talent, professionalism and just fun to work with. Every image he makes is a work of art. He delivered our photos on time. And had us laughing throughout our wedding day.
He even offered to step-in when my sister (aka Day of Coordinator) couldn't fly in for the wedding because she had emergency ankle surgery. That really meant ALOT to me. Especially because we got married in April 2021 and only had 16 guests due to the pandemic. Honestly, this barely scratches the surface of how much we loved working with Ryan. I really can't recommend him enough. Hire Ryan. you won't regret it. -
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![Cassandra]()
Cassandra Sent on 12/30/2021Unique and Creative
If you are looking for a unique approach to your wedding Ryan is your photographer. Calling him just a wedding photographer is an understatement to the level of creativity he brings from behind the camera. He got to know my husband and I on a personal level which translated into photos that were distinctly us. He took the time to listen to what we wanted and exceeded our expectations. If you are looking for a visionary photographer Ryan is your person. -
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![Laura]()
Laura Sent on 09/02/2021Amazing photos!
My wife and I cannot say enough positive things about our experience working with Ryan during our wedding weekend. Ryan is a spectacular photographer, which is evident to anyone who takes a look at his work on instagram or his website. He is creative and has a special eye for beauty, composition, and light. What you don’t appreciate from his portfolio is the amazing human Ryan is. Ryan is professional, kind, down to earth, funny, and an incredible energy to be around. This is surely one of the many reasons he is able to take the amazing photographs he does! The moments we briefly escaped our wedding to take photos with Ryan were some of the most memorable of our wedding weekend, moments when we were able to slow down, focus on the moment and each other without distraction. My wife and I are not natural models and we had never had anyone photograph us, but Ryan made us feel sexy and comfortable in our own skin, he made us laugh when we felt awkward, and went along with a few out of the box ideas we had and totally rocked them! Our photos are spectacular. Anyone would be lucky to work with Ryan.
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![Cayley]()
Cayley Sent on 03/31/2021In love with our engagement photos.
Ryan drove all the way to Sebastopol to do our engagement photos at our home and it was the best decision we could have made. Not only did Ryan manage to make sure the couples shoot thing was not awkward but it was incredibly comfortable and so much fun! We couldn’t be happier with our photos and our only concern now is trying to choose favorites among the literal hundred that we’re in love with!! We just keep remarking on how many of them really “feels like us!” We would choose Ryan a hundred times over! -
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![Vera]()
Vera Sent on 02/26/2021Brilliant and personable artist
Ryan was a complete joy to work with, he made our day extremely special. He is reliable and personable, before making any arrangements Ryan took the time to get to know us, our story, and our expectations. His communication was stellar, and his personality lovable. We couldn't have hired a better photographer, and his work speaks for itself. Absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much Ryan!
-Vera & Corbin -
![Elizabeth]()
Elizabeth Sent on 01/04/2021The best of the best!
We cannot recommend Ryan enough!! First of all, he has an incredible talent. His creative eye and unique aesthetic, deliver stunning photos that are true works of art.
Equally, if not more, important - he has a way of making you feel so at ease and natural in front of the camera. As a result, the photos feel so authentic to us, and captured the pure bliss that we felt on our big day.
On top of all of that - he was wonderful to work with leading up to the day. We had ever-changing plans due to Covid & wildfires, but he handled every twist and turn with such grace. His go-with-the-flow nature was so appreciated throughout the planning process.
Don't think twice, hire Ryan! -
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 05/05/2020Amazing photographer and a joy to have around on your wedding day
Ryan is an amazing photographer and truly a joy to have around on your wedding day.
My husband and I planned a small wedding in Big Sur and I found Ryan via Google search for photographers in the area. Every bit of communication with him was flawless from the beginning. He was extremely professional and also personable.
About 6 months before the wedding our plans changed and we decided to get married at San Francisco City Hall instead with only our immediate families. Ryan was so understanding and even encouraged us to do exactly what we wanted and not stress. It was clear he wanted us to do the wedding that was right for us and he was there to support us.
Ryan met me and my sisters at my apartment in San Francisco and then rode with us to City Hall for the ceremony. After, we then hopped on a bus and stopped around our favorite places in and outside of the city. It was a rather mobile wedding and Ryan totally embraced that it was non traditional :)
There were 16 people in attendance including us. When you have such a small wedding, it’s important that any additional person gets along with the whole group. Ryan was so nice to everyone and had such a good attitude that he wasn’t just an additional person, he was really a welcomed part of the group. We were honestly so excited to have him there.
