Joseph Esser Photography

Joseph is awesome. Very great to work with! Our underwater photos came out great!
If the water conditions aren’t great, he will work with you to the best he can.
I would definitely work with Joseph again for any photo op we need!
Thanks again Joseph for all your hard work!
Most definitely a pleasure working with you!

Joseph Esser is PHENOMENAL!!! He even did an extraordinary job all day at our wedding on the morning after his first child’s birth. We can’t say enough about how thankful we are to have worked with Joseph and his team — including the Image Creations video team. THANK YOU!

Joseph Esser is absolutely, undeniably wonderful in every aspect of the word.
Our wedding was this past July at Turtle Bay and Joseph did a phenomenal job! My husband and I are huge dorks who are not at all comfortable in front of the camera, but from the moment I met Joseph, I felt at ease. He has such a warm and genuinely friendly personality that makes it easy to smile for the camera.
We first found Joseph from his blog (
) and really enjoyed the creativity and dedication that is apparent in every one of his photos. From the moment we saw just one of his weddings, we knew he was the guy for us. My husband contacted Joseph regarding availability as well as cost and he responded in such a timely manner with extreme professionalism. He was always happy to answer any questions and even worked with image creations to create a package that worked for our budget. Having him was so important to us that we actually ended up booking Joseph before any other vendor, even before I found a wedding dress!
Fast forward to our wedding day. He arrived early with his second shooter Ryan and they were both so enthusiastic that you’d swear they were watching a friend get married. It’s clear that Joseph is a seasoned photographer in how efficiently and fluently he can set up shots and transition between them, but at the same time he had the giddiness of someone shooting their very first gig. It’s obvious that every job is special and unique to him. The entire day him and Ryan were everywhere, but nowhere all at once; we could always find them if we looked, but they were so unobtrusive. We thoroughly enjoyed having them at our wedding and were even able to convince Ryan to play some Jumbo Jenga with our groomsman (Ryan won!)! Eight short weeks later we received our pictures! All 1500+ of them :)
Now the pictures: They are absolutely stunning! We can’t stop looking at them! Joseph and Ryan were somehow able to capture everything that we could have ever possibly wanted without us even asking! Joseph combines both traditional portrait shots with documentary/​candid photos resulting in images that are just so unique and artistic! It’s crazy how well the photos make me, my husband, and our guests look, and trust me, I am in no way a photogenic person. I usually hate the way I look in pictures, but Joseph made me and my husband look so good! I don’t think I’ve ever looked as good in my life as I do in my wedding pictures! They are just absolutely mind blowing! Joseph you are incredible!
So, in short, the message that I’m trying to convey is that Joseph and his team are ridiculously amazing at what they do. Joseph has such an obvious passion and dedication for photography that it becomes more then just pictures. He has a way of capturing memories and raw emotions, so that every time you look at the photos he takes, you can’t help but relive that special day and smile a little. I know, from personal experience, that if you choose him to be your photographer, he will surpass your unbelievably high expectations in every single way and you will be overjoyed and dumbfounded at the moments he was able to capture! In 50 years from now when I can no longer remember my wedding day, I will have these beautiful, artistic photos to look back on. Words cannot express how thrilled and appreciative I am that we were able to have Joseph and Ryan shoot our wedding!

My family hired Joseph to do a location shoot with my wife and I along with our toddler, as well as my parents visiting from the mainland. We were extremely happy with all aspects of the shoot and can enthusiastically recommend Joseph to anyone looking for a great photographer.
Things that were great:
–Very responsive in email communication, when I was trying to decide between some different photographers I was considering, Joseph was very patient answering my long list of questions I had.
–Well done website with lots of example photos allowed me to get a sense of his work and have confidence in his artistic ability
–Knows the island and good spots to do a location shoot. He selected a beautiful beach at paradise cove that we would not have known about, also gave us advice on best types of clothing to wear, etc.
–Extremely warm and nice person, very easy to get along with, and with an enthusiasm that brought out the best in all of us during the shoot. He was able to get a bunch of shots with our toddler by himself which is not easy, and was not afraid to dive down on his belly in the damp sand and crawl around to get the best shots he could of him. He also tried a very wide variety of combinations of people, poses, with and without lighting, etc.
–I also liked how he charges what he needs for the shoot itself and editing of the photos, and then delivers the edited photo files to us, so we can make prints when and as needed in the future, and does so at a fair price.
Even in 2015 there are still photographers who try to base their business model on selling prints and albums only, which has never appealed to me. There’s no way I will know at the time of the session what prints I will want later on and how many/​what sizes, and in this day and age you want to also be able to enjoy the photos on your screen as well.
Hire Joseph and you will not regret it!

