Joe Payne Photography

I can't say enough good things about Joe Payne Photography and how awesome he was at our civil wedding session and the formal wedding! He aced both sessions!

The civil wedding session was a more intimate one, and Joe was there to mode up our emotions and capture them all. The photos turned out fantastic that way exceeded our expectations. Each picture was a masterpiece!

We were also impressed by Joe and his assistant during the formal wedding day. It was a pretty hot day. Both photographers arrived early and we had a bunch of photos taken at the hotel we were staying at, including both interior scenes and outdoor scenes. Their guidance on extracting emotions was so important. Our photos couldn’t be that lively without their help. For our formal wedding session at Duke Chapel, Joe and his assistant were able to capture our most emotional moments that we love so much! The same for the reception, even though it had been a long day, Joe and his assistant were still very focused on photo-shooting. We even sneaked outside of the reception area and took many sunset photos in the golf course adjacent to the hotel. Again, all photos were so amazing.

Another amazing part of Joe was that from the get-go, Joe was super chill and professional. We have many guests and relatives attending our wedding and Joe just had this knack for making everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera, which was huge on our big day when emotions were running high.

In all, I would say our wedding couldn’t be so successful without Joe and his assistant as our photographers. They truly made it to preserve our cherished moments into photos that we can save forever!

We are so so happy we chose Joe to do our wedding and engagement photos. He does an absolutely fantastic job, and I couldn’t recommend him more!!! Not only are the final pictures PHENOMENAL, but Joe made us feel so at ease during all the photo taking. Lots of laughs and fun times. He finds the best photo spots, both at our engagement shoot in downtown Raleigh, and our wedding at the Umstead in Cary. We are so pleased with the high-quality, beautiful pictures Joe delivers. Highly highly recommend!!!

Cannot recommend Joe enough!! When looking for a photographer for our wedding in October, I was looking for someone who could capture not just classic posed photos, but also the little candid moments between friends and family that you also want to remember from such a whirlwind of a day. I took one look at Joe's portfolio and knew he was our guy! Not only is he professional and kind (as well as his assistant Brian!), but his work is actually magical. He is able to use natural light like I've never seen, has a great eye for those candid moments, and is so passionate and dedicated to his craft (he actually got down in the dirt to capture sunset shots at just the right angle). With his documentary-forward style, he also has a magical way of becoming a true fly on the wall; we got photos back where we had no idea he was even there, and those are some of our favorites! He did all of this with a smile and a laugh, and I could not be more grateful we got to work with him. We have HUNDREDS of beautiful photos to look back on, and we could not be more thrilled!

James captured our wedding day beautifully. I can’t stop looking at the photos to remind myself of all the special moments that day. The entire process of working with Joe Payne Photography was seamless and I would recommend to anyone.

We had the privilege of working with Joe as our wedding photographer for our rehearsal dinner, wedding reception (also thanks to Joe's assistant Adam here!), and portrait session, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Joe's talent and professionalism were evident in every moment he captured.

We initially booked Joe because when we saw his photography collection, we felt like we were transported into a moment in time with the artistry and quality. When we looked through our photos after our wedding, we experienced those same feelings of wonder and awe at the moments he captured, and excitement and joy that we felt reliving it through the photos. These are elements that we felt are rare to find in many wedding photographers on the market, and elements that Joe encompasses so easily. I think the other technical skill to highlight is his mastery of multiple camera/film types that allows him to be able to capture each moment in its own unique way. As a result, we've got a well-rounded collection of color, black and white, candid, posed, portraits, and group shots that highlight our weekend (see some of our favorite photos below- there are so many this was a difficult task narrowing down!).

TLDR: If you want to have your photos to take your breath away, Joe's your guy to book!

Joe is a fantastic photographer. I'm so happy with our wedding photos. My husband and I chose Joe as our photographer because he specializes in portraits and photojournalism. Our formal photos were superb like out of magazine even though my husband and I never did an engagement photo session to get comfortable in front of a camera. Then after formal photos, I got to relax and let Joe do his magic of capturing the moments of the day.

-Rena

Joe’s work is true artistry! My son chose him to create a gallery of senior photos that were unique, a striking combination of b/w, color and a blend of amazing lens’ that captured a completely different sentiment. The collection could be displayed and sold at any high end art gallery. He’s a true professional and charming person that draws out the best in his client. If you want more than just your ordinary headshot or senior photo, you’ve found the right guy!

If I could plan my wedding again today, Joe Payne Photography would be the first vendor booked without question or hesitation! Joe perfectly captured our wedding weekend. Joe's skill and vision are unparalleled, and his personable nature truly sets him apart. He has a way of putting everyone at ease while also getting the job done and delivering an exceptional product. We wanted someone who was artistic and able to capture both portraits and candid moments - Joe exceeded all of our hopes. He provided a collection of documentary-style photos that tell the story of our weekend and a breathtaking set of portraits to share. Joe caught our emotional moments, our laughs, and all of our friends and family celebrating with us.

I cannot recommend Joe Payne enough for your wedding photography. In a time where there is no shortage of photographers, Joe's professionalism, skill, artistry, and personality set him miles apart from his peers.

Not only was Joe a pleasure to work with, his photography is second to none! His creativity and artistic style is evident in every photo! The photos of our wedding exceeded our expectations by far! We could not be more pleased with the photos and album and how they portrayed our special day! We would highly recommend Joe to record you special day/event.

We made the best decision to have Joe Payne as our photographer for our wedding! We had a South Indian wedding, which went for a full week with multiple events, so we were a little apprehensive about how the traditions and significant moments would be captured and to what extent. Joe was patient, understanding, and overall a lovely presence for us throughout the entire event. He was able to get beautiful shots of us in the midst of wedding chaos, and while we had to opt for our rainy day plan the day of, he was able to work with the conditions to his advantage. He had clear communication through the months leading up to the wedding as well and gave us a chance to list out every detail we would like to have captured and the vibe we would like to have for each event. The shots came out so beautifully and we could not be happier with our experience with him!! Looking forward to working with him again