My Clients
To have me say I'm a great photographer is one thing. Of course I'm going to say that, I want you to work with me! Having my past clients say it? That's something special. Below, I'm going to let my clients speak to what it's like to work with me, so you can hear what it's like to be on the other side of my camera and be a part of my client experience.
I’ll start off the review with HIRE DAWN IMMEDIATELY. We don’t want anyone else to take photos of us ever! The quality of work that Dawn produces is work every penny and more. I always describe Dawn’s style as “real life but better” because all of the colors are true to life just enhanced ever so slightly. I can’t think of a better way to look back on a memory than to think of it as being real life but better! Can you?!
When I finally met Dawn in 2017 after being a huge fan of hers for so long, I told her that she was without a doubt going to be my wedding photographer. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity to be honest. I wasn’t even engaged at the time (that came later in 2017) but it was abundantly clear that she was the one for the job. She was the first person we hired for our wedding as soon as we had a date and venue!
I can’t thank Dawn enough for the memories she’s captured for Nate and I. We did a mini session, 2 engagement sessions, 1 postponed wedding date session, I did a boudoir shoot, and our amazing wedding photos.
Dawn’s attention to detail, true love and passion for what she does, and general bright light of a personality truly shows through her work. She makes you feel supported through planning by always being ready to offer advice or just be a sounding board for ideas. She takes the time and effort to get to know you and your fiancé so she knows what is important to you on your wedding day. She’s real and relatable so you feel so comfortable around her. She really goes above and beyond in every aspect because she just cares so much!
I am a wedding florist so I have worked with Dawn many times on many clients weddings and the photos are always absolutely amazing. Out of the dozens and dozens of photographers I know and have worked with, I will always recommend Dawn first and will always be so excited to hear when someone tells me they’re working with her!
Dawn really is the absolute best person and photographer around and we are so thankful to have found her and call her a friend! Thank you so much Dawn! We love you ❤️
Miranda and Nate
Dawn was absolutely AMAZING. I couldn't have asked for a more professional photographer to shoot my wedding. She arrived early ( as she does for everything). Being a bride on her wedding day you can count on her to be on time and to put you at ease. She was always willing to get down and dirty to get those beautiful shots. She adventures with me for our Engagment photos to a natural waterfall, climbed up and down over rocks to get those amazing shots! The day of the wedding she was willing to take photos of me on a horse ( most photographers are scared to do so ) but this girly was not! She honestly worked with us to give us everything we wanted and more!!!! Her delivery time on images blew me away!!!! I had my photos less than a week!!!! A little gold box arrived at my door step, in that small box held images I will cherish for the rest of my life. I would absolutely recommend dawn! She was a blessing to work with!
Ashley and Stefan
There are no words that describe the way Dawn’s pictures make us feel. With all the options of wedding photographers in Pittsburgh, we are so grateful that we found Dawn who perfectly portrayed our day. Dawn truly has so many gifts. She is beyond creative, enthusiastic about her career, and absolutely hilarious! She puts everything she has and everything she is into making couples’ dreams come true through her work. Her talent is immeasurable and her portraits have no price tag. Our photos are not only immediate memories of our special day, but they are pictures we will share with our kids and grandkids. We love the detail shots, we love the candid shots, and we love the shots that show our emotions. We relive our day every time we look through our pictures. We loved that she researched our venue and surrounding areas, and she came prepared with Pinterest pictures to help us pose. Seriously, Dawn is the best!! SIMPLY AMAZING!!! We can’t thank you for capturing every moment of our special day!
Kelly and Jason
Not sure how to give this review because I can not really put into words how amazing Dawn is as a person and a professional photographer. If you are looking for a talented photographer who will make your experience with pictures fun and stress free, Dawn is your photographer. From the moment I found her Instagram page and fell IN LOVE with her skills I have NEVER regretted my decision to book with Dawn. Also, listen to all of her suggestions, DO the engagement shoot, DO the sunset pictures, DO EVERYTHING. She goes above and beyond to make your day as magical as you dreamed it would be. She pays attention to what really matters to her clients! I like to call her my photography unicorn because she seriously one of a kind and is VERY good at what she does. If you don't book her, you will regret it! Side note: I just got married last weekend, have only seen my preview pictures (which I got that night and the NEXT morning) and waiting for the rest. I'm writing this review now because that is just how OBSESSED with her I am.