Photographers of this caliber don’t happen often. Joseph is a true professional! I’ve never seen anyone work so hard and be so compassionate in such a demanding and busy line of work!!! I reached out to Joseph and within 15 minutes I received a return call and after talking prices and coverage I was emailed a contract within an hour. I booked him then and there and I knew I had made a very very good decision :)
We got married on July 20^th and Joseph was there at the venue ready to go 30 minutes prior to the time he was booked for. We had a very intimate beach ceremony at Kailua Beach. Joseph worked so hard to capture all of the special moments that happened that day :) Our guests were so impressed with his commitment to capture the perfect photos for us and our wedding party. He did not hesitate to lie down on the hot sand in order to accommodate for a better angle. Just amazing. We had our reception dinner at a restaurant in downtown Honolulu. He was prompt and ready to go again well before the reception started. He remained so attentive the entire day to what was happening around him. He would stop eating his dinner to get up and capture a moment for us without being asked. He even stayed until my husband (who can be a bit long winded) finished his speech, thanking all of our guests for coming which ran past the time he was booked for. Nothing but good energy, professionalism and the highest degree of determination emanates from Joseph. I am completely blown away from the edits he has made of our beautiful wedding pictures. I will forever cherish them! He will definitely be our NUMBER ONE recommendation to anyone looking for a phenomenal wedding photographer. And we can’t wait to work with him in the future for family portraits :)

Joseph and his team are amazing!
We used him to photograph our wedding and also used his services for our photo booth.
We were having a destination wedding so hiring a photographer was mostly based on Unilocal reviews and online portfolios. We are so glad that we hired Joseph!
He was super responsive and helpful via email and even gave recommendations for other vendors when I asked him to.
When he came in on my wedding day I let him know that I do not really enjoy taking pictures and he was so fabulous as making us feel comfortable and directing us to get great shots.
There were a few issues that we had with the hotel and things ended up running late. People were freaking out and upset and Joseph and his team went out of their way to calm everyone down and he came and whisked us away to take pics so the time wasn’t wasted. Those ended up being some of our favorite shots! They even stayed late so that we could make sure that we got all of our shots in at the end of the wedding as well.
He and his whole team were so amazing and friendly that all of our guests were raving about them in the days after the wedding. The photo booth woman saw that our friends were trying to take some sunset shots but weren’t able to get the lighting right so she even showed them on their camera how to do it!
They went above and beyond all of our expectations and we were blown away.
We would 100% use him again

Joseph and crew are by far the best photographer and crew i have ever met. My daughters wedding in june at turtle bay was a success in large part because of Joseph. The turtle bay av person was 1 ½ hours late. Joseph adjusted his schedule and he and his staff was instrumental in calming the bride and groom and making the best of the situation. He managed the situation to perfection. The photos were amazing! He also provided the photo booth and staff to manage booth. He is so reasonable and so easy to work with. Amazing is all i can say and i love love all the pictures. He captured the beauty of the venue and the love and happiness of the bride and groom. Message from the mother of the bride. Use Joseph and u will be beyond happy!!!

Joseph is a phenomenal photographer and we felt honored to have him shoot our wedding and reception. Even with only a short notice, Joseph was able to fit us in to his schedule and talk on several occasions about how the day would go.
He made both of us feel so comfortable and relaxed that we both really enjoyed the day that much more. Considering how many guests want to take photos with their phones, Joseph handled all of this perfectly and he was able to capture all the shots we needed. His knowledge of the Paradise Cove venue was invaluable as he knew exactly where to shoot from.
Even with some light rain we were able to take photos at some fabulous locations and can’t wait to see the photos!
Joseph came highly recommended and after spending just a few minutes with him you will know why. I would use him again without hesitation.

