Helena and Laurent Photography

I cannot recommend this duo enough. Helena & Laurent are truly a dream photography team who will make you believe that unicorns do, in fact, exist.
We were incredibly lucky to work with these two for our 116-​person July wedding this year, and are beyond thrilled with the entire experience and the beautiful images they captured. In addition to the gorgeous photos they create, Helena and Laurent are simply Good Folks — ridiculously talented, authentic, personable, deeply passionate about their craft, open-​minded, accommodating and insightful, and an absolute joy to work with. So much so that I’d (almost) do it all over again. :)
** PREAMBLE
Photography is incredibly important to us – as designers who care about authenticity as well as beauty, we knew we wanted more than stiff, staged photos from our wedding, or images that didn’t feel like «us.» With this in mind, we set out to find a photographer who would be able to deliver photojournalistic, fine-​art work that would truly represent real moments from our event. Having more than one photographer was also ideal in order to best capture both details and gestalt. Additionally, professionalism and stability were crucial, as we’d heard horror stories of friends getting burned by photographers flaking out on them last-​minute and absconding with their deposit.
** HOW WE DECIDED
We carefully researched and interviewed over a dozen photographers and quickly discovered just how difficult it was to find what we were looking for. Portfolios weren’t quite up to par, or pricing was opaque (and much higher than we had budgeted), and we found ourselves starting to think about whether a second shooter was worth the price, or if we should cut the amount of hours of photographer coverage.
Then we stumbled on Helena & Laurent and were dumbfounded by their transparent (and extremely reasonable) pricing, their all-​day coverage, the fact that they were husband and wife who worked well together, and their truly stunning portfolio. Even more alarming, a quick Instagram stalk revealed they appeared to be genuine, open-​minded, and extremely likable people — interested in travel, art, social justice, puppies, and expanding their world views. All of this seemed way too good to be true. After a few emails, we found ourselves invited over to their loft in Oakland to chat over tea, and from this meeting it was obvious that they a) existed, and b) were the real deal. We signed a contract less than 24 hours later, and stayed in touch over email prior to the event (they were exceedingly responsive and communicative, despite travel and busy schedules). We arranged a minimal shot list, trusting fully in H&L’s artistic license.
** DURING THE EVENT
H&L shot both digital and film for our wedding, providing all-​day coverage — they showed up early at the venue even before anyone to do location scouting, and stayed through dancing. I was amazed at how seamlessly they meshed with our family and our guests; it felt like they were really just a part of our crew. We had a ton of fun taking photos with H&L; their relaxed approach and dynamic kept everyone comfortable and at-​ease in front of the lens, whether it was during portraits, our ceremony, or dancing. Watching them work was also a real treat; they are experts at finding great locations as well as beautiful light and compositions, sneaking portraits, blending in so you hardly know they’re there, accommodating requests, drawing out shy guests, and wrangling an unruly mob of excited family and friends when needed. It is also incredibly clear that they are a team — they collaborate to frame shots and capture multiple perspectives, all the while coordinating seamlessly even when they aren’t in the same place.
** FINAL PHOTOS
The final edited images, which were sent a few weeks later, completely blew our already-​high expectations away — Helena and Laurent aren’t just talented photographers, they are master storytellers. The details and moments H&L captured felt so intimate, incisive, and true to the spirit of our guests and what we hoped our event to be. Having these beautiful images makes it possible for us to re-​experience the magic of that day for years to come. (Not being much of a wedding person, I just made myself a little sick with that last sentence, but given the quality of their work I’ll stand by it anyway.)
Thank you Helena & Laurent for your incredible talents and general amazingness, and for being a beacon of sanity in the craziness that can be the photography (especially wedding photography) industry.

I found Helena and Laurent via a random wedding blog that popped up on StumbleUpon. I loved their style, and how they don’t simply ask people to pose for them — they capture actual moments.
They did our engagement shoot as well as our wedding, and I was blown away by their work both times. Photographers mingle with family and are woven into your day, so you had best choose people that can interact with children as well as adults. Laurent and Helena did just that, and even got my pre-​teen niece to loosen up and smile. I would highly recommend them to anyone, if you want exceptional photos that are also inspired works of art.

We loved how Helena captured all the special moments of our wedding in an artful and intimate way. She and Laurent were lovely to work with and very professional. I recommend them to all my friends who are getting married.

