Olivia Smartt Photography

ous rabbit named “Bun”, we were so happy to have Olivia locked in as our photographer for our big day. We booked about a year in advance, anytime we had questions she was extremely responsive. Its very clear to us Olivia is not only an excellent photographer, but all around a great communicator and human being. She helped make our day run as smoothly as possible and pictures didn’t take too much time thanks to the trusty homework she had us do before the big day. During the ”getting ready” portion of photos she did a phenomenal job creating an environment that made genuine intimate moments. Moments that I’m so happy to have captured. We really could not be happier with our decision to go with Olivia. She is worth everything you pay for and more. If we have any other major monumental days that need to be documented, we’ll definifely be reaching out to Olivia.

many searches and talking to photographers, Olivia’s work stood out the most and we thought that she would be the best fit. Olivia knows how to capture the bride and the groom, and families and friends in a still shot. She captures the best moments, and you can clearly see the people’s expressions and the background are not compromised. She is truly awesome at seizing the best moments, coupled with her style of producing vivid images along with standout natural colors (especially white and green). We love her passion, respect her professionalism, and laud her organization skills. Before we started working with her, we had a meeting going over our plans and went over how the wedding days would look like. She really understands and listens on what we want and need, and incorporates her style with our vision. We wanted to stand out but also capturing our friends and family was important aspect of wedding photography as well. So we hired her assistant, which worked out great because Olivia was able to focus on us at all times. Overall, the results exceeded our expectations and we are highly satisfied and grateful of her work.

rm candids) and second for a personality fit. You’ll end up spending almost all of your wedding day with your photographer, so it’s important that you like and feel comfortable with them. When we saw Olivia’s work and spoke with her on Skype, we immediately knew it was right. Olivia was a great fit for us because she is professional and reliable, her work is absolutely beautiful, and she is just a joy to be around. She is cool, calm, fun, trustworthy, kind, and she put us at ease every step of the way. Olivia was also the keystone of our wedding--she recommended lots of other vendors, including our superstar planner. We did an engagement shoot with her, which was a great primer on how to interact with each other in front of a camera. We then spoke with Olivia many times leading up to the wedding--she really got to know us, and I think that resulted in photos that feel personal and very “us.” She scoped out great locations to take photos on the day-of (including charming our hotel into letting us do our first look photos in a special, closed off part of the hotel), worked on a detailed timeline and portrait list with us, and was very thoughtful about asking about family dynamics and priorities. She also offered to come shoot our welcome party, and we decided to go for it at the last minute. We are so glad we did! That night people were reuniting for the first time that weekend, and she caught some really beautiful moments. She also got to meet our families, who all loved her! My mom has always had trouble smiling for pictures--she can be really happy and in a great mood, but when you get the camera out, her face sort of freezes up. I don’t know exactly how this happened, but my mom came up to me midway through the party and said “Olivia taught me how to smile!” Olivia had shown her a trick to relax her face and smile naturally, which has literally changed our family photo experience for life. We still tell people that Olivia fixed Mom. At the end of the day, Olivia delivered our photos before we expected them, and we were absolutely blown away. They were better than we could have imagined. Olivia has a knack for commanding attention during chaotic family portraits, while also managing to be completely unobtrusive. I still don’t know how she got some of these photos that I don’t remember her being there for, but she did, and I’m so glad! Thank you, thank you Olivia. Your photos are a huge part of the way we will think about, remember, and share our wedding with the people we love. It’s hard to overstate how happy and grateful we are.

e was also amazing! She spent a full hour getting to know us and our vision even before we hired her, and we got more compliments on her supportive, relaxed guidance during the wedding than anything else. The photos are gorgeous, and we couldn't recommend Olivia Smartt Photography more!

eautiful! Highly recommended!