Went to Hawaii again, and HAD to call him, this time for a family picture. My parents, my siblings, and all our children were with us. Joseph was very accommodating, even though it was a last minute scheduling, and the pictures are out of this world! I enlarged the family group picture with beautiful ocean background at Costco (huge) and gave it to my parents as mother’s day gift, made a calendar of the remaining photos, and made a smaller enlargement of the shot that had all the grandkids… again, as gifts. I look at the pictures in admiration every time I visit their house. Joseph’s work is just pure art. How was he able to catch everyone at their best (including all of the kids) is beyond me. If you are in Hawaii, or just visiting, you would be lucky to have your pictures taken by him!

Let me preface this review by stating that Joseph Esser’s awesomeness, professionalism, caring demeanor, and passion for photography has lead me to writing my first Unilocal review.
The best thing that I have ever done was marry the love of my life, my soul mate! The second best thing I’ve ever done was hiring Joseph Esser to capture that moment on film. I learned of Joseph while researching wedding photographers based on Oahu. There were so many to choose from, but based on the many positive reviews I read, across many different sites, my now husband & I agreed that Joseph was the one. Communicating with Joseph was so easy, he’s very responsive and patient. He made himself available via email or phone, whenever I had questions. The day of, he arrived in a timely manner, ready to work! He blended in nicely and captured beautifully posed & candid moments. Nothing felt too forced or uncomfortable. He is so talented and has great attention to detail!
When we received the photos about a month later, we were just speechless of the quality of work he produced! In all the years (16!) that my husband and I have been together, these are the very first photos we’ve taken professionally. It was definitely worth the wait!
He’s an amazing photographer, very talented and passionate about his work! Other couples should be lucky to have him photograph the important milestones in their lives!
Wishing Joseph lots of positive energy and endless success! He deserves it!

Just got married! Did you know Joseph Esser Photography does photo booths too?!! Kelli was such great person to work with and was all smiles till the very end, which I greatly appreciate! My sister in law Annie only recommends the best and she was right. As a person who strives on excellent customer service they did not disappoint. They also had a vast array of props so everybody had a choice. I am so happy that we decided to do this because it makes all the difference — guests come out of their shell, get to mingle, and captures the memories that are everlasting. Joseph and his team are the BEST!

joe is an amazing photographer and super fun guy!
my now-​husband and i picked him out of a lineup of potential photographers through an afternoon of skype interviews (it was a destination wedding). we had no idea what we were doing, what to ask, etc… and he was so chill and funny we felt comfortable with him right away and hired him for our engagement shoot and wedding.
NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!
my husband and i picked our favorite beach for the engagement shoot, and had a half-​baked idea that we thought was fun and silly. we nervously brought it up to joe (we don’t want to be judged, now) and he loved it — took the idea and ran with it, making the coolest Beach Picnic Proposal Interrupted By A Zombie engagement shoot ever! he was super professional and even had his coworker (ryan, who also shot our wedding) in full theatrical makeup — it was a really fun day that turned into hilarious and awesome pics!
flash forward to the wedding… and again, NOT DISAPPOINTED and even BLOWN AWAY by the results! again we had no idea what we were doing, and he totally took control and got the most beautiful shots, capturing the intensity of the moment and our feelings, the relationships of everyone there, and the stunning backdrop of the venue. e even popped Godzilla into a few of our shots!
the wedding was difficult for everyone there because of the weather (hurricane ana) but joe managed to make us all look glowy instead of sweaty, and used the rain and clouds to produce some really cool unique shots with interesting lighting. also i did not see him and ryan pretty much the whole night unless i looked for them, and they managed to capture the best parts of the day and night!
i don’t know what words to use to review the artistry that goes into photography… but my husband and i (and everyone we show the pics to) are continuously impressed as we relive our engagement shoot and the awesomeness of the wedding day.
thank you joe and ryan! HIGHLY recommended! affordable, affable, fun and professional. all our wildest dreams came true… a zombie at the beach AND godzilla at our wedding! who could ask for more?

We worked with Joseph for our engagement photos. He was very friendly and easy to work with. Gave us great suggestions for poses. The turn around time on getting us our photos back was excellent. The pictures are tasteful and very natural looking which was great because my biggest concern going into the shoot was that it could come out tacky and too posed.