Samantha and Dan
Leaving reviews for someone like Dawn seems irrelevant when all you need to do is look at her work because it speaks for itself. Her talent and passion for what she does pours out of every picture she takes. The detail and planing she puts into every picture at every shoot, I have never seen before and I did a lot of research when it came to photographers. They are the ones who capture the memories of the most important day of your life, so you want those pictures to be perfect. Dawn ensures that, that happens with every photo. She did our engagement photos, a boudoir shoot with me (which I totally recommend to every bride even remotely thinking about it! It’s so fun and makes you feel absolutely beautiful in your own skin.) and our wedding photos. Looking back at all of them now, I know without a doubt that Dawn was 100% the right choice. We get so many compliments on them all and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you Dawn! You rock!!
Marissa and Rick
We were so lucky to work with Dawn for our wedding photos, and I can't recommend her enough! She was incredibly kind, flexible, and easy to work with. I always felt like we were in great hands. Dawn scoped out the wedding venue ahead of time to set up great shots, and all around she gave us the feeling that our wedding pictures were as important to her as they were to us. She and her assistant worked wonderfully together to cover everything throughout our wedding day and evening. We had preview pictures within days, and the full set shortly after. They are beautifully done! We and our families totally love them :) Dawn even sent recommendations for printing services local to where we live overseas. Working with Dawn was wonderful all around and the perfect choice for wedding photography!
Rebecca and Ben
From the moment I spoke to Dawn, I knew I found the perfect photographer. You can hear her passion and love for what she does just by speaking to her. For me, it was important to have a photographer that was sensitive to a moment and let me tell you, she nailed it. Her love, for love, truly shines through the lens and she captures those AMAZING shots/moments. She is very experienced and was able to manhandle many people when it came to group shots and family shots in an organized way. I feel very fortunate that I had her talent, her energy, her comfort and her skills on the most amazing day of my life. She was a major reason why it was perfect. She puts 100% of her heart into what she does and I promise you, it was an honor to watch someone like her, doing her passion. Dawn, your'e fabulous! A true talent!
Jenna and Sam
Quite honestly, I think that Dawn’s work speaks for itself, but I am going to write a review anyway. Dawn is as kind as she is talented. She was the first photographer that we met with, and my husband and I both liked her so much that we didn’t feel the need to look further. We didn’t plan to do an engagement shoot, but we decided to and were glad that we did. It gave us a chance to get to know Dawn a bit before the wedding and we were able to use those photos for bridal shower and wedding decorations. Leading up to the wedding, Dawn was professional and organized with a detailed online questionnaire and the option for online payment. She was always fast to respond and answer questions. Did I mention that all of her photos are gorgeous? Seriously. She captured the details of our wedding flawlessly. She sent us a USB drive with our engagement and wedding photos as well as several prints in a beautiful wooden box. To sum up, Dawn is awesome, talented, helpful and professional. My husband and I could not be happier with our decision to hire her and we suggest you hire her too!
Alyssa and Arch
Dawn is simply the best. She is so professional, and also just a very sweet and kind person! From the first time we met with her, I knew she was the one. Dawn is so prepared and easily reassured me that she has actually thought of everything! She is creative, funny, and super on top of everything. She arrives early, sends proofs early, and is always so quick to communicate with. She made us feel and look like movie stars - I had complete trust in her with every pose she put us in. She also let us be 'us' and captured it perfectly. With so many decisions to be made dealing with a wedding, I can genuinely say that choosing Dawn to photograph my special day was the easiest and best decision I made.