n in-front-of-the-camera person, but she made capturing these moments oh so fun!! Even our wedding guests noticed and mentioned how much they enjoyed her company. It shows in our photos, too! Olivia certainly knows what she is doing in guiding and directing us to the best lighting, most romantic spots in our venue, and gathering the families together for joint photos. When we got our photos back we were stunned at how masterfully she captured our special day!! <3 She is very well organized and will take all the stress and worries out of at least this factor of your wedding event for you. We love you Olivia, Ashley , Tyler, and The Emmons Family ;D

as very clear that she was a great fit for what we were looking for. Her passion for capturing special moments and working to ensure the process was as smooth as possible shined through in our conversation. I could see from her previous work that Olivia is an incredibly talented photographer, and on top of that, Olivia is incredibly organized. These qualities along with her easy going personality, plus her ability to be firm + direct when needed (our families are somewhat disorganized, so I was looking for a photographer who was able to take charge when needed), made her beyond perfect to help us have the most wonderful experience on our wedding day. Throughout the entire process, Olivia was extremely responsive and helpful in recommending other vendors as well. The images she captured and moments she helped us create on our wedding day were amazing - we were beyond thrilled with how the photographs turned out. Needless to say, I would highly recommend Olivia to anyone, and I would hire her again in a heartbeat. She is exactly the partner you want on your team for you wedding.

ng the best shots. They were very thorough meeting with us, great attention to detail, and were very organized. The pictures turned out amazing and we couldn't have asked for anything more.

to finish. Olivia is incredibly well organized, professional, an amazing photographer and now, a new friend. When we first decided to use Olivia, she had us over to her studio for a client interview in which she laid out the whole process thoroughly, set all our expectations appropriately, and let us know what she would need from us and what to expect during our special day. As I said before, Olivia is VERY professional, and super well organized. On our special day, Olivia was the consummate professional. She directed the whole photoshoot with a soft spoken, yet firm air of confidence and authority. She was very specific on the direction that she gave us, as well as with friends and family as to where we / they needed to be and gave great suggestions on how we should pose. Once we finally got our pictures back, the results were FANTASTIC. Her selection of photos from our shoot and her color correction was spot on. I am SO glad that we spent the money to have a professional photographer capture this most special day in our lives, and I am even happier that we chose Olivia. Olivia is more than a photographer to us, she is now a dear friend. If you are considering hiring Olivia, all I can say is DO IT, and have confidence that you will not have to worry about that particular aspect of your special day.

to be a part of the moments I had missed once I got to through our photos. She also helped us with our day-of schedule, something I hadn't spent a lot of time on since we decided not to use a wedding planner. That was an extra bonus that certainly helped our day run more smoothly.

resence throughout the planning process and on the wedding day itself. We had seen her work prior to our engagement and love her style—elegant and polished but also totally real and candid. So, when we found out that she was available for our wedding day, we booked her immediately! Well, we technically had a consultation with her first, which only made us more certain that we had made the right decision. Not only are her photos fantastic, she is also super organized, pro-active, and professional—exactly what a newly engaged couple who has no idea what they’re doing needs to get things off on the right track. We signed up for the engagement shoot + wedding photos. For the engagement shoot, she helped us pick a spot that had the right rustic + urban feel that we were looking for, and when the weather threw a bit of a curveball, she was—as always—cool as a cucumber helping us figure out a plan B and making sure we got the experience we wanted. Neither of us are particularly comfortable in front of a camera, but Olivia made us feel great and gave us the tips we needed to figure out what poses work best for us. It was a super fun day and we felt like we really got comfortable being ourselves, which led to great photos. On the wedding day itself, Olivia was the perfect balance of helping us stick to our timeline without being obtrusive or getting in the way. We loved laughing with her during the “getting ready” photos in our hotel suites, she made us feel totally comfortable during the magic “first look” moments, and she was a champ at managing the families for family photos. When it came to the actual ceremony and reception, we barely noticed that she was there—meant in the best way possible. And the photos just go to show how good she is at picking her angles and finding a way to be there without taking away any attention. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better photographer!

n of the event AND all the little details, with impressive technical finesse in a way that really wowed us. She was great at coaching us into fantastic photos, without becoming overbearing. She was a calming force on the day of the wedding, and was utterly reliable. She’s extremely organized (almost like a wedding planner herself), and we felt so comfortable with her every step of the way. She got the required posed photos quickly and efficiently, letting us get to the party with haste. On the day of the wedding, she was perfect photographer. She seamlessly glided through the event, capturing everything. And, in the end, the proof was in the photos. We got about a thousand photos, and they were perfect. I think dozens are going to make it onto people's Christmas cards, and we're going to treasure them for decades to come. Couldn't have asked for more.