Joseph Esser surpassed our wildest expectations of what a family photo shoot can be!
We are a blending family with 5 teenagers between us. This was our first vacation with them all to Hawaii. My fiancé and I wanted pictures with our own children, some of he and I and some of the 7 of us. Some of the teens were not very excited about this endeavor… most of all I wanted it to be fun and positive.
Joseph, being young, hip and handsome made them immediately warm up to him-​he was friendly, and relaxed. He started right in with the fun photos rather than formal and had us running on the beach, telling jokes, etc… it was a blast! Even the most resistant among us loosened up and laughed and had fun and got excited to see the pics.
It was such a memorable day and many laughs were had.
Joseph was excellent in all communications with us leading up to the shoot as well as after the shoot day.
His pictures turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to get them framed-​we got great shots of every grouping we wanted, both frivolous and formal.
If you choose to have Joseph photograph your occasion, you will be thrilled that you did!

Hiring Joseph was the second best decision of my day. The first of course was marrying my now husband :) I met Joseph two years ago when we had come to the island to meet with different photographers (we live in California, and were having a destination wedding). As soon as Joseph met up at Starbucks, I cancelled the other 4 appointments that I had set up. Looking through his books, listening to his style, and his calm voice I just KNEW that he was everything I was looking for in a photographer. Even my husband who was pretty much like «whatever you want hunny» for the wedding walked away saying «he is it, we have to hire him».
Fast forward 18 months later, and the big day was upon us. Joseph showed up, and immediatly my wedding party swooned. Not only is Joseph incredibly talented, his personality is amazing! And, ladies he isn’t bad on the eyes either! He was kind, and professional. He made me feel like a princess, and took all of the stress out of my wedding.
My husband and I have decided that we want to continue to visit Hawaii as an annual trip and Joseph will be involved in these trips when we have pregnancy shoots, and baby pictures… HE IS WORTH THE FLIGHT!
Joseph is professional, and kind, and a true artist at what he does. You will feel special, and not overly «posed» he captures natural moments, that make your eyes well with tears because he caught «it». Not only that but I never worried about anything with payments, or him showing up the moment you talk to Joseph you just know you’re working with a professional.
HE IS WORTH EVERY PENNY, Don’t delay! HIRE HIM!

15 years ago my wife and I eloped and we never had any pictures taken to look back and that capture moment.
Fast forward 15 years and we finally decided to have a wedding of our own so you can imagine photos of our vow renewal were everything for my wife and I. We did a lot of research for the perfect photographer and our search stopped the moment we saw Joseph‘s photography. Here are the key things that separated Joseph from the others:
Photography. It‘s very difficult for my wife and I to agree on anything, but when we saw Joseph‘s pictures they were works of art! His angles, perspectives, lighting, etc. all told a story and put you in that moment.
Response. We decided to contact him and to our surprise, his replies were immediate! Prior to finding Joseph, we tried contacting a few other photographers and their response time was lacking so we moved on. Joseph was there to answer all our questions promptly!
Involved. From the start, Joseph was very drawn to OUR story and plans. He made great suggestions and provided pivotal information that led us to choose our ultimate location.
So now that we locked him in as our photographer for OUR day, the following are key areas which told us that Joseph was definitely the right choice:
Personable. Nerves are flowing and our minds were scrambled trying to take it all in, but Joseph‘s welcoming demeanor helped us stay calm. His cordial attitude kept things smooth and enjoyable while we all shared a few laughs and had fun with it. We didn‘t feel like just another customer when communicating with you, we felt like ohana!
Patience. Joseph was very patient with us! Even if you‘re not a photographer, you should know that direct sunlight kills photos. When the sun was beaming straight down on us, he had a plan for that and took his time waiting for cloud coverage and the right lighting! We didn‘t feel rushed at all, he took his time capturing us and what he likes to call, ‘The money shot!‘
Devoted. The dude is flat out devoted to photography! He does what it takes to capture great angles and perspectives. He was literally in the bushes trying to position himself in the right spots… lol!
In closing, you just can‘t go wrong with Joseph. Everything you need in a photographer is right here. I don‘t throw out five stars much, but this one was a no-​brainer.
Enough with the review though, we really want to give a personal ‘Thank you!‘ to Joseph for all his hard work and dedication to our moment. You paid attention to the details of our wants and flowed with it. We honestly couldn‘t have asked for a better photographer to capture it all! See you again on our 25^th anni! Lol!

