Ari Simphoukham Photography

portfolio. Ari was a fantastic, professional presence. He was easy to work with and accommodating. He reached out well in advance to ask us about wedding details and what kinds of shots we wanted. My wishes were to make sure we had candids of people having fun and Ari got that covered. I wasn't very prescriptive, but Ari made sure we had amazing shots with plenty of coverage of the whole party. Ari also did a good job of grabbing us for short bursts of portraits during the reception, rather than needing us to sit through a single block of posing and smiles. One concern I had was that with a single photographer, we'd miss out on shots relative to having a photographer team, but we had plenty of coverage, with additional fun surprises, so I'm glad I stuck with Ari.

ptured on film. You could feel the love, joy, and happiness in the photos. We chose to hire him for our wedding and we are so happy we did. Ari blended well with our friends and family. He was able to capture all the moments throughout our day all on his own. If you are looking for someone who you can trust to capture all the beautiful moments in order to enjoy your big day, Ari is your guy!

w his online portfolio and knew we needed to have Ari capture our love. Before officially hiring Ari for the photos, we met with him over Zoom. He was professional, and personable, and explained his philosophy for taking photos. He immediately put us at ease. For the engagement photo shoot, we went to the California coast on the Superbowl! Ari was flexible adjusting to our schedule, and he drove to multiple sites during the two hours. He found creative angles and unconventional shots and adjusted to the impromptu fog, fading sunlight, and people in the background. Ari was even able to incorporate our dog into the photos. He was prompt regarding the return time for the online portfolio. The photos honestly blew us away. We fell in love with the photos and Ari’s ability to see the small moments and understand the nuances of lighting. My husband and I were married in Boulder Creek, CA at my family’s property. This was Ari’s first time at the location, and he was able to capture the event and find attractive photo backgrounds. He and his secondary shooter promptly arrived at the locations and began taking photos of us getting ready with our wedding parties and families. Ari perfectly coordinated with the videographers and was the lead regarding the timing for the photos and shot locations. Ari and his secondary shooter were personable and great at making everyone feel involved. When it was the perfect time of day for the couple’s portraits, Ari rearranged the schedule to take advantage of the fading light. He knew the best angles and poses to highlight us as a couple and the redwood forest. Ari sent us the finished online photos in about two weeks. This turnaround time greatly surpassed our expectations! In addition to the online portfolio, Ari created a photo slide show perfectly set to music that matched the mood of the wedding. My husband and I watched the photo slide show about three times in the first hour of receiving it, and it brought tears to my eyes every time. I feel blessed to have had Ari’s artful eye compose our photos and document our wedding. It truly was a pleasure to have Ari involved. We would and have already, recommend him to anyone who values high-quality photos and having a good time while doing it.

Ari. Through his photography, Ari tells a beautiful story. He really makes your special day even more special. We got married at the Citizen Hotel on October 1, 2022. Ari was there on-time, had a game plan, and executed it perfectly. He started with capturing our preparations with family and friends for the day. Then he planned out a beautiful first look between me and my husband. After that, we took the standard family portraits. Thereafter, Ari was a fly on the wall, documenting our day, getting every angle imaginable. We barely noticed him! He was just there to tell the tale of our day with his camera. The photos were spectacular and far exceeded our expectations. From the soft tender moments to the wild dancing later in the evening, each picture was taken with care, a sharp eye, and artistry. Even when we and our guests were drunkenly dancing at the end of the night, the photos capture the joy of the celebration above all else. Ari was the perfect photographer for our wedding and our engagement photo shoot. We would hire him again in a heartbeat! The wedding was amazing on its own, but the way Ari captured the moments, the love, the energy...these photos let us cherish and relive all the joy and love we felt that day. He is a must have for your wedding.

vie. Fast forward 12 years and Ari was the first vendor my wife and I booked. Ari shot both our engagement and wedding. Throughout the entire process he was very thoughtful and professional. He had a consultation with us to take us through his artistic process as well as get an understanding of our expectations. He worked with us on finding the right locations for our shoots and made us feel super comfortable in front of the camera. We've now received our full gallery of wedding photos and we couldn't be happier. Each moment was captured in such a beautifully unique way, and everyone we've shown has loved them as well. Ari is the best.

al and so special - there is nothing cookie-cutter or template about his work. He takes the time to work with the couple and make sure they are comfortable.

ns for photo opportunities. The day of the wedding, Ari was the first one to the venue, preparing and making sure everything was ready to go for our arrival. He made sure we took all of the important family photos, and was very patient with all of our guests. We were a little untraditional and actually did a post-wedding photoshoot the day after in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (as opposed to an engagement shoot because we don't live in the area). It was honestly a super fun experience, he was so willing to walk around the woods with us and take some great unique pictures. Ari got our photos back to us shortly after we returned from our honeymoon and they were beautiful. Exceeded my expectations and then some! Thank you, Ari!!