Not to mention our photos are AMAZING! They are so artistic and honest and personal. They don’t just feel like wedding photos, they feel like the perfect summary of our unique day. -
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![Tori]()
Tori Sent on 01/21/2020Our Favorite Vendor!
Look no further - Ryan is your person..I can guarantee it.
He came highly recommend by a friend..Ryan and I hit it off on our first call but I wanted to do an engagement session just to be super certain. We tours around Oakland having our photos taken and what was once daunting for us towards the end it was like we were all long lost buds. Once we received the photos from the session I absolutely knew he was our wedding photographer! Ryan took the time to learn what was important to us, listen and support, and most of all make it fun & RAW! I love the fact that Ryan brought along a second shooter that was just as amazingly talented as he was. If you have the chance to book Ryan, I promise you he will go beyond expectation! -
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![Maggie]()
Maggie Sent on 12/21/2019Great Eye for Composition
Ryan is the perfect photographer, if he's available book him! We hired him for our wedding and I am so glad we did! I normally get very nervous in front of the lens... I get stiff and awkward most of the time so I was really nervous I'd end up ruining all our photos... But Ryan put me and my husband at ease, not really making us hold a pose while he shot us, he'd just give us suggestions and told us to talk and hug and touch each other. He has an amazing eye for composition and I love his aesthetic. Plus he got a TON of photos (over 900!) and it's the perfect mix of portraits and candids. I look through the album and I feel like he really captured the day, in total. -
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![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 11/17/2019The best way to capture your day!
From the start, Ryan was very personable and easy to talk to. He was supportive and flexible in the process of planning and prepping AND his photos are phenomenal! Ryan is an artist and will capture your most special day in a distinctively unique way. So happy with his work and thoughtfulness. -
![Julia]()
Julia Sent on 11/04/2019Best wedding photographer ever!
Choosing to work with Ryan was one of the best decisions of our whole wedding, hands down. From the very beginning Ryan was a true professional and we knew we were in good hands right away. Ryan is very communicative and responsive, and gave clear explanations of his process and answers to any questions we had. Ryan is also highly intuitive and thoughtful -- he showed genuine interest in who we are as people, and his emotional sensitivity really came through in the images he captured of our wedding day. At our wedding, he instantly made us feel at ease, and we had a ton of fun doing our shoots with him. He also expertly navigated the various personalities of our wedding party, family etc and made everyone feel comfortable (no easy feat!). Which brings me to the images -- they are GORGEOUS. Ryan is a rare talent and has a magical ability to capture the emotion of the moment with the most stunning images I've ever seen. He has an incredible eye, and is an amazing storyteller. We are so beyond happy that we got to work with Ryan on our wedding, and can't recommend him enough!! -
![Caitlin]()
Caitlin Sent on 06/11/2019Best. Wedding. Photographer. Ever.
I cannot say enough about how incredible Ryan is and how happy we are to have had him as our wedding photographer! Not only did our pictures turn out amazing, but he was the kindest person and made the entire experience comfortable and fun— especially for someone who doesn’t always love getting their picture taken. My husband and I didn’t realize that you end up spending a lot of time with your photographer on the day of the wedding and we were so happy it was Ryan! I’ve been recommending Ryan to all my recently engaged friends because I think his work far surpasses any other photographer I’ve seen. We’ll cherish the memories we have from our pictures forever. -
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![Ryan]()
Ryan Sent on 11/03/2018Amazing photographer!
Ryan was a gift from heaven! He captured our amazing day, and made us feel so special and so relaxed. He has a true passion for photography and capturing each couples' unique story and style. We am so happy with all the beautiful photos we ended up with, and we cannot stop looking at them. We are so happy we got to work with Ryan, and we feel lucky that he was able to capture our wedding day. -
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![Melissa]()
Melissa Sent on 10/26/2016We reached out to Ryan while we were in California wanting to have photos done to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and we were hands down blown away by his style, his professionalism and his personality from the very start. We told him what vision we had in mind and he brought it to life! He found a secluded area on Carmel Beach that was beyond perfect for what we had in mind and he made us feel so comfortable during our session. We are so glad we worked with Ryan and highly recommend him to any and everyone looking for one-of-a-kind photography!
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