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Swoon and Swagger Reviews

Swoon and Swagger

Swoon and Swagger

Newbury Park, CA
4.9 out of 5 rating, 32 Reviews
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Reviews

4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
32 Reviews
98% recommend it
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Awards

32
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2012 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
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    Cynthia Sent on 09/16/2015
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    Joel is an amazing photographer!! A lot of fun, easy going and extremely professional. He has a great eye for capturing moments. We were so thrilled with our engagement and wedding pictures, everyone was. He did such a beautiful job. I would definitely recommend Swoon and Swagger.
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    Krystle Sent on 02/12/2015
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    Joel was one of my favorite vendors to work with. He was very professional, easy going, and listened to our needs. I appreciated the fact that he worked with our budget. He went above and beyond and was more than a photographer. I felt like he was my wedding coordinator at times because he checked in with me often to see if there was anything we needed and even helped me look for other vendors that we did not have. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team. During the wedding, Joel was very attentive and made sure he got all the shots that we requested. In all, our engagement and wedding photos were beautiful. If we had to do it all again, we would hire him in a heartbeat.
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    Jill Sent on 02/24/2015
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    Joel came recommended to us from a friend. After our first meeting, we knew Joel was the photographer for us. Photography was definitely top 3 as far as importance for us and Joel's style matched what we were looking for.

    Our wedding package included an engagement session. We loved our first session so much we scheduled a second session of engagement photos.

    Joel captured our wedding day wonderfully. The pictures are so special to us and our families.

    Joel was always available for advice, offered any assistance he could, and responds super quick to emails.
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    Elizabeth Sent on 12/10/2014
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    Joel is a very professional photographer and we couldn't have asked for a better person to have captured one of the most important days of our lives. From day one, Joel made sure we were comfortable with anything he had in mind and was very easy to work with. We had him photograph our engagement, family, and trash the dress photo shoots in addition to our wedding in Hawaii and all of the pictures turned out beautiful. While in Hawaii, he scouted (in the rain) near by places to hold the perfect trash the dress photo shoot. He did everything possible to make our wedding day go by smoothly and was very organized throughout the day making sure he stayed on schedule. He was very committed on making sure me and my husband were happy with the outcome. The first time we viewed our wedding photos they left us speechless at how perfect he was able to capture our destination wedding. The pictures came out beautiful and now we have his photos as life long memories to remember our special day.
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    Melissa Sent on 12/05/2014
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    We have beautiful memories from our wedding because we had an amazing phoographer!
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    Long Sent on 09/30/2013
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    Joel and his team are fantastic! He's not only a photographer, but a visual storyteller for that day! Very easy going team and will cater to any special requests you may have. His work is AMAZING! Thanks again Joel! Highly recommend this awesome guy!
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    Dawn Sent on 11/20/2013
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    Joel is worth every penny spent, as his creativity is unmistakable in his work. He was our favorite vendor to work with because he over-delivered and didn't waste our time nor aggravate any stress in any of his communications. Why else?
    As a rule, most if not all photographers can take the usual pictures of whatever posed groups of people you desire, the props, flowers and decor. What sets Joel apart are the colors he captures on your big day and the angles from which he shoots everything. He'll also get himself into unusual positions and maneuver his way through tight spots-all to capture great shots. I especially liked the candids, like the bridesmaids using their bouquets to shield their eyes from the sun during the ceremony or me using my veil to do the same. I still find myself unable to pry myself from the gallery of pictures he took once I start looking time and again.
    He shows up prepared and you'll feel taken care of. Joel makes sure he starts shooting with your interests in mind, and ensures this by asking questions-even those you haven't considered-well before. He knew how to direct for the posed pictures, someone to tell us which way to turn our torso, where to put our hands, etc., which was especially important to me. All of that made me and my husband feel like we're in such good hands and it was just our job to enjoy the day.
    He's easygoing and flexible with your needs and wants from the first call to long after the big day. Before booking him, he created a custom package that had parts of more expensive packages that we liked, and that sealed the deal. On the day of, he'll take whatever is before him and make something of it: he shot pictures of the rings and the gown among my mom's houseplants in ways I couldn't imagine. When consulting with him on the photo albums, he was also flexible with the changes we requested, even when they were a tad out of the box.

