Hands On Studio

We had a session with with Kyle today at his studio and I’m so glad we went with Hands On. My son is 6 and severely autistic and Kyle had so much energy, patience, engagement and accepting of him. He spent as much time as we needed for our photos and they turned out beautiful. I highly recommend Kyle and Hands On Studio Photography!

Took a great photo with him years ago. Impossible to reach now. Does not answer general email. No way to leave message as auto-​attendant routes you to dead vmail box. Disappointing.

never returned a message I left about a sitting.

I was the last customer at this weekend. I saw the Unilocal reviews and chose Hands On Photo studio. It is close to 880, and easy to find. The facilities were designed as magazine photo shoot. Kyle is very professional. He took 2 hours after work to take 160+ photos and polish 3 of them. I am glad to choose Kyle to be my photographer. And his work is well done. My friends saw my photo in wechat, and they gave high praise. The editor of my new book loved all of 3 photos and will choose 2 of them to be the covers (front and back) of the book. Furthermore, I got the copies of the 38 photos without touch. Since I don’t know the color of the cover, Kyle offered the transparent background of 3 photos, and I can still get his help if I know the color of the cover. Nice choice, isn’t it?

Thanks Kyle for the fabulous photoshoot!!! He absolutely made it a fun experience. I would recommend Kyle to anyone I know. He is so patient at photoshop the pictures the way I want. And we were having a wonderful conversation through the whole time. His job definitely worth more than what he charges.

Hands on Photo provides quality video production services while delivering excellent cutsomer service — all at an affordable price. I used Hands on to develop a series of videos heavily leveraging graphics and animations and the output was great. Kyle — the owner — provides excellent personal attention to your job and he is always available to answer questions.

The experience of getting a professional photo could not have been better. Kyle is efficient, friendly, runs on time, and has a fantastic product. I will not hesitate to refer Kyle to any of my friends who need an excellent photographer. Thank you so much Kyle!

Thank you Kyle for the fantastic photoshoot! I had so much fun and felt completely comfortable and at ease!
Highly recommended!!!

Thank you so much for making Stephanie’s wedding fantastic! As a former wedding and event professional myself, I realized how tight the schedule was on the event day. You accepted the challenge gracefully and made it all seem effortless. To complicate things even further, all the family «dynamics» we’re handled as if they didn’t exist at all. I am so happy you could help make the day truly memorable! Kudos to you Kyle Chesser and I would highly recommend Hands on Photography ~ hands down!!!
Michelle Caplan
Mother of the Bride
Former professional wedding and event coordinator

Got my professional photos taken here and am a fan!
Kyle offers a great experience, is very personable and friendly. When going through the photos to select the finalists he helped me understand the process and was very knowledgeable about how his client companies handled their photos which saved much time and energy.
He made the process painless, fun and productive. Recommended!!!
Note: The office location might be hard to find initially. O’Toole Way can be tricky if you don’t catch the last parking lot entrance to the Rivers Edge Business Park. I had to make two laps around Brokaw and Junction.

«A picture is worth a thousand words.» This proverb best describes how I was enticed to look for the individual who took two stunning profile pictures that I saw on LinkedIn. He has taken more than two; I found out later.
I must say that when looking for someone to do a corporate photo shoot, looking at the work of a gifted photographer is more powerful than word-​of-​mouth advertising. And thanks to technology, anybody’s work of art can be viewed online so easily.
We had our photo shoot last week. We met Kyle Chesser who is very personable yet extremely professional, talented yet unassuming. He gave us personal attention and offered professional insight. Our pictures turned out nice.
If you want great photos and excellent customer service, I highly recommend Hands On Photo!

Had a great experience with Kyle. I went for a headshot and was pleased with the process and result.

After reading all the other 5 star reviews of Hands on Photo, there is not much else to add, I whole hardily agree with the 5 star rating. Kyle is very good at what he does, he can work magic with his camera and photoshop. I will definitely be going back in a few years to update my headshot and will recommend Hands on Photo to friends and coworkers.
Thanks Kyle!

really, really good experience. I am not photogenic, and I don’t enjoy the whole beauty-​based activity of getting ready for photos. But I needed a professional headshot, and I got one with Kyle and Hands On Photo. It was so unpainful and even pleasant that I regret having put it off so long – I was in and out in about 45 minutes, with a beautiful, natural looking picture of me, only better.
I subtracted one star because scheduling the appointment required numerous phone calls and emails. But it was well worth the effort – what an easy and pleasant way to get a professional and attractive photo. I’d highly recommend Kyle and Hands On Photo to anyone, but especially to photo-​phobes like me.