The search for the perfect wedding photographer is over. Joseph Esser is amazing and will not dissappoint. My now husband and I are so lucky to have worked with an artist and professional. Our wedding photos were beyond breathtaking!
First of all, he responded was very promptly to any emails, questions or concerns that we had during the wedding planning. AND if you are planning a destination wedding like we did and are dealing with some of the little stresses that come with planning a huge event from afar, you should know photography won’t be one of them if you chose to work with Joseph. He put our nerves at ease by instilliing confidence with his professionalism.
On the day of the wedding he arrived with his partner on-​time and started shooting immediately. At this point, things started happening very quickly for me, the bride, but he made sure to capture everything I wanted down to the small itty bitty details without me asking. He was great at directing poses for portrait photos and group photos with our Entourage while still capturing pure emotions throughout the entire wedding. Did I mention we had a total of 18 groomsmen and bridesmaids? He was very direct and I was amazed with how much he got our gigantic group to cooperate during the group shots.
We could not be more thrilled and satisfied with the way our wedding photos turned out. Our wedding day was magical and we are forever grateful to have these amazing photos to look back on and be able to relive every moment and second of one of the best days of our lives!!!

Great photographer, highly recommended!
My fiancée and I wanted photos that look natural and beautiful and Joseph did exactly that! He’s very professional and great at directing our pose while capturing the interactions between us. And we even went a little over time just to get the perfect light. The results look amazing and are flattering, esp. for the bride :)
In addition, Joseph is great to work with. We had to reschedule the shooting time and he was very accommodating. He also helped with our bouquet as I had trouble finding a florist that would take the order (I didn’t have my wedding at Hawaii and a bouquet is too small an order for the vendors I like). The only thing is that the wait for the processed photos was a little longer than I hoped for (it was still within the timeline that we agreed upon before the photo shoot, but I was just really looking forward to seeing the results). Anyways, the wait was worth it and we are really happy that we chose Joseph.

Look no further, Joseph Esser is the photographer of your dreams!
We fell in love with the images on his website while planning for our destination wedding on the North Shore of Oahu. We loved his journalistic style of capturing the moments with perfect lighting, clarity and genuine emotions. We contacted him with our plan for an epic skydiving entry into our ceremony location, and he responded immediately and enthusiastically. He loves to capture unique and original weddings, and between skydiving into the wedding location, having a photo shoot with a horse, and a cake made out of sushi, we were definitely planning something outside of the norm. He was just as excited about our plans as we were, and with his great sense of humor and friendly personality, we knew he was the right fit for us.
He wanted to capture the entire story for us, so he came early in the morning and took pictures of the preparations, and stayed with us throughout the entire day, culminating in beautiful sunset pictures on the beach. He picked the location for our sunset couple portraits, and it was absolutely perfect.
We received the beautifully packaged CD of pictures 4 weeks after the wedding, and our friends and family love that they can order prints directly on Pictage.
It was a once in a lifetime celebration, but the memories will stay fresh forever through all of our beautiful pictures thanks to Joseph.

If you truly love your fiancé, you will hire Joseph Esser!
My husband and I chose an outdoor wedding ceremony at Magic Island. And of course, I was late to my own wedding. But when I arrived, I was incredibly relieved… There was Joseph, extremely on time, in his Esser Photography uniform taking shots of my flowers, location, family, friends, and scenery! He is quick to recognize and capture a beautiful moment even when no one is looking at the camera!
Before we started our ceremony, he quickly rearranged us so that the sunlight light would be favorable, Diamond Head would be just perfect behind us, and of course the gentle Hawaiian trades blowing my hair back just right! In short, Joseph has the experience to know how to shoot in outdoor environments to capture you in your best light!
He can customize package deals, is straightforward with payments, responds via email, and has great communication on what your wedding expectations can be regarding time scheduling, lighting, and location.
Following our wedding, it took about 3 weeks to post the images on Pictage. And about 4 weeks to receive my CD of images (which was impeccably packaged better than my own wedding invitations)! Joseph uses Pictage (although a little pricey) because they are the BEST at printing high quality photos in true color, clarity, and on paper that won’t discolor or degrade if properly taken care of. Communication from Pictage was great, photos arrived earlier than expected, and wrapped beautifully in a black box and tissue.
These are by farthest, the most beautiful images I own to date! I would hire Joseph again in a heartbeat and am thinking of making professional family photos with him an annual thing!