I could give you a star ⭐️ I would give you thousands of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Because you are a artist!!! 💕 thank you for for everything.. Lily & Daniel 💕

r wedding and reception at Casa Bella (Sunol, CA).

and when it came down for my husband and I to look for photographers, I knew I had to have him. Ari was quick to respond to my email and we quickly jumped on a zoom call. Once we decided it was a fit, we booked immediately for our date and for photo booth rental. As the date approached, he sent out a detailed questionnaire about everything he needed to know for the day of (e.g. locations, names, contacts, etc.). The day of our wedding couldn't have gone any smoother. He made us all feel super comfortable and not awkward at all as we got ready and he was sneaking around getting the shots he needed. I never once felt rushed or "posed". He did so great at helping everything flow naturally. I didn't even notice where he was during the actual ceremony/reception (he was that stealthy haha) but there would be big moments and I would see him in the corner of my eye, always ready for it. We just a slideshow sneak peak of our day and I swear I cannot stop crying. When I think back on the day, I think of all of these fun, big moments and Ari captured and illustrated those moments in his work SO BEAUTIFULLY. As a bride, the day truly does go so fast and you are so busy. It was so nice to see all of these other moments happening in our wedding that I don't think any other photographer would have been able to get. If you are looking for a storyline of your wedding day and for beautiful, raw, candid moments - I don't know who else you would hire except Ari. <3

ng all the beautiful moments without invading the flow of the day. Our wedding guest all raved about the "cool photographer."

nd unobtrusive in their approach with our guests, and we ended up with beautiful results. Ari was communicative and helpful throughout the process, including a year-long delay to the event due to COVID. He has a really unique artistic lens through which he shot our big day; there were so many unexpected shots that we are incredibly happy to have. We chose him because of his "photojournalistic" style which we felt really complemented the aesthetic we were going for. We really wanted someone to take the reins, someone we could trust to give us direction and capture the moment in ways that we could not have thought of. We couldn't be happier with our choice! Our officiant/groom's sister had this to say when she saw our wedding photos: "I'm ugly crying at my desk right now - your photographer is AMAZING!"

erfectly, and we never noticed him. Ari absolutely nailed it. Slightly longer: I've never thought much about wedding photos -- sure it's good to have a few shots of yourselves and the family, but I always kind of viewed it as a checkbox kind of thing, and not something that was particularly important. BUT, then we went to one of our friends wedding a few years ago and when they shared their photos, I was so impressed with the photos. It was like reliving the night. None of the photos were posed, and I wasn't aware that they were being taken, but the photographer seemed to somehow always capture just the right moment. I knew immediately that if we ever got married, I had to have the same photographer, and so that's what I did! We actually contacted Ari really early on in the process to make sure he was available for our date, and we planned around that. After a year of Covid delay, we finally tied the knot at Granlibakken in Tahoe City, CA. Working with Ari, both in planning, and on the day of the wedding was really fun. Ari is a caring and genuine person, laid back to work with, but also really dependable and professional. We spent some time getting to know Ari throughout the planning process, and he took care to really get a sense for what we wanted on our day, and how to best capture that. We knew what to expect schedule wise going into the big day, which made it easy to enjoy and relax and not have to stress about anything. Other than the few obligatory planned family photos (that we wanted), Ari pretty much seemed to disappear, but after receiving our photos it was clear he was hard at work in the background. Also, we received our photos *really* quickly compared to some of our friends. Ari's special talent seems to be anticipating when a special moment is going to happen, and being in the right place at the right time to silently capture it, and the photos that result from that are truly special and mean the world to us. We'll cherish them forever and are so thankful that Ari was there on our big day to do what he does so well for us.

that may have gotten lost in the blur by everyone else. He was respectful and professional all day and did a fantastic job. His style of photography was exactly what we were looking for our wedding day. We were so happy with the finished product and highly recommend Ari for any special occasion. The quality of his work speaks for itself and he is really the best in the business.