She nailed it! She captured beautiful outdoor family portraits, infinity poolside dancing, vineyard ceremony closeups and vistas, and guest couples shots. We will recommend her over and over!

re our wedding, when we saw the result of our engagement photoshoot. The day of the big event Olivia and her assistant Jamie captured every moment beautifully, from the "getting ready" photos through to our grand exit. She effortlessly coordinated a lot of moving parts (especially with our families involved) and kept everything fun and lively, and always put our wishes first. Her eye and skill are evident in the results - our wedding photos are AMAZING and do a wonderful job taking us back to the moment. We especially appreciate that she captured so many little details (like pictures of all the appetizers) so that we can relive what otherwise might have passed by in a blur. We're sad that we could only have the one wedding - we'd love to work with Olivia again!

d not in any way being pushy or detracting from our ability to just be in the moment. We strongly recommend her to all our friends!

professional. I highly recommend her to anyone.

redibly professional, sweet, and detail oriented. Katie's pictures perfectly captured our wedding day. She seamlessly blended into the background, while simultaneously capturing our most precious moments. It felt like a friend was taking our pictures the whole day. She kept such a positive and calm attitude throughout the evening - and was truly pleasant to work with. I have nothing but great things to say about working with both Katie and Olivia. I give them my highest recommendation.

d I are incredibly shy and get nervous in front of the camera. She has techniques to draw you out of your shell and get beautiful candid photos. She produced incredible images that we will cherish for a lifetime. 10/10 will hire again.

comfortable so that our photos came out relaxed and happy. We were so happy we had done the engagement shoot, because by our wedding day we had already established a rapport with Katie. She was super friendly and excited but also kept us calm and reassured. She rallied our large families for group shots, and managed to get some great couples shots without keeping us away from our reception. Most importantly, our photos are absolutely gorgeous! We had such a blast at our wedding and Katie captured that beautifully. We corresponded frequently with both Katie and Olivia, and they were very responsive and helpful and calmed some of our anxiety leading up to the big day. They gladly worked with our wedding coordinator to keep us all on the same page. I would recommend Olivia Smartt Photography to anyone looking for a someone trustworthy and reliable to capture their special day!

y and make their presence felt loudly and rudely, but Katie got the shots she needed without making herself the center of attention and we got beautiful photos to last a lifetime.

ro call she had a whole list of topics to go over that made me a lot more informed about choosing a photographer and comfortable choosing a package. She even emailed me a customized timeline based on info we discussed that was super helpful before we booked (e.g. how long will family portraits take? I had no idea!). Olivia has a calm presence and warm personality - I'm not someone who likes having my photo taken and I usually freeze up in front of a camera, but her demeanor really put me at ease. We barely noticed her at the wedding she was very unobtrusive, but it made for amazing photos! The photos look really beautiful and natural. tbh i don't know much about photography so I had a hard time choosing a photographer, I mainly wanted to get a few nice portraits and capture the feeling of the day so I could relive it, and I feel like I got just that. Olivia captured so many lovely moments and emotions, I really can feel those moments again when i look at them. No cheesy poses or any other weirdness - she let us know if anything didn't feel natural there was no pressure. She also allows a variety of privacy settings at no extra charge (even though I'm sure using her work as advertising is valuable to her business), which I thought was very considerate. Overall she really went above and beyond to make our day amazing! She met with us leading up to the wedding to calm our nerves (we didn't choose to do an engagement shoot), she helped me curl my hair when I was having a styling fiasco, she even stayed a few minutes overtime when a great song came on and the dance floor blew up. Highly recommend!