Got a professional headshot taken today with the Groupon deal. Kyle is a real pro and I can’t agree more on all the great things that other Unilocalers have said so I won’t repeat them here. Kyle is not only professional but also very patient. Last time we went to the mall for a X’mas photo, my wife, myself, and our puppy together got like 10 photos to choose from. This time just my headshot Kyle did 70 frames. He then systematically screened them out with me in multiple rounds. So even the very un-​photogenic me ended up with a «very handsome» (per my wife who loves it!) and professional looking photo, and the photoshop touch-​up was icing on the cake. I also noticed that Kyle did very nice family photos and portraits as well (you need to check out the one that he did for his wife and his kid) — something for me to consider next time.

I have photo sessions for myself regularly each year, and Kyle and his business has been the best so far!
In the past I have gone to mall-​based studios and selected sessions and products that provide digital-​based photos for purchase as my plans always focus on using my photos online, not via traditional prints for placing around the home. Hands on Photo specializes in digital photos and much more, costs the same or less, and with so much more expertise and great service than the mall-​studio staffs.
My session with Kyle was a total of 90 min from arrival to departure, and he involved me in the entire process.
Arrival/​setup — about 15 min. I was prepared when I arrived having come over directly from a makeup and hair session elsewhere. I brought over a couple outfit/​accessory choices, and Kyle gave some great advice on which outfits/​accessories would work best depending on my the intended use of my photo and the structure and aesthetics of how they fit together.
Photo shoot — about 15 min. Instead of the mall studios which take about 30 – 50 total shots of about 10 – 15 poses (only about 3 shots per pose), Kyle prepped me for 1 single pose — the headshot — at a very specific and optimal angle which produces the best personality and style. We took over 70 shots of this one specific pose, with me posing in a variety of smiles and expressions. This is how I like to take photos myself — take a lot — more than you think necessary — and then pick out the best later.
Choosing the best photo — about 15 min. There are a lot of photos to go through, and this was the most challenging part of the entire process. There were the usual few shots where I blinked or smiled half-​way, but sorting through the rest was challenging. Kyle helped guide me through a sampling-​review process of several at a time, so we could narrow down the candidates from 70 down to 19, then down to 8, then down to the final 2 best ones to work on. (The session price included 1 photo, but I opted to buy the 2^nd image at a very reasonable additional cost.)
Post-​production — Photoshop magic — about 20 – 30 min. This was the most fun part of the process, watching Kyle work his Photoshop skills, pulling out various magical editing tools and watching the wrinkles, stray hairs, blemishes go away, while still preserving the natural colors and textures underneath! Layers are created from the original photo, so portions can be preserved or recovered if needed. We even put back in a couple birthmarks on my face, so the polished photo would look even more authentic! Thicker hair (filling in thin and empty areas) as well as a slimmer jawline were all made possible with the newest technology!
Kyle provided the finished photo in a variety of resolutions and file types so I could use them on my website, brochures, Facebook profile, and any other digital use imaginable. He also provided me a transparent version (PNG) with background removed so I could even use that in other photos with other backgrounds — very versatile. No place else has provided that in a photo session before.
I found Hands On Photo through a Groupon a couple months ago. So glad I did. Even without the Groupon, his normal prices for a headshot session is competitive with the same prices I got at my mall studios and digital products there, so I plan on coming back for my photo updates later. If you book a session mentioning a friend’s name for referral, you can still get a pretty good discount.
Thanks Kyle for the great photo and great session! Very interactive and educational as well as very happy to leave on time with a great product. I started using my photo already the same night, with many friends instantly commenting online (within minutes) on my new photo.

Kyle made this amazing headshot of me and we were done in 38 minutes!

I had a great experience with Kyle and Hands On Photo while getting a head shot photo taken. I normally hate getting my picture taken but he offered great advice on some outfit choices I brought, helped pose me in natural and flattering positions and kept me loose during the shoot. The process to narrow down the 80+ photos to the best one was quick and easy and kind of fun. I little photoshop magic and the picture came out great and I’m proud to use it. I highly recommend Kyle and Hands On Photo.

Kyle is a excellent photographer, I was able to get this done at my lunch time. What a deal from a Groupon offer. I’m loving my photo to add to my social network profile and work profile. Thanks Kyle you are quick and painless and less expensive than a plastic surgeon. With talent, skill and you made me feel relaxed.
Thanks Dr. Kyle! You are awesome!!! 120 stars for you…

Kyle Chesser Of Hands On Photo is the most amazing photographer in the Bay Area. Not only does he do incredible photography but can do web design, video shoots, commercials, promotional material, logo’s etc… He is a one stop shop! I have worked with Kyle on many occasions from weddings to fashion shoots and he is very professional, courteous and his clients adore him. If you want the «Best» in quality, service and a true professional Kyle Chesser, and Hands On Photo is the only place to go!