Samantha and Adam
You deserve to have a photographer as amazing as Dawn. We can't stress enough how much we love her and would recommend her a million times over. Not only is she an amazing photographer that gave us thousands of unparalleled photos between our 2 shoots, she's an incredible person and every second you spend with her will be a delight. She made us feel so at ease, made us laugh, we made each other cry for sure—and honestly, she helped make our wedding the success it was. She's professional and dedicated, took charge when we needed it, wrangled our friends and took gorgeous, quality photos of everything we asked for and everything we forgot. Seriously, if you're looking for a wedding photographer, you could not pick a better one than Dawn.
Lauren and Chris
We LOVE Dawn!!! I don't know how she does it, but Dawn manages to capture the most stunning photos - and quickly!!! She is such a pro and so fun to work with. Dawn shot our Wedding, Rehearsal Dinner, and our amazing Engagement Shoot. My Husband and I are not great photo takers, but somehow Dawn made it so easy, fun, and natural!! We couldn't be happier with our photos. Dawn is never afraid to go the extra mile to get the shot!! She walked through a muddy horse stable for our engagement shoot and rode around in a golf cart with us at our ceremony (one of my fav memories of the day!) the result is unique, beautiful, photos and memories that will truly last a lifetime!!! She captured our wedding beautifully from detail shots to candids. I just can't say enough about how talented Dawn is. Book her!!
Abby and Steve
I'm so happy we chose Dawn for our wedding photos! She is so easy work with, organized and incredibly talented.
We decided to have an intimate wedding due to COVID. Even though it was such a small wedding, Dawn made us feel so special throughout the whole process. She took the time to meet with us virtually before our wedding to get to know us as a couple and listened to what our dream vision was for our wedding photos.
I don’t usually like to have my picture taken, but I never felt so comfortable in front of a camera before. Dawn’s energy and outgoing personality helped calm my nerves. Our photos turned out beautifully and we couldn’t be happier! Dawn is incredibly talented and her work speaks for itself.
I definitely recommend choosing Dawn as your photographer. She is so easy to work with and your photos will turn out beautiful.
Thank you for making our wedding day so special Dawn!
Kaitlin and Reggie
My wife and I met with several photographers and finally chose Dawn. Dawn was so much fun, talented, and had an attention to detail like none other we met. All of her photos are unique and beautiful. She arrived early on the wedding day and helped keep things organized and stress-free all while taking candid and amazing photo's! We chose Dawn for an engagement shoot (after already doing 2 with other vendors) because we knew it simply had to be re-shot by her. I assure you you'll never be disappointed or have a missed shot with her. Dawn goes above and beyond to get the shots she and you want which is handsomely rewarded in amazing quality photos you receive back that are memories for a lifetime.
Cody and Kristen
Dawn is absolutely phenomenal - she is so enthusiastic and great at making the couple feel super comfortable. I wouldn't say that my husband and I are really all that photogenic, but she made us look amazing! We can't get over how great all of the photos look - from the engagement photo session to the wedding day photos, every single one was absolutely perfect. She was super easy to work with, very communicative, and clearly loves what she does. She really helped to make the day run smoothly and it was so nice to be able to see a sample of the photos the very next day! I would recommend Dawn to anyone looking for a photographer...for anything!
Hannah and Ryan
Dawn and her second shooter were phenomenal for our wedding at the Gardens of Stonebridge! I came across her on Instagram, was the only photographer we met with, and knew that she was the best fit for us! Not only did she have a ton of experience and professionalism, but she was, also, extremely honest and down-to-earth, which made us feel comfortable throughout the whole process. She is way more prompt with returning messages than any other person I have ever met, and she prides herself on her Type A personality. She is the perfect balance of in control, yet chill that you want on your wedding day! She made us laugh & brought out the best in us in our photos, despite everyone wanting to just go inside to some A/C on the hottest day of summer. We followed her lead as the professional with no regrets! Do not be afraid to use her expertise to your advantage. She provided good leads for places to look into as far as vendors when we weren't sure, and she helped me solidify my short, wedding day timeline - an area I was most nervous about. Hands down, look no further, Dawn is the best. Quality and Personality - What more do you want?
