"Stephen is a joy to work with. His photos are crisp, clean and engaging. He has an eye for where the action will be and captures it. He also understands his audience and takes photos that resonate within a community. Apart from his stellar artwork, Stephen is fast to respond, even to last-minute requests, and is 100 percent reliable." Kate Fratar, Sports Editor, Piedmont Post
After a corporate event: “I was impressed by the quality, work and the speed with which Stephen Woo Images was able to produce video. He was very professional, conducted the filming and interviewing with class, and is definitely a go-to resource for future events.” and “I would definitely recommend Stephen Woo to my friends as a videographer. For the past two years Stephen has produce excellent videos, awesome pictures and outstanding customer service which has been greatly appreciated by the team.”
After I took some photos and videos at a company’s finance intern conference, the organizer wrote, “I would like to recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer/videographer because Stephen was extremely professional. He arrived on location extremely early to set up his equipment. He consulted with us prior to the event to discuss the themes that we wanted captured in the photos.
Stephen exhibited passion about photography. He politely engaged the event attendees and organizers, while providing guidance on poses with the goal of getting the most optimal shots. Stephen willingly provided post event services. Not only did Stephen optimize selected photos, but he also created a video that will be used as a recruitment tool by the Finance organization. He also agreed to brand the video so that it can be used externally. Stephen emailed the photos to me in less than 24 hours of photographing the event, and delivered the video within one day. I was very impressed with the turnaround time! I have no suggestions for Stephen. I am so grateful for his contributions to the 2011 Finance Intern Conference. He helped us raise the bar, and I hope to partner with him for future events.”
After I shot and published six event promo and highlight video for the Restaurant at Montclair Village, the Montclair Village Association’s Executive Director wrote, “I would recommend Stephen Woo as a videographer because he is fast, competent and produces great results on a limited budget.”
A university women’s soccer head coach wrote, “I would highly recommend Stephen Woo to my friends as a photographer and videographer because he is genuine about his work. He is willing to take the time necessary to make his videos perfect. Mr. Woo is also very professional in how he treated and organized his models (the members of our women's soccer team). His effects in the video were more than we could have asked for. We shot the footage on a Thursday and he had it completed by Saturday. I would highly recommend Stephen Woo to anyone who is looking to get a video made. Stephen Woo is THE BEST!!!”
After a quick one-minute headshot, the model said, “Thank you for the opportunity to express why I would recommend Stephen Woo to my friends as a photographer/videographer because he is professional from start to finish. He is on time and follows through with what he says as to when and where he will be for the shooting. He keeps his clients posted as to the progress of their pictures. This communication makes for a very pleasant experience. There is not much I can say as to improvement. I felt very comfortable with the photo shoot. Thank you so much.”
After I have done the headshots and performance photos and videos of a couple of high school musicals, the teacher wrote, “Mr. Woo is the best photographer I have had the pleasure of working with in my 31 years as a professional director and educator. His shots are incredible, he seems to bring the beauty out of any subject. He's so efficient, on time and his response to the project is within a day or two. I've never had such a quick turn around time on photographs, it makes all the difference in the world. He has an "artists eye". Very pleasant to work with. Always' comes prepared to work, on time, great equipment, thorough, fast and well organized. His expertise in handling short clips, and trailers on the web resulted in us packing our theatre every night, great publicity ideas! I cannot think of one thing he could do to improve his service, he's the best. Thank you again Mr. Woo”
After I recorded the performance of a high school jazz band at a local jazz club, the organizer wrote, “I would recommend Stephen Woo to my friends as a photographer/videographer because his videos for Youtube capture the essence and mood of his subject matter, and he’s so easy to work with and generous with his time. Really appreciate all his help and expertise for Skyline performing arts…..You are certainly giving back! To improve his product and service in the future Stephen might consider figure out more about dvd formats and duplication that would be pretty awesome and helpful.”
After I did the portrait of a newly appointed vice president at Intel, his admin wrote, “I would recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer because 1-Stephen Woo is a true professional, he understood exactly what we needed and how to deliver; 2-Stephen was flexible with timing options, that made this shoot possible. We have such busy schedules and so flexibility is at the utmost of importance when working with any service provider; 3-At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding…’and we had exquisite pudding’ the shoot was successful and what a great end result, thanks Swoo!!”