n good hands. But we were absolutely blown away by the both Ari's on the ground professionalism & the quality of the photos. He was a great, understated presence on the big day -- meaning we have photos of EVERY moment, while sometimes not even noticing he was there (though we did all have a lot of fun on a wild 4 wheeler ride to our sunset photos). He captured the intimate moments, the emotions, and the fun of the party all equally well -- we can't stop looking at them to relive our wedding. Can't recommend Ari enough!

o locations (church & country club). In less than 24hrs we had a slideshow & over 600 images in our gallery! This is the second wedding that Ari has shot for our family. We will absolutely use him again.

go ahead and give him the glowing praise he deserves :D). In addition to his exceptional talent, he is extremely communicative, professional, and punctual. He captured every important moment -- and then some we didn't even know happened! Ari's got a great eye and made our day look absolutely magical. He by far exceeded our expectations, and was an absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you, Ari!!

the day of our wedding, he made us feel very comfortable. Ari's photos turned out very beautiful and fun. Colorful and sharp photos that captured all the special moments and expressions of me and my wife's special day. His team gives that extra special touch. We highly recommend Ari Simphoukham Photography for your most special events.

pture and edit photos is next level. Ari was taking pictures from so many different angles, even my parents and grandparents noticed he was working overtime. We are blown away as the pictures turned out better than we could have ever imagined. If you are thinking about booking Ari, don't think twice about it - it will be the best decision you make for your event!

thing. He was great at capturing "moments", if that makes any sense? Most of the photos aren't staged, but they evoke emotions that literally take you back to the second they happened which is why we chose Ari in the first place. His go-with-the-flow attitude might have you chasing the sunset, but it's totally worth all the genuine smiles and laughs caught on film! Don't get me wrong, the portrait photos he took were amazing, but, if you're looking for someone to bring you back every time you look at a picture, then Ari is your guy 100%!

dozen photographer portfolios before making our decision, which ultimately was really easy. We could tell right away that Ari had a unique style. The photos from every other photographer consistently felt stiff and posed. On the other hand, Ari’s wedding portfolios had candid pictures and conveyed so much emotion. Ari did not disappoint. From the moment we got our engagement photos, we were blown away. And we knew we had made a great choice for our wedding. The photos were so authentic and emotional, while also being artistic and creative. The engagement photo shoot was our first time doing something like that. Thankfully, Ari made it really easy to get us to feel comfortable and relax, and ultimately be ourselves so the photos felt authentic. He went above and beyond to get the shots and use some of the scenery we requested! The day of the wedding, Ari and his backup photographer showed up right on time and were there to capture all of the moments from start to finish. He used a super quite camera and really made us forget that he was there. After seeing the final photos, Ari perfectly captured the essence of each moment. The nerves, the tears, the joy, the people shouting the lyrics on the dance floor, and the quite moments we had. He far exceed our expectations and is worth ever dollar we spent! We can’t recommend Ari enough.

ll surely show their age in a few years. We reached out to over ten different photographers but did not feel that any of them were the right fit. We then saw Ari's portfolio and were immediately captivated by the timeless quality of his work and knew we had to book him before someone else did. We ended up booking him almost a year in advance and it was the one of the best decision we made for the wedding. Ari was a true pleasure to work with. He is very easy going and made taking photos on the wedding day playful and fun. We honestly did not have any expectations other than getting great photos so we trusted Ari to do what he does best. We received our photos today and are completely blown away by how they turned out. He was able to capture the emotions within each moment so well. We are extremely happy with his photography service and will be recommending him to anyone and everyone. If you are reading this review, book him now before someone else surely does!

care of all day-of photography related activities so it was one less thing for us to worry about. He worked great with our videographer and the integration was exceptional.

thing that my husband and I were looking for as we've heard many horror stories) and affable. As most wedding days are, mine was extremely hectic with strict timelines. However, Ari was able to seamlessly maneuver around the chaos and brought a very calming presence. Going into the wedding, I didn't know what to expect out of a photographer. I simply thought this person would take the mandatory portraits and cliched wedding pictures - but our experience with Ari was so much more than that. We had the mandatory portraits, but Ari was able to capture the joy of the event. He was able to capture the little moments that my husband and I missed in the whirlwind of the day. And now that we have the photos, it's like experiencing our wedding day all over again, from a different perspective. Overall, I would hands down refer anyone to Ari. He made the wedding day experience an awesome one!

st thing. He was very professional and extremely stealth. He had capture moments we did not realized. The photos came out BEAUTIFUL. I am completely impressed. I love the way he is always willing to try new things. The combination of his vision and skills can equal perfection. Ari work defiantly shows the excitement and joy we had that day. We can re-live our wedding day through his photos all over. We will defiantly be considering Ari as our future photographer for other events.