Kelly and Aaron
From start to finish Dawn was an absolute dream to work with! When I first saw her work I told my husband that she HAD to be our photographer and then after meeting her I knew it would be a perfect match. She is organized, detailed oriented, and creative beyond words! She never told us an idea was off limits. We drug her out on the coldest day of the year (-10 degrees) and asked for our engagement pictures to be on the top of a mountain. It was freezing, but she did a phenomenal job of making the entire experience so much fun! And our pictures were breathtaking!! Dawn was a breath of fresh air on our wedding day. Her energy and spirit is uplifting and refreshing! She made everyone feel comfortable and most importantly ensure we all had a blast with her!! She made sure the chaos of a wedding day was organized and stuck to our timeline like clockwork. We also loved that she was present, but not invasive so our wedding day wasn’t spent with a camera in our face. We were given beautiful pictures that we will cherish for a lifetime!!
Kecli and Matt
You know how when you meet a person and can instantly tell that they are genuine within the first few words they speak? That is Dawn. Aside from her work being incredible (you're here, you already know that) she is a fantastic person. My husband and I changed our wedding plans (and date!) from an hour outside of Pittsburgh to over two hours outside of Pittsburgh and Dawn did not even bat an eye. She traveled to Cleveland for both our engagement shoot and our wedding and we are so thankful that she did! For our wedding, Dawn brought her second shooter, Kristy, and she was an absolute gem. They say, "you're only as good as the company you keep" and Dawn keeps the best company. Dawn focuses on what is important to you and goes above and beyond- capturing what you don't even realize is important to you. We will cherish our photos forever and you just can't put a price on that. Come see us in Cleveland any time! <3
Randi and Richard
Dawn is so absolutely amazing! She was recommended to us by a friend, and we are SO glad we booked her! Dawn is very accommodating and understanding. We told her that my fiancé didn’t like getting his picture taken. She posed us and snapped the pics efficiently and quickly. The photographs from both our engagement session and wedding are absolutely stunning. Dawn is very quick to respond and willing to help you with anything she can. She gave me recommendations for other vendors, provided feedback, gave advice and was a listening ear when we needed to vent. We got married in September 2020. Many of our plans changed due to COVID-19. Dawn was so empathetic and helpful throughout. I got ready with just my mom and Dawn in the room. Dawn was a stand in friend and bridesmaid to me. I will never forget those special moments. We have received nothing but compliments on how beautiful our pictures are and how fantastic Dawn is. She has a super fun personality, kind heart, and exquisite photography skills. We cannot say enough about the wonderful Dawn Derbyshire!
Mallory and Andy
If I could give Dawn 100 stars I would. She is SO SO talented. I booked Dawn as soon as we got engaged ( a year in a half ago) because I knew we had to have her as our photographer. I loved her style and the soft/romantic look of her pictures. When we met with Dawn we KNEW she was the photographer for us. Not only does she make you feel comfortable, she has the best personality! She is very professional, but fun at the same time. She is very organized and fast at responding back to her clients, which was huge for us. Fast forward to June 22, 2019 Dawn was EVERYTHING I could've asked for in a photographer and so much more. Looking at our pictures (which she got back to us super fast) Dawn captured every single detail and I am forever grateful for that. We were reliving our wedding day looking through our pictures. She focuses on what is important to you as a couple and she sure delivers. I can promise you that you need Dawn to be your photographer. You will not be let down. Her work speaks for herself. I truly cannot thank her enough for our amazing, beautiful wedding pictures that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!