Helena hands down one of the best photographers that we’ve ever worked with. With the stress levels rising as we prepared for our engagement shoot and start to plan our wedding we were welcomed with open arms from Helena. We are so happy we were recommended from our videographer. She has amazing talent and we are extremely comfortable and happy with everything. Definitely keeping her in my contacts for all future needs and if anyone wants beautiful photos look no further.

I met with a few different photographers, Some not knowing my background in photography. It takes more then buying a fancy camera and starting a Facebook page to call your self a professional photographer.
We used them for our engagement photos as well as our Wedding. I have never felt so comfortable with anyone before. You deff need to feel this way on your wedding day.
When we booked them for our wedding never in a million years would I have thought I would like every single photo from my wedding. We all take bad pics right? Wrong! Not with these 2! The photos they captured are priceless. There a form of art at its finest.
We didn’t want boring wedding pictures that all look the same and there not that. They were on time for every appt. and on the day of wedding. Then kept focus from 9am to 10pm.
We had 3 kids in the wedding and they knew how to speak to them and get them to pose with out any crying (saints right?)
I could not be happier in giving these two 5 stars, I’d give them 10 if possible.

Helena did a portrait session with me so I could get some head shots for my business card and website. She was wonderful! She came up with a perfect outdoor location and gave me a handful of great shots which I now use in my promotion. She had a good turn around time on the finals and was easy to communicate with through the whole process. I’d definitely work with Helena again!

I throw a Harvest Party every year, and this year we made it extra special by having professional photography and a country-​style photo booth with costumes. Helena spent the day with us, capturing the moments of cider-​pressing and square dancing from *within* the party, making the candidness and authenticity really shine through in her work — many of her photos will become our guests’ holiday cards this year, I’m sure. All told, having Helena there to document the beauty and joy of the event was a fantastic gift, and we will welcome her back, with or without the camera.

Helena and Laurent organized an engagement photo shoot for us at the Conservatory of Flowers in SF– which is how we broke the news to our friends and family. Their approach to a wedding shoot is to witness and document a couple in their «natural state» — so rather than having some posed wedding portraits, we ended up with a beautiful window into one of the best chapters of our life. They artfully captured not just our faces, but the romance of the time and place. Imagine lounging at a private picnic in a meadow with your true love — wouldn’t it be nice to have your friends sneak over the hill and record the scene for posterity, without interrupting anything? That’s how I would recommend staging a shoot with these two. I did have a little bit of «stage fright» at the beginning, but they stayed with my fiancée and I until we relaxed into the date — I felt like they were working the whole time figuring out how understand and portray us.
We got to see the best 100 shots in less than a week. Their pictures outshone any snapshots we might have taken ourselves: never underestimate the impact of a trained eye behind the lens to make you look more beautiful than in real life. Our final gallery of images included portraits in color and B/​W, some close-​ups, but also scene-​setting images of the Conservatory and the California coastline to convey the atmosphere of the place. The pictures were edited and uploaded as a slideshow /​photogallery on their website online. From there, we were able to share the album with family and friends, download the files, or directly order prints of our favorites.
These two are a talented, professional and charming duo — highly recommended as wedding photographers. Worth the investment for timeless photos.

My fiancé and I used Helena and Laurent photography for our engagement photos and we loved them. For some reason, I thought taking our pictures was suppose to be «harder» than it was — far from it, in fact it was really easy and the main reason for the 5 stars outside of the incredible pictures we got at the end.
The process was so simple, Helena showed up, took some starter shots of us getting ready for the outing (even helped me when I asked for wardrobe advice), we went out to our favorite date spots around Point Reyes and fell in love all over again — just enjoying our date.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of pictures being taken during important moments like dates, but it was like she wasn’t even there — it was so easy comfortable.
It was like a dream and the pictures prove it. We love them.
Thank you Helena and Laurent!

As a professional performance artist, capturing my work is not only vitally important but also incredibly challenging. Helena’s documentation of my performance at the SFMOMA was completely unobtrusive to my performance, yet the photographs produced told the story of my piece perfectly. The two of them sent me my photographs promptly and were patient and helpful when answering my many questions. When I show the shots of my performance to others many people have taken note of the quality of the photography. I’m a bachelor (ahem, ladies), so I haven’t had them shoot my wedding, but all of the work I’ve seen of theirs has been on par with the quality of photography that I experienced working with them. They have a keen eye as well as a pleasant demeanor.