Testimonials from Bay Area Families and Couples

What people are saying…

“We've always been the type of people who never take professional photos. Too many stories of the awkward photographer, whose expensive pictures turn out lame from all the stale poses, kept us far away. But as our family has grown, taking pictures with our phones didn't work out either. So we asked around and Alyse came highly recommended. Her "Day in the Life" concept was especially appealing to us.

The idea of capturing professional candid moments was so different and refreshing. Being able to deliver amazing photos while dealing with a camera shy 4 year old, a crying and pooping 6 week-old, 70lb yellow lab, and 2 restless socially deprived parents is beyond incredible. All with a beaming smile and uncanny ability to charm snakes(our children + dog).

Alyse's work speaks for itself. Just visit her website and you'll see. She provides more than amazing photos of our life.  She gave us experiences we will never forget. We had 2 sessions with Alyse and won't go anywhere else.”

-Naomi O.

“After 10 years of growing our family and being consumed with raising our young kids, it was important for us to pause, document this milestone and celebrate!!

We invited those near and dear to us for a dinner party and ended up with beautiful photos that captured so many wonderful moments that we will treasure always.

Alyse is professional and a great listener, she will do her best to understand your vision and make sure you're on the same page.  She will think through many details so that during the event, you don't have to!

She is so kind and warm and dependable.  Even the toddlers at our party all fell in love with her and followed her around like she was Snow White (and you can't get anything past toddlers).  

The photos came out better than we hoped. We had just what we wanted but there were also creative and very thoughtful shots that really captured the evening.  We can't wait to do a day in the life session and various mini sessions for many many years to come. We want to capture all those little moments that mean everything to us.  

Alyse is unofficially our go to photographer and we feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her. I have no reservations recommending her.”

Lynn J.

Alyse is an absolute dream to work with. She has a way of making you feel comfortable that really translates into the final product. She is professional, accommodating, and her taste is impeccable. I completely trust that my photos will become keepsakes to be cherished forever because of Alyse's eye for capturing a moment. I can't recommend her highly enough, she's amazing!

-Kristen M.

My wife and I hired Alyse to document our COVID wedding last August. She was wonderful! Very gentle, and comforting while still giving solid direction (which we needed). Plus she has a great eye. She made our apartment look like a dozen different locations, and took stunning shots. 11/10, would definitely hire again.

- Duncan W.

I cannot say enough positive things about our experience with Alyse. She oozes love and was such a pleasure to be around. My girls warmed up to her immediately and she instantly made us all feel at ease. Alyse did a documentary shoot with us... her pictures brought tears to my eyes. She was able to capture so much joy and beauty in her pictures- things that we become immune to or accustomed to seeing and no longer strike us as the beautiful moments they are. Alyse captures these! She was made for this work and we’re so grateful to have found her. I’ve worked with many photographers over the years but none come close to Alyse’s talent!

-Meghan M.

When my husband and I got married in 2019, we were lucky enough to have Alyse as our photographer! She had done many weddings there before, and knew all the best places for private moments as well as beautiful architectural shots, and of course all the classic shots of us and wedding party. She directed us on where to go, what moments would be great to capture (who would have thought photos of signing papers with a judge would become frame worthy), and how the whole process worked entrance to exit. She also captured beautiful individual and couple photos of our family members that are precious on their own. Her presence was warm and calming which was VERY needed, and afterwards our photos were available in multiple resolutions, black and white, and easily downloadable from her website. I even ordered our photo album though the vendor her site is associated with. I wish we still lived in the area so she could do our family shoot with the new baby! Thank you so much Alyse <3

-Hannah S.

“I cannot sing Alyse's praises enough: our day-in-the-life photos are absolutely stunning.  Alyse perfectly captured this phase of our lives, from the big things (such as our favorite weekend activities) to the more subtle things (such as the particular step our children like to sit on when they are putting on their shoes).  The resulting photo book is something we will treasure forever.  

Furthermore, the experience was really enjoyable - and I wasn't sure it would be!  Before the day I had concerns that it would be awkward and somewhat disconcerting to have someone "follow us around taking photos".  But instead it felt very relaxed and it is a huge testament to Alyse - both as a talented photographer and as a lovely person - that she made it so fun.  

Highly, highly recommended!”

-N.V.

“We've gotten family pictures taken before, but the photos that Alyse made of us are incredibly special. Alyse does more than just take a great Christmas card photo (though she can do that, too).

She followed us on a typical Sunday morning - breakfast, our favorite walk, the inevitable tantrum - and documented that for us in a way we would have never captured otherwise. Alyse is amazing with kids (and so many people aren't), and she has the rare ability to capture moments and details that you don't realize are special until you them as stills. It sounds overly sentimental, but it's absolutely true.

Also important as a busy mom - she designed the photo book so that I didn't have to. And our kids will often bring it to me to 'read' to them at bedtime. It's filled with wonderful memories for them, too.”

-Leah G.

I am blown away (again) by the amazing pictures you took!!!  I wish you could have seen my smile when I first opened the gallery.  I can’t believe these our *our* family pictures.  I look at them thinking “what beautiful pictures of a beautiful family” and then going, “OMG, this is *my* family and our *our* pictures!!!” 

The pictures are a testament to your talent, your craft, and your creativeness…also, not to mention your abundance of patience, kindness, and your will to produce these images despite the environment you’re dealt with.

Thank you again for the family session and preserving these moments of our family.  I can’t wait to share with friends and relatives. 

-Diana C.

I've hired Alyse a few times to capture the most important moments in our parenting journey (pregnancy, first family photos, and baby's 1st birthday) and the photos were always fantastic! What drew me to Alyse is her documentary style and how she's able to highlight everyday beauty. After each shoot, I was always eager to see what moments she captured between the posed/planned shots, as those were the true gems in my book. We will continue to use her as long as we live in the bay area!

-N.N.