Bri and Anthony
Dawn was one of the first and easiest choices we made when it came to our wedding. I had been following her on Instagram for a while and had found that every time I saw a wedding photo that I liked, I would check and it turned out she had taken it. As soon as we had a date I sent her a message and when it turned out she had our date available, I jumped at the chance to meet her. It only took a few minutes of that initial meeting to know that we were going to go with Dawn as our photographer and there wasn’t one single day of that next year and a half when I wasn’t grateful for that. Dawn takes incredible photos. They’re beautiful, they don’t look too stiff or posed, the lighting is always gorgeous. Working with her is an absolute breeze – she knows exactly what to say to make you laugh or smile and she will literally coach you through every element of a pose if that’s what you want/need. She acknowledges the awkward feeling that is being in front of a camera in that way and uses it to bring out laughs and smiles that lighten up your photos and bring a beautiful joy to them. When you choose Dawn, you know without a doubt that you are getting stunning photos, that they’re going to be edited beautifully, and that you’ll have access to all of them – no weird limits on how many you can download or print. But on top of that, you’re getting someone who’s been in the wedding industry for 10+ years and has literally seen it all. There is not a single thing that could happen on your wedding day that she hasn’t seen already and isn’t currently prepared to deal with should it happen again. She is knowledgeable about probably any type of wedding vendor in the Pittsburgh area and can give you recommendations for anything. She can help you with your timeline, with planning questions, or even just with talking you down from your irrational wedding jitters. Am I gushing? Yup. Do I care? Nope. Dawn is amazing. If you get the chance, please work with her. I promise you you’ll end up gushing too.
Maya and Josh
While there are amazing photographers in Pittsburgh, I’m going to have to argue that Dawn Derbyshire is the best. She was the first vendor I booked in July 2018 right after we booked our venue. And after seeing the INCREDIBLE 110 photos she produced within less than 24 hours after our wedding, I remember why that was. Honestly --- every photo looks as though it could be published in a magazine and captures how we were feeling on your special day. Dawn's attention to detail is impeccable. She is also hilarious, charming, and so sweet to work with, she makes you feel so comfortable. INSANE GOOD PEOPLE! She also sent us over 1000+ more photos within 10 days of the wedding, and hand delivered the USB drive with the most adorable package including a few cute little gifts and a stack of prints that we weren’t even expecting! We also used her selfie booth at the wedding for the guests, and they were all obsessed and wanted to take it home lol. If you are lucky enough to have Dawn be available on your day, book her immediately! SERIOUSLY -- she will capture your day in a way that you can truly relive it for the rest of your lives.
Christy and Jimmy
Before we were even engaged, we knew we wanted Dawn’s style for our engagement and wedding. She made us feel so comfortable when we first met her and our engagement shoot was a blast! I am not one for pictures typically but she made the experience so easy us and we could not believe how gorgeous the photos were! Get yourself a vendor that cares for you as a friend would, get yourself Dawn! UPDATE: Dawn CRUSHED the wedding (of course!) She helped with timeline, corralled my crazy family, efficiently shot every photo I wanted (I wanted a lot) and squeezed in more! She had amazing instincts on where to go, how to pose, and captured a bunch of amazing unplanned photos too. She is awesome. My group chat with my friends is constantly hyping up Dawn (even months after the wedding), I like every photo she posts, and I want her to shoot ANY event I ever have in the future. I love her and want to be her BFF lol she is truly the greatest ray of sunshine in the Pittsburgh wedding industry. I did a boudoir with her after the wedding and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. I had a lot of anxiety leading up to the shoot by I arrived and she made is so easy and as always, I had nothing to be worried about because I was working with Dawn. :)
Kelly and Levi
Dawn is simply the BEST! Both in talent and personality. She could not be more enjoyable to work with and her photos are just amazing. My husband and I were uncomfortable (to say the least) having our photos taken prior to our engagement session. After spending just a few minutes with Dawn at our engagement shoot our discomfort dissolved and we found ourselves having fun!! Fast-forward to our wedding day. We were in the middle of a pandemic. I had my three dogs there. It poured. Needless to say, we didn’t make it easy on her. Her calm, fun-loving personality helped us to enjoy our day despite all craziness and our pictures turned out unbelievable. I never thought I could like pictures of myself this much! Anyone would be lucky to work with Dawn and the would recommend her a thousand times over!
