Expertise.com
2024

Last updated:

Best Family Photographers in San Jose

Our Recommended Top 16

We did the research for you!

  • Licensing
  • User Reviews
  • Mystery Shopping Calls

Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored San Jose Family Photographers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

246

Reviewed

154

Curated

16

Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

Website
San Jose, CA 95108

Why choose this provider?

Captured By Olga is a newborn baby photographer located in San Jose and serving customers in the Bay Area. Founder Olga was born in Russia and has been in the U.S. for most of her life. She started her photography business nearly a decade ago and specializes in natural and soft newborn baby photography. Olga can travel to any local destination and has served hundreds of families. She also attends classes and workshops to learn new photography techniques to keep her work fresh and advanced.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (75)
Google
5.0 / 5 (15)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
7729 Creekside Dr Apt 103, Pleasanton, CA 94588

Why choose this provider?

Yanamy Photography by Yana Mostitsky works with residents and businesses in and around San Jose. It offers a selection of family photography packages, including standard, premium, lifestyle, and lifestyle premium services. The studio takes pictures of families inside their homes or outdoors. It conducts consultations to discuss the client's choice of themes, wardrobes, and ad props, as well as produces 15 to 30 edited digital images. Personal and business branding, which covers corporate headshots and model and actor portfolios, are also available. Owner Yana has been in the photography industry for more than 10 years.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (4)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
San Jose, CA 95120

Why choose this provider?

Cyntia Apps Photography is an on-location, natural light lifestyle and portrait photographer based out of Almaden Valley in San Jose and serving the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Founder Cyntia Apps primarily focuses on family photography but she also provides services for creative portraiture, romantic engagements, intimate maternity, boudoir sessions, weddings, and special events. Cyntia Apps is also a member of the Professional Photographers Association.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.5
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (7)
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (2)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
Saratoga, CA 95070

Why choose this provider?

Kristina Rust Photography is located in Saratoga and offers affordable and professional photography services to the South Bay area, including San Jose and Palo Alto. Kristina is a lifestyle photographer who specializes in kids, families and senior portraits and is also available for headshots, events, commercial work and product photography. The business was started in 2008 and has since garnered rave reviews from past customers for Kristina’s friendliness, efficiency, and professionalism.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Google
5.0 / 5 (17)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
San Jose, CA 95123

Why choose this provider?

Tina Maciej Photography is a photography service located in San Jose and offers professional and high-quality portraits for families, kids, couples, and seniors in the Bay Area. Owner Tina Maciej offers a variety of photo session packages and specializes in natural light photography that captures authentic and special moments between loved ones. Past customers rave about Tina’s detailed work, affordable packages, and hospitality.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (103)
Google
5.0 / 5 (15)
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (1)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
Saratoga, CA 95070

Why choose this provider?

Tina Case Photography provides clients with exceptional quality, natural, candid, and classic portraits. Based out of Saratoga, Tina has been capturing portraits of magical moments for clients for more than a decade. The creatively gifted photographer has a passion for making memories that clients will cherish as family heirlooms for generations to come. Tina makes client service and satisfaction top priorities by utilizing state-of-the-art equipment that yields first-class images. She maintains a warm and inviting atmosphere throughout every custom session to ensure clients are relaxed and lets the camera capture emotions with the highest level of authenticity. Clients can expect an easygoing, natural style that makes the experience enjoyable. Tina exhibits exceptional creativity and possesses a keen eye for the details that make each image a unique work of art.

Website
Gilroy, CA 95020

Why choose this provider?

Patricia Rossi Photography is a company offering family photography for clients in the San Jose area. The company takes family portraits in a variety of settings and locations, based on the clients' preferences and desires for their shoot. Photographer Patricia Rossi provides guidance to families during the sessions and seeks to capture natural and playful interactions. Family sessions typically last for one hour and clients are provided with a gallery link two weeks after their session.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (32)
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (18)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Why choose this provider?

Annie K. Rowland Photography is a boutique photography studio centrally located in Santa Cruz and serves the San Jose and Bay Areas. The team offers in-studio and on-location portraits and specializes in family portraits, newborns, babies, children, unique high school senior portraits, headshots, pet, commercial photography, and artful weddings. Founder Annie has a Master Photography Degree from the Professional Photographers of America and other professional certifications, including membership in the Professional Photographers of Santa Clara Valley.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.3
Yelp
3.5 / 5 (26)
Google
5.0 / 5 (18)
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (16)

Website
Woodside, CA 94062

Why choose this provider?

JetKat Photo is located in Woodside and offers a range of photography services for birthday parties, graduations, newborn babies, launch parties, live music, headshots, events, weddings, design and architecture, and products. Founder Kate Zimmerman Skogen has been a professional photographer for over two decades and has been photographing weddings for 14 years. Her work has been featured in a number of media publications including NPR, Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and a number of blogs.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (5)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
San Jose, CA 95128

Why choose this provider?

Capture the Look Photo and Cinema is based in San Jose and provides photography services to the metro region. Founder Michael Soo is an internationally recognized photographer and guru of digital imaging. His collection of fine art and commercial photography includes fashion, beauty and lifestyle imagery and has been featured in numerous international magazine covers and newspapers as well as exhibits. Capture the Look offers a range of videography, corporate, architecture, headshot, product, food, and wedding photography services.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (218)

Website
San Jose, CA 95123

Why choose this provider?