    Although he is pricey, you're really paying for priceless.
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    Marlene Sent on 08/30/2013
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    When we decided to hire Joel Llacar, we did not know that he would go above and beyond what our expectations were (which were very high). He is truly amazing, wonderful to work with, extremely flexible, and most importantly: PATIENT!!!!! As every couple knows, we look for someone who is responsible, on time, responsive, and professional. Joel has continued to exhibit all of these qualities and more throughout the entire wedding process (including delivery of album and pictures). Out of every vendor we worked with, Joel was the best! What set him apart from everyone else was his genuine care and desire to make his clients happy. He goes above and beyond what is asked as evidenced by the following: willing to take some last minute pictures (after his time was over) on the wedding day, willing to meet you wherever and whenever (within reason of course), sharing information about vendors and offering tips and reminders for wedding related events and appointments, and increased flexibility and accessibility to address any and all questions or concerns. For all the service he provided, any bride or any couple would be getting more than their money's worth. We would definitely recommend him and look forward to hopefully working with him in the future!!!
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    Lizzie Sent on 11/20/2012
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    Joel and his team were absolutely FANTASTIC! My fiance and I were going back and forth on our budget for the wedding, and even before we booked Joel, he worked with us to create specific packages that encompassed everything we wanted in a wedding photographer and stayed within our budget. Accessing our contract, photos, and information about the wedding is done completely online, making it very convienent for busy brides. Joel is professional and extremely passionate about his work; as a result, he will contact you to make sure the photos for your wedding are the best they can be. He is very thorough and detailed with his emails, making sure he is able to capture every detail of the wedding you would like. Additionally, Joel helped me organize parts of the timeline for wedding day and provided specific directions/checklists for certain shots so that no detail would go unnoticed.

    Our photos came out so great that the engagement images even appeared on a blog, Wedding Row California. Joel is able to create and produce images that are crisp, have great colors, and capture many of the precious moments that happen during your wedding. Many people say that one of the first things you should book for your wedding is the venue and your photographer. I would not hesitate to book Joel again in a heartbeat. I think his photos speak for themselves to show how passionate he is when it comes to photography. His work is gorgeous and you will be very happy with the finished product.
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    Joyden Sent on 10/10/2014
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    Joel and team were excellent to work with. He did our engagement and wedding photos and we loved how our pictures came out! Joel is very easy going, friendly, and makes you feel comfortable. He does anything he can to get the perfect shot and truly captures the moment in his photography. Throughout the entire process he was great to work with, quick with his responses to any questions you may have and very professional and fun. You can tell he has a great passion for photography and it shows in his work!
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    Thuy Sent on 10/19/2012
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    Joel is absolutely amazing! He is incredibly talented, professional and friendly! From the very first moment my husband and I met him, he made us feel extremely comfortable! Joel is able to capture amazing moments. When u look at his work, you can feel the love and passion convey through his photos!! I received so many complements from my friends and family!! Joel is THE best photographer!! I couldn't have been any happier with my decision! Now I am able to relive such an amazing day simply by looking at my wedding album!!
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    Aye Sent on 09/13/2012
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    Full disclosure, Joel is my cousin. But I wouldn't have hired him just because of that. I've loved his photography long before I got married. Joel was very easy to work with and got all the shots we wanted. We have amazing engagement and wedding photos to show for it! Our guests have complimented us on them as well. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.
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    Gwen Sent on 11/20/2011
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    Joel is an amazing photographer! His attention to detail and ability to capture each special moment is truly unique, Quickly responds and easily accessible. Had a sneak peak of Our wedding pictures posted on FB within hours of our wedding. He is fantastic, we would highly recommend Joel!
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    Christie Sent on 05/25/2012
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    Joel isan amazing photographer! He was very easy to work with, he provided quality service and was ALWAYS very professional! I would highly recommend him for any event.
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    Michelle Sent on 08/09/2011
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    Joel is a very talented and creative photographer. He is very friendly and we loved working with him. He was able to capture all the special little moments of our wedding and has a great vision. We trusted him completely and we are so happy with his work. I would recommend him to anyone who wants a hard-working, easy to work with, creative photographer who loves his job!
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    Anthony Sent on 11/17/2011
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    Joel Llacar is an amazing talent!! We would recommend him to anyone, for any occasion. He is great at capturing fun loving moments that will be cherished forever. He has original ideas that really create incredible images that capture everlasting scenes of love. My wife and I can not wait for our children's child-hood moments to be captured by Joel's artistic genius.
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    Sakura Sent on 06/15/2011
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    Joel was my wedding photographer and I am more than 100% satisfied with his work and service. He truly delivered a fantastic work.
    First of all, he is very responsible for what he does. Before the wedding day, he asked us what kind of pictures we wanted to be taken more, and he was very flexible and willing to accommodate our requests. Also, unlike some vendors who don't call or email you until you ask, he always kept us informed what to expect from him in advance. Prior to the wedding he emailed us a full list of things that we needed to know in detail, which made us feel very comfortable and left us no worries at all for the day.
    Second, since we had an engagement session with him, we knew he would do a great job on the wedding day as well. He captured every special moments throughout the day and I am in love with all the beautiful pictures that he and his assistant took. He knows what looks nice in picture. The photo session with our bridal party was a fun experience as well. He made us laugh and relaxed. The quality of pictures from the session were outstanding.
    Last but not least, I am so glad that we had him for our wedding because he really cares about his clients. He made us feel comfortable all the time and he is very passionate about what he does. On top of that, he is very friendly and easy to talk to.
    I highly recommend him to future brides. I believe he is the best wedding photographer out there!