Olivia and Alex
I booked Dawn over two years in advance of my wedding because her work speaks for itself. She was incredibly accommodating from the start as we met in person (pre-Covid) an hour away from where she lives just to go over her approach and contract so that it was a shorter drive for me! From our initial meeting, I knew she was the perfect photographer as her organization skills and type-A style was unmatchable. Over the next two years, she was nothing short of responsive and accommodating. Due to Covid, we went from a 150 person wedding, down to 18, then back to 75 and she never batted an eye and offered an unwavering support. She never made me feel guilty for my decisions and reassured me that she wanted to do whatever she could to make our wedding special. The day of the wedding, she stopped by my venue first to meet with my other vendors and pick up flowers from my florist for detail shots and was still early. I accidentally gave her second shooter the wrong hotel address to get pictures of the guys getting ready and she LAUGHED AND AGAIN, DID NOT BAT AN EYE at my total mistake (I’m still so sorry)! The entire day she was a calm presence to be around and has such an eye for the “money shots” that you swear you could never pull off. My family and friends had an amazing time being around her and guests still continue to sing her praises of the gorgeous photos she takes. Both Dawn and her second shooter wore their masks the entire day which was a huge deal and comfort to my vulnerable grandparents. I know how much heart she puts into the safety of her clients and it does not go unnoticed. I am so thankful we had Dawn to capture our big day. We had over 100 pictures the NEXT MORNING and over 1,000 pictures in less than a month. Her talent is second to none and I never hesitate to recommend her by name to anyone looking for a true professional who makes absolute magic via camera. Do not hesitate for a second to book her.
Cailey and Mike
If you're looking for your photographer- look no further! It is truly impossible to put into words how much we LOVED working with Dawn! I originally booked a photographer (without looking at vendors in Pittsburgh) from back home. With fate on our side, when our original photographer backed out due to covid-19, we got connected with Dawn! Now- we can’t imagine working with anyone else- so fun, easy going, great ideas, and funny! Dawn anticipated our questions and concerns before we even brought them up. The FAQ book she shows her clients is AMAZING! You can tell from that book alone, how much thought, care, skill, and knowledge she has about photography. I consider myself a very organized bride but Dawn had me beat! One of my favorite things about working with her is she made it a priority to capture moments you would find so critical after the whirlwind of a day- moments between parents, siblings, special details, and decorations. My now husband and I originally didn’t want an engagement session but when Dawn recommended it we went for it. It was a great opportunity to meet her and learn about photo-taking tips. She made it an easy and comfortable experience. On the day of our wedding, the bridal party and our families continuously brought up how easy she was to work with. She had us laughing throughout the day and she reminded us to have fun and enjoy each moment! Due to covid-19 we had multiple changes, including our venue, and she rolled with it all and somehow captured a front yard ceremony into such an elegant and special experience. The pictures captured her incredible skill, but also the love, relief, and fun that filled the day. The pictures turned out more beautiful than we could have imagined and she delivered our usb in a package of goodies- it was so thoughtful and creative! Dawn is the best!
Emma and Eric
Investing in Dawn to capture my wedding day was the best decision I made when planning my wedding. When I initially reached out to Dawn, my now husband and I were planning on getting married in Jamaica! Although we are from PA, we moved to SC shortly after hiring Dawn. Being the amazing person she is, she planned a trip to SC and captured our engagement photos. They turned out so so amazing and my ever so stubborn, picture taking hater husband absolutely loved her! That alone speaks volumes. 75 days prior to departure to Jamaica, COVID-19 shook all of our worlds and we had to cancel our dream destination wedding. Dawn was beyond accommodating, so positive, super helpful, and made the transition from Jamaica to a SC wedding a breeze! I can’t thank her enough for all her kind words and keeping this Covid Bride sane! Although we couldn’t get married in Jamaica, our photos looked like something out of a destination wedding magazine. We are in awe of our photos and can’t believe we get to share our album for years and years to come. All of our family and friends can’t get over how beautiful our photos are and everyone at the wedding thought she was the sweetest soul ever! Dawn’s work is truly unmatched. She is so talented and darn good at her job. We can’t thank her enough for capturing our day! If you’re looking for the most incredible photographer EVER, you must invest in her!
