Jay Eads Photography

It seems a huge shame that a few reviews might scare people away from Jay's excellent work! He's absolutely a five-star wedding photographer and was wonderful to work with. I admit, I was nervous after we sent an inquiry for our wedding based on his beautiful website portfolio, and then noticed he had such mixed ratings on Yelp and The Knot. We didn't have any referrals to go off of.Thankfully, the strength of his photos made us continue on. From looking at his website, we thought his compositions and choices were a cut above every other photographer we looked at. He had a semi-journalistic style (candidly capturing the action like you're there) that we both loved. My now-husband was set on him if at all possible. We asked him upfront about the negative reviews, and he was very calm and non-defensive about our hesitations and shared his thoughts on what may have happened. Our impression was that there were some extenuating circumstances of the reviews (and the same handful posted on multiple sites). Also, although he didn't say this, it seems that he doesn't spend his time being a salesman, for the most part. He didn't have slick vibes and hasn't bothered to polish his Yelp/platform image or solicit reviews -- he never nudged us for one, although other wedding vendors did. His approach may be because he gets work through word of mouth in his home city of Eugene, OR and doesn't bill himself as just a wedding photographer: he also photographs maternity, portraits, and other types of photography. He clearly does a lot of work and doesn't ask for reviews or he would have a lot of positive reviews!From our experience, Jay is authentic, highly skilled, professional, and reliable. The one thing that may bug a few people is he is not always the fastest communicator via email when he gets busy, but we thought he was speedy where it counted. His contract was reasonable and his rates were also very reasonable for a photographer of his caliber. He also put a lot of thought into building buffer in his travel, which I appreciated because there's a little more concern about flight delays when working with an out-of-town photographer.We flew him out first for an engagement shoot with us in San Francisco and he didn't charge us anything more beyond the travel expense (it was included in the package we selected). This served as a way to get to know each other before the big day -- highly recommend an engagement shoot for any wedding photographer you choose. He made us very comfortable and gave gentle guidance about how to pose for the best effect. During COVID times, he respectfully wore a mask. He was really generous with his time and very open to the kinds of shots we were hoping for, in multiple locations. We re-shot our proposal, which was originally done when we were alone, and he really captured the emotion. Before the day, he was also very encouraging of coming as we were and taking shots that felt like us -- I went with dressy jeans and a meaningful t-shirt in some shots and a nice sweater in some others. He made an album of so many wonderful shots.I was a little stressed out on our wedding day that I'd asked to do so many different group portrait shots, but in the end I was glad I had. Jay was detail-oriented and tracked to make sure we got every portrait and group photo on our list. He had people fix their ties, hair, and accessories before the photos, and kept people talking and laughing while he snapped. He was very flexible to what we wanted with just enough suggestions/tips for where to put one's hands, legs, etc. All the guests seemed very comfortable with him and were impressed by his affability and observational skills. He got so many shots of us and our guests having a great time that we love. He had an eye for dramatic moments and framing without us having to say anything specifically. We also generally asked him to get some pictures of the scenery, atmosphere and tables and he came through with great artistic shots that preserved some areas of the wedding we hadn't even seen.Amazingly, he came right from another wedding the previous day, and on 3.5 hours sleep he completely killed it. He didn't even tell us, but one of my husband's groomsmen (who was operating our video camera and thus a photography insider) found out that Jay got a lens error during the ceremony kiss and immediately dropped the camera and picked up his other one and got the shot! This is the pro level you pay for.Jay also went above and beyond, Photoshopping some pictures of our family members who had to wear masks for our event--after thoughtfully preparing substitute photos with the same lighting on the day--so they could safely have key group pictures of themselves without masks. Got our well-curated photo set back within 4 months, which was shorter than some of my friends' experiences, and we will treasure it always. We felt super lucky to have Jay as our wedding photographer and would recommend him to anyone!
Nov 10th, 2022

We absolutely loved working with Jay, and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer (to capture the spirit of an event, or simply to capture a moment in your life). We invited him into our 2021 mini-ceremony, as well as our larger (~100 guest) 2022 ceremony. He brought a professionalism, yes, and also a kindness and calm to our days that we greatly appreciated. And, has documented some of our very favorite moments in a way that truly reflects us. He was recommended to us by a dear friend, and we gladly pass that recommendation along.
Jun 8th, 2022

Jay goes above and beyond to take extraordinary pictures! My granddaughter was married September 2018, and he did an amazing job! Thank you Jay!!!
May 9th, 2019

My husband and I couldnt be happier with the amazing engagement and wedding photos Jay did for us. He is fun to be around, and eases your nerves through the tense and stressful wedding season just by doing what he does best. Beyond even all of that, his photos are absolutely priceless. I would recommend him to ANYBODY.
Jul 6th, 2018

Every wedding has a select few people who go above and beyond to make a difference. For us, Jay was one of those people. He was much more than a photographer--He was an absolute wealth of knowledge for all things wedding--I'm talkingvendor recommendation, advice, tips, and tricks. He evenshowed us how to properly put on a boutonniere and fill out our marriage certificate. You simply cant beat his experience of nearly 20 years. We were so caught up in the moment and excitement of the big day. Its a wonderful feeling to know and trust the person there documenting that for you. Jay also provides an engagement shoot, which is wildly helpful. He really works with you to understand what you like, and dont like. My husband has always been deathly afraid of photos. But with Jay, hes built a trust thats very evident. I have no doubt our wedding photos will turn out amazing, and perfectly curated to us. Thank you, Jay!
Oct 31st, 2021