Services
Claudia offers packages that cover large-scale events, calling for an assistant and an additional professional photographer down to intimate weddings. She also specializes in portraiture: hire her for your engagement photos or for a maternity or baby session.
She shoots in digital and offers online hosting for your images as well as a DVD with high-resolution images and a DVD with a video slide show presentation of your wedding photographs.
Certified By The Guide Reviews
(What does this mean?)
These Reviews are from real brides who have used this vendor's services—pulled straight from their Certified by The Guide reference check. We only post reviews that we have collected, so we can feel confident that they are the real deal. Yes, we know. We're control freaks.
“Claudia’s work is so lovely and really captures the wonder and joy of the day. Every time we look through our photos, I’m amazed how they recreate the feeling and that moment; she really has a gift. Another fantastic thing about Claudia is how easy she is to work with. Our meetings with her were one of the highlights of the planning process. She’s such fun and has a great perspective on things. Working with her made me calmer and helped me find the joy during a very stressful time. I was more aware and in-the-moment on my wedding day, so I savored every second.”
“We were thrilled with the work she did.”
“Claudia’s very creative and she’s wonderful to work with. I’m a multimedia director. Working with creative people can be a challenge because with that brilliance often comes with a lot of ego. Claudia is as far from the ‘artist’ stereotype as you can get. She’s flexible, spontaneous, and she’s willing to listen to ideas, even if they don’t fit into any neat category.”
“She definitely belongs in your guide because she is real, unpretentious, kind, patient, and professional.”
“I am a trained photographer so I was very picky about who we hired. Claudia is technologically advanced with her techniques, very enthusiastic and seemed like she really cared. Her photographs from our day are outstanding.”
Questions and Answers
Why should someone hire you? I'm truly passionate about what I do. I've photographed many weddings since I started in 2001 and I still love it as much as the first wedding I ever photographed. I do it for the sheer joy—and that shows through to my clients and in my work. My couples know I truly care about each and every one of them and am committed to giving them 110%.
What drew you to this field/how did you get started? I've always been a photographer, since I was a child…so it's hard to say how I got started. It's something that's always come naturally to me…like breathing or eating. Weddings, on the other hand, I stumbled upon quite by accident and as cheesy as this might sound, it was "love at first wedding."
What are some sources of inspiration or influences on your work? Oddly, Pablo Neruda. I know, he's a poet and not a photographer…but his words truly inspire me. Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe have always had strong influences on my personal work and I love turning to Henri Cartier Bresson and his "decisive moment" for inspiration.
What have weddings taught you? That no two weddings are ever alike. Each one comes with its own unique set of challenges and excitement.
What is the best advice you give to a couple when planning their wedding? Hire a wedding coordinator!! Seriously! You should be able to focus 100% on your husband, family and friends on your wedding day and be able to enjoy and be in the moment. A good coordinator will allow you to do just that. And your day will go off without a hitch.
If you could have any superpower on the job, what would it be? Ooh…that's a tough one. I think invisibility. Can I make it two? Invisibility + flying. We work so hard to be invisible on the wedding day so to actually BE invisible during the ceremony and reception would be awesome. And flying…how awesome would it be to be able to get those amazing aerial, birds-eye shots?!
Extracurricular Activities: Besides taking pictures? Hmm…let's see… hiking, camping, or just being outdoors. I also love to travel.
What's your favorite marriage advice? The best advice my family gave my husband and I on our wedding day was to never go to bed angry! It's true…we've stuck by that rule and we've been happily married for 9 years and counting.
What's your favorite way to wind down after a hard day? Cuddle up with my husband and a nice glass of wine!
Tell us about your pets, if you have any. We have two adorable little kitties, Stryder and Pippen, who keep us on our toes every day.
About This Company
Practically everyone—both clients and fellow wedding professionals—we talked with made a point of telling us what a joy Claudia Akers is to work with. One event professional explained the payoff for making everyone feel comfortable in her presence, “She has a wonderful way of capturing people/events/moments without them looking contrived or stiff.”
Of course, her easy, sunny style isn’t the only reason we recommend her. One fellow photographer told us why he admired her work: “Her approach is open, quick and responsive. All angles are covered.” Another photographer told us, “She is a beautiful photographer—She is able to capture the moments that show true emotions. Her work is very beautiful. It takes a certain eye to capture the images that she does.”
In 2009, several of Claudia’s photographs were published in the book Donnie Brown Weddings: From the Couture to the Cake. Earlier in 2006, one of her beautiful images won in the “Details” category of the PDN Top Knots: New School of Wedding Photography international competition.
In 2010, Claudia won the Bay Bella Bridal Best of the Bay 2010 award for “Best in Santa Clara County Photography.”
Claudia Akers Photography Covers These Areas:
Northern California
- East Bay
- Monterey and Carmel
- Napa and Sonoma Wine Country
- North Bay / Marin
- Peninsula
- San Francisco
- Santa Cruz
- South Bay / San Jose
- Tri-Valley and Livermore Wine Country
- And other areas by special arrangement.
(What's this?)
This is a list of the areas that Claudia Akers Photography normally serves. However, be sure to ask them if they’ll be able to work at your particular location.
In Business Since 2001
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