rs and compared notes. It was obvious that Olivia Smartt's photographer Katie Johnson would be able to meet my needs. My husband and I had no experience in front of the camera and opted not to do an engagement shoot. This put a lot of pressure on The Big Day and Katie did not disappoint! Through the chaos and brideszilla moments, she framed up beautiful shots and captured special moments. The final package of photos was excellent and captured the whole event very nicely.

od photographs, as I really don't like having my picture taken, but Olivia really made me feel comfortable and that it was going to be worthwhile. Katie, the photographer who shot our wedding was really just the best so fun and easy to be around. She got so many beautiful shots and when she wanted a particular angle or backdrop, the way she suggested we move really made me feel chill and not like I was some kook flouncing about. In doctor terms, her bedside manner was amazing. I'm so glad that she was the won to immortalize the most special day of our lives!

oing exactly what they are meant to do? That's what watching Olivia photograph our wedding felt like. Olivia is incredibly professional, developed positive and calm rapport with all family members and friends (of all ages), and produced amazing photos at a reasonable price. She was a great positive presence at our wedding, and we could not recommend Olivia more highly. Now we just have to figure out what future life events we can hire Olivia for.

or us because it encompasses a lot of trust. What drew us to her work was how she is able to capture the essence of every moment. When we look back at our pictures we are able to re-live our wedding. Olivia has the utmost respect for her clients. We live on the east coast so we did not meet Olivia in person until the wedding. We had two Facetime meetings with Olivia to meet and get to know each other and about our wedding. Olivia made herself available 24/7 for us and responded quickly to emails. She is very organized, prepared, and professional. We had a timeline for the order of pictures, who and what we wanted her to photograph, and still left room for spur of the moment ideas. We we able to relax and enjoy our wedding and not worry about whether she was capturing our day how we thought she would. Even after the wedding when we were waiting on the pictures we had no doubt that they would come back exactly how we thought they would. She simply loves what she does and that improves the quality of her work and sets her apart from other photographers. Olivia did not tell us what she envisioned for our wedding, instead she took the time to get to know us so she can best capture our vision and our personalities. She was extremely respectful to our families and friends too. Olivia feels like family now and our guests loved her and they are still raving to us about how wonderful she was. You will not regret hiring Olivia for your special day!

big day finally arrived, I knew Olivia had everything under control. She made me feel so relaxed while taking the "first look" photos of me and my husband--it was just like an old friend was nearby, quietly sharing the moment with us. Later, she was so professional and friendly while corralling my crazy relatives for family photos and dealing with family drama--everyone loved her! And the photographs: unbelievable!!! In addition to the beautifully posed photos, Olivia captured some wonderful candid moments. I am so happy with her work--she truly is an amazing photographer!

professional photographer on the business end. Not to mention the pictures we have of our special day are stunning and I get soooo so many compliements on them!

important moment of the evening. We felt comfortable, were able to enjoy the evening and weren't rushed at any point. I would highly recommend Olivia Smartt Photography and specifically Katie for wedding photography.

a great source of advice as the day proceeds. From the first consult, to the engagement photos, to the day of Olivia was like a guardian angel taking the two of us through the process step by step, with warmth, professionalism, expertise, and humor. We were very glad we did the engagement photo shoot with her, they turned out fantastic, but more so it was a fun time to get to know her and get relaxed about taking photos. She was very helpful with getting the photo plans created, with a strong eye for detail, and making sure everything was planned for. When the day came she was the person calming a groom who was getting anxious about the day going right. She was always kind and helpful around little things like teaching us how to attach our boutonnieres. Always with kindness and restra When the photos arrived they were spectacular! Everything had been caught and was documented and we were blown away by how beautiful everything was. We will treasure these photos for the rest of our lives, and our only major issue is we don't have some with Olivia in it since she was such an important part of our big day!

me feel comfortable and natural during our photo shoots. She’s amazing and I’d highly recommend her for documenting anyone’s special day.