Jim Nelson Photography has been operating since 1980 and is based in San Jose. Owner Jim Nelson specializes in photographing children, families, weddings, businesses, sports leagues, and schools. Having been in business in the region for over 40 years, Jim understands the importance of capturing high-quality photography and offers a full-service studio to local customers. He also emphasizes corporate and business shoots, passport photographs, image restorations, pets, graduations, parties, and more.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.8
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (33)
Yelp
4.5 / 5 (23)
Google
5.0 / 5 (5)

Website
49 Showers Drive, Mountain View, CA 94040

Why choose this provider?

IOPhotoStudio is a family photography studio that serves clients in San Jose and the surrounding areas. Owners Igor and Olga specialize in different types of photography services, such as family, newborn, maternity, and birthday sessions. They also offer their services in special events, including weddings, baby showers, sports events, and performances. IOPhotoStudio records birth stories and captures moments through portrait photography or lifestyle-type photography. The couple aims to tell their clients' stories through creative images.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (19)
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (17)
Google
5.0 / 5 (7)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Website
Los Gatos, CA 95030

Why choose this provider?

Hellybee Photography is owned by photographer Helene Button and has been documenting families and children in the Bay Area for nearly a decade. She is based in Los Gatos and specializes in capturing connections and creating unique experiences for each family. She is driven to tell an authentic story for every client and strives to uncover special moments in each project. Hellybee’s team of assistant photographers is also experienced and provides ongoing support in photography sessions to ensure that customers have a seamless experience.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
4.8
Facebook
5.0 / 5 (15)
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (9)

Website
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Why choose this provider?

Bre Thurston Photography is a wedding and family photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and serving customers in the region, including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Bre specializes in joyful storytelling and finds the most creativity in photographing weddings, couples, engagements, proposals, maternity, and family sessions. The company was established in 2010 and has since photographed hundreds of clients all over the country and around the world.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (8)
Google
5.0 / 5 (2)

Website
San Jose, CA 95124

Why choose this provider?

John DeFiora Photography is a photography service working with customers in the San Francisco Bay and New Jersey areas. Founder John DeFiora is a professional photographer who offers custom photography packages with specialties in engagements, weddings, and family sessions. He also offers photo retouching services to enhance and correct images. Previous customers praise John for his expertise and attention to detail in all of his work.

Website
San Jose, CA 95123

Why choose this provider?

Mishmish Photography is the service of small business owner and photographer Joy S., who offers in-home studio photoshoots for family portraits and maternity photos. Joy uses soft neutral colors in her studio props, which include hats, blankets, furs, and headbands that are all washed with organic detergent before each session. She specializes in post-processing, using Photoshop and Lightroom to create edited images for her clients. Hand-made accessories are available upon request.

Reputation:

We scour the internet for reviews from well-known resources. Each provider is evaluated based on the quality and quantity of their reviews, their presence on multiple review sites, and their average minimum rating.
5.0
Google
5.0 / 5 (19)
Yelp
5.0 / 5 (10)

Professionalism:

We hire mystery shoppers to call our providers anonymously and evaluate them. Providers who respond quickly, answer questions thoroughly, and communicate politely score higher.
5.0
Responsiveness
Friendliness
Helpfulness
Detail

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Introduction

    A family photographer is a skilled professional who uses artistic ability and a camera to take pictures of families. These professionals use photography equipment and photo editing software to create visually pleasing images of small and large family groups.

    You can have this type of photo taken when welcoming a new family member, such as when a baby is born or a child is adopted. You can have family photos taken annually to show how fast your children are growing or to commemorate an annual event or favorite holiday.

    Additionally, you can choose the type of setting and fashions that best fit your lifestyle for these photos. You can be as formal or casual as you like and have the pictures taken indoors or outside to suit your family’s preferences.
  • What is family photography?

    Family photography is taking pictures of groups of family members. These can be small groups of immediate family members or large groups that include members of your extended family. Settings can involve casual or formal events that are held indoors or outdoors.

  • Why do you need family photos?

    Family photos create a visual record of your family. These photos can create memories for you to cherish for a lifetime. Family photos also make way for future generations of your family to feel connected to you and your family.

  • What do family photographers do?

    Family photographers help you choose a visually interesting setting. They also typically manage lighting to help your photos come out looking bright and easy to see. These photographers may work in a studio that you visit, or they can also sometimes come to a location you choose.

  • Why do people get family portraits?

    People get family portraits to display at home and to share with loved ones. The photos can be used to commemorate the birth of a new family member and also be used to show how much family members change over the years.

  • How long should a family photo shoot last?

    A family photo shoot can be as short as half an hour or take as long as a couple of hours. Things that affect the amount of time it takes to complete a family photo shoot include the number of outfit changes and background settings you want.

  • How many pictures are in a session?

    The number of proofs you get from a family photo session varies based on the package you choose to buy. However, it’s common for a family photographer to provide a client with 35 to 60 images per session.