We were specifically looking for photographers that were not only creative and dynamic, but whose photographs would truly tell the story of the event.
We first met Joyce and Randy at a cafe in Palo Alto and our personalities instantly clicked. We told them what we were looking and they told us about their philosophy on wedding photography, the type of equipment they used, how they secured and backed up their work, and how they make their picture available afterwards. Aside from their obvious professionalism, from our discussion and the pictures they showed us (of weddings and non weddings), we were impressed to discover that for Joyce and Randy, photography is not as much of a profession as it is a passion – they truly enjoy capturing special and beautiful moments. In our opinion, this aspect sets them apart from all the other photographers we met with and was ultimately the critical factor in our decision to hire them.
After deciding on Joyce and Randy, the first step was to meet for the complimentary ‘engagement photo shoot’ they offered. We met them at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco on a beautiful sunny day with a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. The shoot went very well and most importantly, helped us to get used to being photographed together and develop the chemistry between all of us. As expected, Joyce and Randy proved to be very sensitive to the types of qualities we wanted expressed in the photographs and were very understanding and willing to listen. When they sent us the shots a few weeks later, we were floored. The pictures came out so beautifully that we doubted that the wedding pictures could be any better! Some of our favorite pictures are from that day.
Come wedding day, we felt more like we were being photographed by our friends rather than a vendor. As if getting 20 family members together for a few pictures isn’t enough of a mess, our situation was a bit more complex because we had many of our family shots before the wedding, and all the shots with the two of us (and the family), after the ceremony. Joyce and Randy were completely understanding of our family craziness, moved everything along in a thorough yet timely manner, and worked well with our scheduling. During the ceremony, and especially during the dancing, we hardly noticed that they were even there as they moved through the crowds to capture the most important moments from the best angles. Instead of dominating the event, they worked around it and were still able to do their job very well.
After the wedding, we decided to unwind from the wedding with a ‘mini-moon’ to Mendocino. Coincidentally, this is where Joyce and Randy live, and when they found out that we were coming, had us over for a fun wine and cheese night at their beautiful house. We had a great time talking about the wedding and what they thought and they even sent us home with some local dried porcini mushrooms that they had picked!
Several weeks later, we finally received the pictures from the wedding and were ecstatic with what we saw – the pictures were exactly what we had wanted, every picture told its own story. It was clear that they had gone through each picture and selected out the true gems from the bunch to touch up and perfect.
At the wedding, there were so many special moments going by and as the couple getting married, it is hard to really appreciate each one fully as they are happening. We feel so lucky that Joyce and Randy were there to make sure that we would be left with something to keep those memories alive forever.
—Mary and Omer Friedman, Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, Palo Alto