l! Third, wow her photo tool belt is the coolest thing I've seen. At our initial meeting with Olivia, her informative, thoughtful and organized approach actually helped us plan our entire wedding day. Payments, logistics were a breeze. She was so fun and sweet to work with, even had water for us after our wedding ceremony and photo session. Wrangling family, getting our desired friend shots, and working with both our outdoor settings didn't throw her a single curveball. As the bride, I was in the center of a vortex and didn't really get a birds-eye view of the entire day. I didn't stress at all because I knew that Olivia was capturing all the photos I needed. Her presence, and professionalism allowed me (the bride) and my guests to really be in the moment and enjoy the day. Definitely hire Olivia Smartt! :)

ul with us! The entire process was easy and she was extremely helpful. I highly highly recommend using Olivia - she is fantastic and will provide you with last memories through her photography. Thank you so much again, Olivia!

ine would be one where the person sees the photo like he is experiencing the scene himself. That’s what Olivia brings to the table. Her photography stood out from the rest because of the way she captures the reality that the subject in her photo perceives. She worked on both our engagement and wedding photos and she was just incredible. From her professionalism to her talent, no one comes at par. A five-star rating won’t do justice to her art. Experience it for yourself.

fficient and made everyone feel comfortable while photographing (as not everyone is use to being in front of a camera!) I also recently had Katie take engagement photos of my fiancé and I. Katie was so friendly and down to earth - she really made the whole session fun and the results were AMAZING! We love our photos and I'm excited to work with Katie and Olivia again in the near future :) -Maryssa Stovall Wedding Planner Hannah Smith Events

, but for our entire wedding! To say that Olivia was just our photographer would be a lie--she truly went above and beyond her role. For our wedding day, she was punctual, and stuck her to agenda, but also allowed for flexibility when needed. Though we did have a wedding planner/coordinator, we look back and really feel that Olivia was the one who kept the wedding going smoothly. And of course, in terms of photography, she is top-notch. She shoots high quality and vivid images that truly capture the beauty and reality of what happened that one amazing day. We love looking back at our photos and re-living the joy and beauty of that day, that was so wonderfully contributed by Olivia and her hard work!

lutely fantastic. Katie and I brainstormed the surprise over the phone many times (she is very patient!), and Katie was always responsive when I sent her ideas over e-mail. Best of all, Katie actually participated in the surprise itself by "acting" like a student photographer and luring my fiancé to the place where I would eventually propose. Suffice it to say, the actual proposal would not have gone down without Katie! Now for the actual photography. Annie and I absolutely LOVED the photos Katie took. We took her to the places at UC Berkeley (where we met) that meant the most to us and she captured all the moments perfectly. She told us how to pose, where to look, and found places where the lighting was just right. She basically held our hands through the entire process, and we couldn't be more thankful. If you're looking for a photographer, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Olivia Smartt and Katie. We loved working with them and know you will too!

time, and stealthily working in the background to capture candid moments. The fact that, two years later, we continue to receive compliments on our engagement and wedding photos is remarkable. When the memories of songs and cake begin to fade, these ones will not. Thank you, Olivia, for capturing that day so well.

outing out back up locations in the event the first location didn’t work out. The final photos turned out better then I imagined. Olivia captured moments that my wife and I had completely missed or forgoten about, It was nice seeing those moments after the rush of the wedding. Overall, we couldn’t image having another photographer capture our wedding. Thanks Olivia! -Pete

rganization skills (not to mention her breathtaking photography). I opted not to have a wedding planner and with Olivia as my photographer I really didn't need one. She has an amazing time line that she gently keeps everything and everyone on schedule. I wasn't at all nervous to get married, but having Olivia there was just a warm reminder that everything was going to go well. I love her "unplugged ceremony" concept and even when one guest ignored that completely, Olivia gently stepped in and had him put his camera away. When we cut the cake she let everyone know that as the photographer she wanted the shot, so that all you see are your family and friends in the moment, not watching the moment through their cell phone camera. I can not say enough good things about Olivia, everyone mentioned her, from my parents, my in-laws, and even my guests - everyone had lots of praise for her. She really made our wedding that much more special, I can't wait to see my pictures!