Joseph Esser Photo + Video

TL;DR: Joseph is a wonderful person and a stellar photographer with an eye for capturing the essence of his couples and the true magic of the day! He and his photo/video team were so much fun, and you won't regret getting a chance to work with them! The Long Story: Our wedding planner recommended Joseph after my now-husband and I told her how photography/videography were among our top priorities for our big day. During our first call with Joseph, we immediately sensed that he'd be a great fit. He was delightful and easy to talk with, and his extensive knowledge, thoroughness, and patience in walking us through our many questions made us realize we'd be in the hands of a true professional. So after reviewing his gorgeous portfolio of wedding photography, we ended up booking a 10 hour photo/video package (which included an engagement shoot and photo booth as add-ons). Our engagement shoot (which we highly recommend doing with Joseph before your wedding day so you can get to know him and get used to being photographed) quickly solidified our opinion of him as both an excellent photographer and an awesome person overall! He woke up bright and early to meet us for sunrise and even went above and beyond by helping me find someone willing to do my hair and makeup at the last minute, which I was incredibly grateful for. The session started out with some rain, but Joseph was super chill and suggested we wait and see what happens. Sure enough, the rain clouds parted, treating us to a gorgeous sunrise. My husband and I are super awkward when it comes to photos, but Joseph made us feel so at ease with his fun, infectious personality and his thoughtful approach to directing us. Funnily enough, this engagement rain experience repeated itself on our wedding day, when a seasonably late Kona low was pouring rain all over the island during the week of the wedding and into the big day itself. Despite the gloom of both the weather and the bummed out bride (aka me), Joseph and his team brought bright, positive vibes from the get-go. They showed incredible care and flexibility given the circumstances and pivoted seamlessly when the weather prevented us from doing our first look at our originally planned location. When we were running ahead of schedule, Joseph and his main videographer, Jimi, even made sure to get extra photos/videos of us in some cool locations nearby. And when the moment of truth came for our actual wedding? Pure magic--no rain for the ceremony and a stunning sunset! Joseph and his team did an incredible job at capturing just how unique that day was, and we're grateful to have had them there by our sides throughout.Thank you, Joseph and team, for capturing such wonderful memories for us! P.S. Check out Joseph's wedding podcast, Unveiling Paradise! We were featured on Episode 69, and in that episode, Joseph does a wonderful job breaking down how photography is handled when weather threatens your big day :)

I can't recommend Joseph and his team enough!!!! For all brides searching for the best team to capture your wedding day, trust me when I say that this. is. the. team. I had done an engagement shoot with Joseph and he was so kind and made us feel super comfortable. My fiancé (now husband), absolutely hates taking pictures but Joseph made the mood light and funny so that my fiancé didn't feel so awkward in front of the camera. We also did an underwater photoshoot and the pictures came out amaaazing even though the water condition wasn't the greatest...and poor Joseph got cut up on some coral, but he was a trooper! That didn't stop him from getting the shot hahaha. And come wedding day, Joseph and his team comes into our suite and they went to work instantly. We had 2 photographers and 2 videographers (all were amazing) and they just spread out and started shooting. I didn't have to worry about anything. My fiancé was pretty nervous but the photographer who was paired with him, made sure he was comfortable with everything and he really appreciated that. The whole crew were all super sweet, loving, caring, and talented people. They literally captured every single moment and made sure to get specific poses that I wanted. They even stayed late to capture dancing shots after all our reception events were finished. I'm so so so grateful for Joseph and his team. They really were the dream team and I can't express my gratitude enough on how great of a job they all did, and how kind they were to us. You could tell they were all passionate at what they do and it really showed. I give my love and thanks to them!!!

Joseph was the best decision we've made for our wedding! He did an amazing job!He and his crew were very kind, and genuinely friendly that makes it easy to smile for the camera. We loved every single pictures, and video. We can't thank you enough for your hard work! You made our wedding memorable one. We highly highly recommend him 100% :)!!Thank you so much Joseph and his crew!

Trying to plan a wedding during COVID was nearly impossible, but Joseph was so accommodating with all the rescheduling and changes we had to make given the circumstances. We were finally able to have our wedding ceremony and Joseph did our photography. He was friendly and upbeat. He gave direction well and knew what he was doing. He was great with trying to get the kids to look/smile at the camera too! He edited our pictures and emailed us the link just two days after our ceremony! The pictures turned out amazing! I'm so happy he was able to be part of our special day! I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer. I'm hoping we can use him again in the future for another special event.