Cierra and Drew
Dawn is AMAZING!!! We booked Dawn after she photographed a wedding that I was in and it became clear that she was awesome on the day of and her photos speak for themselves. From the moment we first sat down to talk about our vision and what we were looking for Dawn listened and learned and was so committed to capturing our love exactly how we wanted her to. The amount of planning that Dawn puts in shows in how perfectly executed all of our photo sessions with her were. Our engagement photos were SO MUCH FUN! The weather wasn't perfect but somehow Dawn made magic with our photos. She mastered the lighting, helped us to be so much less awkward and captured so many pure moments... it was almost impossible to pick a favorite. Getting married during a pandemic was far from easy but Dawn was there every step of the way and was so flexible and understanding. When we decided to keep our date for a small ceremony and postpone our large reception Dawn was immediately helpful and willing to do whatever we needed. The morning of our wedding day she did an amazing job coordinating detail shots (plus she brought props that were fantastic!), she also worked so well with our videographer to keep things moving leading up to the ceremony. From the beginning to end of the day she allowed us to enjoy every second of our day while also capturing beautiful photos and that we are so grateful for. She also does an amazing job of "posing" you without making the photos looked posed and has the best ideas of where and when to take photos. The results were magical. I could go on for hours about how much we loved working with Dawn but to summarize... hire her right now! You will not only have amazing photos to show for it but you will enjoy working with her every step of the way!
Caylen and Kevin
First and foremost let me start by saying -- I LOVE DAWN DERBYSHIRE! From our first meeting, we knew she was going to be the right fit for our wedding. Her passion for photography was evident from the beginning. Dawn is very detailed and organized, and was always very quick to respond to any questions I had throughout the process. Both our engagement and wedding photos turned out AMAZING! One of the best things about Dawn is her versatility. I appreciate that we will have traditional wedding photos, but also that she is able to think outside of the box to get photos that are a little unconventional. Lets also not forget to mention that she is a flat lay QUEEN -- so if details are your thing, you need to hire Dawn immediately. She is not afraid of a little weirdness, which was perfect for our wedding party and our day. I wish I could give Dawn a million stars, as our day would not have been perfect without her in it.
Amber and JB
I don't even know where to start honestly. Dawn was the best decision we made throughout our entire planning process. Hands down. From day one she was extremely responsive, excited, professional and cared about what we really wanted. She communicated with us throughout the entire planning process and offered awesome advice, vendor recommendations, etc. Photography was extremely important to me and she absolutely nailed it. We did an engagement shoot which was phenomenal, and I also did a boudoir shoot with her which was an awesome experience. All of her photos came out sooo incredibly fast and they were beyond our expectations. On our wedding day, she felt like a side kick. She made me feel calm by knowing exactly what needed to be done and when. She would literally jump through fire to get the perfect shot and I honestly couldn't recommend her more. Our wedding photos were BEYOND stunning and everything we ever wanted. We have gotten so many compliments on our photos it's insane and she captured the little moments and quirks that made our day special. Also, her detail shots are the best I've ever seen. If you invest in anything for your big day, invest in photography, specifically, Dawn. She will absolutely blow you away.
Carly and Joe
We highly recommend Dawn Derbyshire for your wedding photography. She was definitely one of our best vendor decisions for our wedding day. We cannot speak highly enough of Dawn as both a photographer and as a person. We're so grateful that we found and hired Dawn to photograph one of the most important days of our lives. She truly exudes creativity, passion, and professionalism. From our first meeting to our engagement session and our wedding day--Dawn completely understood our vision and made us feel at ease. She was able to capture the genuine, candid moments of the day, the spirit of our relationship, and all of the little moments that elicit big emotions. We will truly cherish every detail shot, every portrait, and ever candid she took of our day. Dawn's expert planning, organization, and attention to detail ensured that we never felt rushed but kept things moving so that we were able to fully enjoy our wedding. We took her advice and enjoyed a moment away from everyone for sunset photos--I'm so glad that we did. She went above and beyond to make sure we had every possible shot we wanted and more. Thank you so much Dawn! You're truly the best.