ing and selecting our photographer for our Sacramento, CA wedding. We were immediately drawn to Ari's stunning work and unique style--his photo-journalist style is just what we were looking for and he has such a good eye for creating those "moments". We also felt so comfortable with Ari. We initially spoke on Skype and even then, he felt like a friend--warm, helpful, and enthusiastic. As we approached the Big Day, Ari was helpful in answering questions about the timeline and what we should do to prepare. On our wedding day, Ari showed up on time at the hotel and was ready to go. In fact, we hardly noticed he was there, and he captured some amazing shots of us getting ready! The pictures of the ceremony and reception were nothing less than spectacular too. He captured every emotion, and looking back at the pictures brings us right back to our special day. In fact, I tear up every time I see the slideshow he created for us! Everyone who has seen our pictures comments on how stunning they are and what a great eye our photographer has--we couldn't agree more! And as a bonus, the turn around time is great too! We highly recommend Ari--he is a blast to work with and is so talented. You'll just adore your pictures and him!

after our initial Skype consultation with Ari, we knew we could trust him as our photographer. He was patient, listened to our needs, and made us feel comfortable in his vision and confident in his abilities. On the day of the wedding, Ari arrived at our house early to setup and immediately visualize what he wanted to capture. He blended in with the background so our pictures came out very naturally which was what we wanted. We wanted to capture candid moments so when we look back at the photos, it'll jive up a memory. Looking back at the photos, we wondered to ourselves how we didn't notice him. We also purchased the photo booth package that Ari offered. We appreciated the customization for the photo strips and the hard work of his team. They printed fast and the pictures were clear. We can't say enough positive things about the photo booth. But more importantly, we can't say enough positive things about Ari. He worked incredibly hard in capturing our wedding. If he was wearing a Fitbit, I'd bet he ran at least 5 miles that day to make sure he was at the right place at the right time. 5 miles is no easy feat in itself, but doing it in 90+ degree weather is pure dedication to his craft and commitment to his high level of service. Ari is a true professional and stayed beyond our contract time to help us capture the moments that he knew were important to us. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a wedding slideshow a week after our wedding. We watched it in bed and just grinned from ear to ear. We shared it with our family and friends and they all complimented on how beautiful the photos were. We couldn't agree more. We highly recommend Ari. Ari, thank you so much!

nd a photographer just like him. Now that I was getting married, I circled back to those same pictures & contacted him. He was very quick & responsive. Since we lived far from him, I wasn’t able to go to his office so he initiated a face time so we can get to know him a little bit & vise versa. It was a plus because it felt as if he was serious about his work & what we were looking for. We obviously knew his work was great but we were looking for a humble & super friendly photographer. & soon as you know, it didn’t take us long to make a decision. We knew he was the “one”. On the day of our wedding, our hotel & reception was in Sam Ramon & the ceremony was in Hayward. There was a lot of back & fourth but he was always on time & totally prepared! Through the day I felt his presence was very passionate about capturing great moments at its organic moment. Which is everything we wanted! I couldn’t even tell he was snapping pictures which made it very convenient cause we were able to live in the moment. & we all know that living in the moment during your special day is hard but he made it easy to do so!! When we received our photos. We were stunned. It was everything & more than I expected. Every picture felt like I was there in that moment. & as a newly post bride, I wish I could relive my wedding day. & these pictures helped me relive it. There’s something truly special about a photographer who can capture the heart and soul of a couple on their special day. Weddings are full with sooooo many emotional and hectic moments that fly by way too fast. But he focused on all those special moments and his photographs are absolutely filled with such emotion(myfavorite), joy, and happiness. It gives us a pause no matter how many times we look at them. Thank you Ari for capturing our special day! I would highly recommend him to anyone that is looking for a dedicated, professional photographer who knows what he’s doing! Cheers to Ari and his great work!

he was perfect for us and didn’t need to look any further. After looking through our photos we were completely right. All of them are gorgeous and he captured every moment we wanted and more. Ari was super easy to work with and listened to exactly what we wanted. We put our full trust in him and wanted him to work his magic which he totally did. He is the best! If you are looking for that special artist that shows beauty and captures moments you are unaware of then Ari is the photographer for you. You will not be disppointed!!

sunset photos (which Ari suggested), I don't remember actually seeing them. We've since gotten our pictures back and, in artistic and technically beautiful ways, they captured the day like a flip book - the emotions and conversations unfold throughout the pictures.