Like all the other reviews, we absolutely loved working with Joseph and his staff. He was truly a joy to work with, because he was professional and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. What more could you ask for?! Oh yeah, he also took some beautiful pictures, was patient with my family who had trouble following directions at times, and kept us on time with our schedule. He was very responsive to any questions we had and gave us some hints and recommendations for other vendors and things we needed for the wedding.Last year when we were reserving our photographer, he was the first vendor we booked, because my now husband and I knew that our photographer would be the most important vendor we'd have. Luckily, we had Joseph. When going to the bridal expos, we learned the types of photographers that we wanted and also did not want. This is a tip I have for any couple--go to the bridal expo even if you don't book anything. Anyways, from those experiences, we knew that Joseph was a match the moment we met him. We actually found him on Yelp and met him in Ward. He made us feel comfortable from the start and gave us a wealth of tips despite not officially working with him yet.We decided to go with videography as well, because I was online seeing people who regretted not getting videography. Joseph had a July deal where we could get a same day edit or a photo booth included with our photography and videography package. We ended up doing the same day edit. To our surprise, engagement photos were also included. He made us feel comfortable and took some nice pictures. He also didn't mind getting a little wet when he almost slid into a stream to get a picture.Anyways, on the day of the wedding, Joseph and his crew were professional, made our families and friends feel comfortable in front of the camera as well, and jammed out a beautiful video to show our guests for the same day edit. Many of our guests said the video made them cry. They included the set up of a screen and were very efficient with the set up and take down of the screen. Although we're still waiting for our pictures since we just got married recently, we are very happy with Joseph and his crew and know he won't disappoint.I highly recommend Joseph and his crew for weddings.

When we were in Hawaii, I proposed to my fiancé and surprised her with Joseph photographing the whole event! He was very accommodating and helped find a good spot for it all to happen during the time of year we went. The photos turned out wonderfully as well and my fiancé claims she did not cry when I proposed but i have photo evidence now stating otherwise. Cheers!

If we could provide more stars to this review, we would! My husband and I found Joseph Esser at one of the Wedding Expo events. From the minute we started talking, we felt an immediate connection with Joseph! He understood what we were looking for in a photographer! Throughout the time leading up to our wedding day communication was easy with Joseph and Kelli. Selecting photo booth picture layout, background, props, and prints was simple and easy to do online. The day of was a very early morning for us and they were so professional and although you might think that having strangers in your hotel room taking pictures if you as you get ready is a bit invasive, they were awesome!!!! We felt like they were friends. They spent the entire day with us and truly captured every aspect of our wedding day from start to finish. Joseph, Keoni, and the rest of the team captured everything that we had asked for and more! We asked for specific moments to be captured. They went above and beyond our expectations. By the end of our wedding we gained new family members. Keala and I cannot thank you enough for everything that you did to make our day memorable! Thank you for your time, vision, and professionalism!

We had Joseph do our wedding (with photobooth), as well as engagement shots.Overall, he was amazing, the engagement shots were great and the photobooth was an awesome addition to our wedding.The wedding photo/videography was also very professional and got us a ton of beautiful, and sometimes epic, pictures. Joseph even provided us with a "preview" of a handful of images the **day after** our wedding!The only thing I would note, is that you should pay attention to and clarify what's included in the package you pick. We opted for one of the simpler photo/video packages, which was great for photos, but only included a short highlight video despite the videographer filming the entire wedding. Luckily, Joseph was gracious enough to provide the raw video footage to us so we could have full recordings of the ceremony, speeches, etc.

We really did not know Joseph besides his brief appearances on the Uncovering Paradise podcast. Our planner/aunty Tessa Gomes recommended we give him an audition, so my fiance and I hired Joseph for our engagement shoot.  Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised by how well we got along.  Joseph made the whole process alot of fun and the photos came out amazing, which made hiring him for our wedding easy.  We had Joseph for 10 hours, photo and video on our wedding day.  From beginning to end, Joseph and his team worked tirelessly to capture some really memorable moments for my fiance and I. We also got some amazing sunset photos.  We high recommend using Joseph, you will not be disappointed.

The best there is. I have worked with Joseph and his team on multiple occasions and have been thrilled with the results every time. From family sessions to our wedding day (the original date AND the Covid postponed date), we could not have wanted more. We are so incredibly grateful to have such amazing photos and videos to remember these special moments. We just received our wedding photo album and were amazed all over again! The entire group was friendly, professional, timely and easy to work with. I really cannot recommend Joseph enough.