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    Karisa Sent on 05/04/2011
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    Joel is my epitome of amazing wedding photos. It's like he picked a piece of my brain and brilliantly captured what I had in mind. He will get to know you and somehow just know what you want. Friendly, easy to work with, gets along with everyone (family, vendors, etc.), very professional. From day one of our engagement photos I just knew we chose the best.

    Quoting our coordinator "I’m completely impressed with your photography skills! Not only are you phenomenal at time management, but the quality of your work is priceless!"

    As we've told him, we are very lucky to have a piece of his art through our wedding photos in our home!
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    Christine Sent on 01/09/2011
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    Joel took some amazing photos from our wedding and I must say that the pictures does say A THOUSAND WORDS!!! I love the way he uses the background to bring your vision in print!!
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    Cecilia Sent on 10/17/2010
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    Joel is an amazing photographer. We met with several photographers before meeting up with him, and we're very happy that we chose him to shoot our wedding.

    Joel is very professional. He was always quick to respond whenever we had questions. He is also very easy to get along with. His wonderful personality helped us feel comfortable in front of the camera. Best of all, Joel is a very talented photographer. He always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. His shots are unique and beautiful. We highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a great photographer.
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    Rachelle Sent on 08/20/2010
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    Joel was awesome to work with. He was able to capture the moments i needed him to take without making it too cheesy nor commercialize. The pictures he took were breath taking and if you look through it all, its as if you never missed a moment at our wedding-even the ones where my veil got stuck on one of the bushes or me being shock when i was surprised by my husband's vows.

    Joel, thank you seems not enough! However, please know that RJ and I cannot be any happier with the moments you captured through your camera!

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    Edelysse Sent on 09/27/2009
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    I rate this photographer EXCEPTIONAL. He was on time to every meeting we had, kept in consistent contact from the day we booked him, and went above and beyond his duties as a photographer. When I needed a projector and screen, he emailed me a list of 10+ vendors aroudnd my area. Joel was very professional at all times. On my wedding day, I never ever ever felt like he was in my face or in the way. He remained very discreet but took the most amazaing pictures!!! Joel also dealt with the stress of a HUGE wedding very well. We loved this photogrpher.
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    May Sent on 05/28/2009
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    Joel is an awesome photographer! He is very approachable and very receptive to the bride's and groom's ideas. Very flexible with any changes that occur in the itinerary. He really upheld to his mission of treating the brides as rockstars. He captures moments that no one else sees it. He responds to inquiries promptly and willing to meet with you anytime. I totally recommend him to future brides.
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    Jamie Sent on 10/06/2008
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    Finding an awesome wedding photographer was one of the most important things when I was planning our wedding. The wedding only lasts for one day, where i knew the photos would last a lifetime for me and my husband. I cannot stop raving about how happy I was with everything. All my guests commented that my photos were the best wedding photos they had ever seen. I would highly recommend Joel to future brides.
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    Ivee Sent on 10/07/2008
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    He was the best photographer. Very understanding, very professional, very flexible, and was very affordable. I highly recommend Mr. Joel Llacar photography!
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