I have worked with Stephen Woo in many photo shoots since meeting him last year. He shot my boyfriend and me in an extremely fun shoot last January. My boyfriend and I are both dancers. We decided that we didn’t want the traditional sitting holding hands pictures of us to give to our families and friends so we hired Stephen Woo. Stephen did a high action dramatic shoot of us in Sacramento with the river and Old Town in the background. It was awesome! Stephen took a million great shots! Now my boyfriend and I have some eye catching photos that we are very proud of all thanks to Stephen. I would recommend Stephen Woo to be anybody’s photographer! When you hire Stephen, you get professional good wholesome pictures and a talented man to shoot them! My boyfriend and I cannot wait to work with him again! - a couple at Sacramento, CA
The dance teacher at Skyline High School wrote, “Stephen is an excellent photographer!! He took headshots of my dancers (22 total) and they ALL look fabulous!! He's very easy going and makes every attempt to make you feel right at home - even for someone like me who hates to take pictures!! I recommend him highly and look forward to working with him in the future!!”
“I would recommend Stephen as a photographer because he makes the process easy, fun and relaxing. I'm not fond of getting my picture taken, but Stephen put me at ease, was very complimentary and created an environment that allowed me to relax and enjoy the process, two elements I think are important for getting good pictures.”
After a headshot and environmental portrait session, “You did great and the finished products are beautiful!! I liked the music. I liked how you moved the different angles of the camera. The optimization is nice too, makes some pics polished, and makes some others more glamourous. I like it that they're not all the same; that allows for different applications. You were also pro with making the model feel comfy. you equipment was organized and your efforts well spent. You also knew when a particular pose was used up and it was time for a new one. I also liked how you kept an eye on wardrobe alignment. You were quick, efficient, friendly, totally professional and generated quality pics in a short amount of time. Next time you can try to improve by working with the model more closely on poses and gestures. Next time I’ll bring some eye drops or Visine to freshen the eyes especially on a windy day.”
A performer at Woodminster Summer Musicals and SF State University stated: “I would totally recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer! Every time he has shot a production I've been in I have been happy with the photos he takes of me. He knows what angles look good, and always captures the dramatic action on stage. I'm also always very happy with the amount of photos he takes- allowing me to choose which I like best"
After a couple of environmental portrait sessions, the model said, “5 Star Review: I would highly recommend working with Stephen because, first of all, he is tons of fun and not to mention highly informative, giving lots of inspiration to the model which allows a mutual vision of the outcome of the final photo(s). I can't find any faults or ideas of improvement, mainly because he has thought of every detail ahead of time! Truly impressive.”
A parent of a new-born baby said, "I would recommend you as a photographer to my friends because: You are professional yet fun. You were on time and clearly knew your stuff, but you also took the time to chat and add the human, personal side. Plus, you made me look great even though I hadn't slept in 3 weeks and did not have a stitch of makeup on!!! That is really impressive. The pictures speak for themselves! Making the photo shoot fun. I appreciated how you were able to multi-task by talking to us and getting your equipment set up all at once. You kept us engaged with your positive attitude. Also, you knew exactly what would come out looking good and weren't afraid to tell us what to do to make that happen. I was impressed that you could fit all of your equipment and work in our relatively small living room, too!"
A parent of a Woodminster Summer Musicals young cast member said, “ Wow! These look amazing. Thank you so much. The touch ups make a big difference. Technology is awesome! I would recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer to my friends because he is very nice and approachable and make the talent comfortable which is extremely important. Especially when working with minors. He also has good equipment and seems flexible with his time and location. Next time I would recommend that he uses a different background in addition to black. It will be nice to have a make-up artist and lighting assistant also. He should also try to capture more spontaneous moments and relaxed poses. I do think he is very good with dress rehearsal shots, things with color and light. The pictures you took of of my son in costume are the best!”
A couple said, “I'd recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer to my friends because he takes great, intimate photos, even those done in crowded places, and he is positive, generous and fun to be around. He did a good job with creating interesting arrangements. I even liked how he played with the color of the photos. All fun stuff to look through after we were done.
Next time I could recommend him to to advise people on what to wear, particularly for couples.”
The pastor with the Lake Merritt United Methodist Church said, “I would gladly recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer! He photographed our community for the second time, and the experience was fun for all. Stephen worked with each individual, family, or couple to make sure they looked natural. The pictures are g
“I would recommend Stephen Woo as a photographer for any important event in your life. Stephen creates an album that tells the entire story of the event without any words. Everyone who has seen the album of Mickey's 90th birthday party is absolutely awed with the creativity.”