Julia and Matt
I HIGHLY recommend Dawn for your wedding photographs, as she was the best decision that we made regarding our wedding day! Dawn was wonderful from the first time that we contacted her. She replies extremely quickly to emails and was helpful in planning the timeline for our wedding day. The quality of her photos are amazing and we have received so many great compliments from people about our photos. I enjoyed getting to work with Dawn for our engagement shoot as well, as this allowed us to feel more comfortable with her and having our photos taken, and I went into the wedding day feeling very confident about working with Dawn given our engagement shoot experience. Dawn is extremely organized, and detailed oriented, and this was so helpful knowing that nothing would be overlooked. Dawn went above and beyond multiple times, including being super flexible when our engagement photo shoot kept getting rained out, arriving early on the wedding day, and bringing beautiful props to photograph our wedding details. Lastly, she had our wedding photos edited and returned to us by the time we returned from our honeymoon two weeks after the wedding! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Dawn and I am so happy that she was a part of our wedding day, as we ended up with beautiful pictures and she made the entire day go very smoothly.
Janessa and Mike
Incredible! Exceptional! Amazing! There aren't enough words to describe just how truly perfect Dawn is both personally and professionally. Her skills in photography are unmatched - her photos speak for themselves and are nothing short of stunning! She has a raw talent for flawlessly capturing each and every special moment that you'll want to save for a lifetime; both when you're smiling into the camera as well as when she's taking a shot you aren't even aware of. Dawn made sure to get all of the pictures we wanted and so many more! From start to finish of the big day we never felt rushed by her, however she had an excellent balance of keeping us on track to ensure we got all the photos we wanted while also making sure we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves! The photos we received for our wedding far exceeded our highest expectations, even knowing how incredible her work was based on our engagement photo session. I cant say enough wonderful things about her brilliant skills with photography, but beyond that she is excellent in terms of professionalism. Dawn's organizational skills take so much work/planning off of the brides plate, which is a huge help! Her correspondence was very quick and timely making communication a breeze! Also, her constant willingness to make a flexible schedule made planning and coordinating with her effortless! We are so grateful to have had Dawn as our wedding photographer, she is truly one of a kind and anyone would be lucky to have her! We genuinely are so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Dawn and would highly recommend her to anyone and everyone looking for a photographer for their special occasion!!! Please do look at her Instagram (@DawnDerbyshirePhotography) and Facebook account (Dawn Derbyshire Photography) as well - her highly rated talent speaks for itself through the incredible photos posted!
Alexa and Brette
Choosing Dawn was the best decision we could have made! We fell in love with her immediately and quickly realized how special she was after our engagement session. Dawn is professional, kind, hilarious, and has a way of making even the most camera shy person open up to get some AMAZING photos. She knows how to command the attention of family members that are just not that interested in taking photos, and the results are amazing. Her second photographer is equally as wonderful and made me feel like literal royalty as she was fanning me down to keep me cool underneath layers of lace. I feel so lucky to have had Dawn as our wedding and engagement photographer and look forward to staring at our photos for the rest of forever. Do yourself a favor and hire Dawn - you will NOT regret it!!
Briana and Sean
Dawn is AMAZING! We knew from the moment we talked with her that she was the perfect fit to shoot our wedding. Dawn is SO organized, easy to work with, funny, collaborative, and one hell of a photographer. We did three sessions with Dawn - our engagement shoot at Raccoon Creek State Park, a night shoot in the city of Pittsburgh, and our wedding at Gardens of Stonebridge. I can't say enough great things about our experiences with her! My husband hates having his picture taken but felt at ease with Dawn thanks to her ability to make it fun and give prescriptive direction. He even said "that was fun" after our engagement shoot ended -- words I never expected to hear!
Dawn has a knack for creating photo magic, whether your backdrop is ordinary or the coolest backdrop you've ever seen. We're so thankful she captured so many awesome moments for us to look back on for years to come. Choosing our favorite photos is one of the hardest parts because they are ALL. SO. GOOD.
I would recommend Dawn to anyone, and we plan to work with her again in the future!