A parent of a graduated Cal women volleyball player wrote, “Stephen has shown a great deal of knowledge and skill as regards shooting volleyball...I have no doubt that his skill is readily adaptable to other sports at Cal as well. He has also shown strong personal initiative in putting together specialty books of his work, such for Senior Night as well as highlights of the entire volleyball season. He also expertly chronicled the 2007 NCAA Tournament, in which Cal reached the Final Four in Sacramento. Lastly, he has been very accommodating to parents such as my wife and I, offering to cover Kathleen's graduation a few weeks ago. He did a wonderful job and provided us with a treasure-trove of lasting memories. Throughout, he has behaved very professionally and responsibly and has been a pleasure to work with.”
A parent of a graduated Cal women volleyball player wrote, “We have been fans of Stephen Woo’s for several years and have admired his work with the Cal women’s volleyball team. We have received several of his works over the years from single photographs to special photograph books highlighting different volleyball events during our daughters four years at Cal. His work has always been excellent, professional and of the highest quality. He has captured the joy and excitement we have experienced over the four years in every piece of work he has published.”
The coach for a community college women volley team wrote, “I'd also like to express my extreme gratitude to the creator of this book, Stephen Woo. His enthusiasm for Eagle Volleyball and his graciousness in being Laney Volleyball's ‘unofficial’ photographer has been overwhelming and absolutely welcoming at the same time. Thank you, Stephen, for your kindness and generosity in supporting us through your photos. This is more than a hobby. It's a gift you possess.
I met Stephen Woo about a year ago. His photography for Woodminster Amphitheatre in Oakland California was so stellar that I knew I just had to hire him to photograph the Senior Dance Concert at Sacramento State. We had the privilege of him embarking on three photo shoots with us at Sacramento State. The cast, crew, faculty and choreographers of “EXPOSED: Senior Dance Concert 2010” were astound and very much impressed with Stephen’s beautiful work. “He is so easy to work with! He is a lot of fun behind AND in front of the camera” said several cast members and choreographers. I would recommend Stephen Woo for any thing involving a camera! This man is extremely talented. His professionalism exceeds any other photographer that I have ever worked with. I cannot wait to work with him again! – a choreographer for EXPOSED: SDC 2010 Sacramento State
The pastor with the Shattuck Ave United Methodist Church where an African Fashion Show fund-raiser was held wrote, "WOW! That is the only word that I can find to express the beauty of the book you produced. ... [We] oohed and ahhed over the gorgeous book. You are truly amazing. Everyone thought it was absolutely breathtaking. You are incredible, Stephen. I'm not sure that there are words to express the enormity of the gift that you have given to us. We kept asking 'Who are all of these beautiful, regal looking people?' They're us!:) Thank you for re-introducing us to our own God-given beauty and uniqueness. A priceless gift, indeed. ... There is no doubt that folks want books. They have been clamoring for them already. ...Again, Thank you so much. The book is stunning."
A nine-year-old said, "This guy rocks!"
“Hi Stephen, Just wanted to share with you how touching it was on Tuesday night (the performance) to see the parents clutching their child's headshot photo like the treasure it was. Everyone was amazed and thrilled at how you brought out the inner beauty of each child. Thank you again for this great gift...and the students who missed the photo shoot keep asking me, 'When is Stephen coming again?'...Hopefully you won't get so busy that you won't have time for my students again! We're totally hooked on your photography.”
The Marketing and Public Relations Director for Crucible said, “The Crucible often uses the talents of photographers who volunteer to shoot at our special theatrical and fundraising events, and we were pleased to work with Stephen Woo during our 10th Anniversary Fire Ballet, Dracul: Prince of Fire. Stephen shot at the press preview performance and immediately returned images that we were able to use in the promotion of the show. Not only was he timely and responsive in providing quality images, he also went the extra mile and produced a commemorative book as a gift to the founder of our organization. We sincerely appreciated Stephen donating his time and talents to our organization and would not hesitate to recommend him for similar photo opportunities.”
After a two-hours session of photography coaching, a student said, "You are such a wealth of information! You have cleared up a lot of confusion for me and I have a much better idea of at least where to start now. I definitely would recommend you as a photography coach to my family and friends because everyone in our group last night were very impressed. They could see how passionate about photography you are and admired all the great photos in your photo books. In addition, they thought you are a great teacher b/c your explanations were very clear and your approach was very practical. For our next coaching session I think it would be great if you can review my work and suggest what would make the shots better, and to answer related questions. Another area of interest would be post-production.”
Other recommendations and references available upon request.