Mike Danen wedding photographer San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, bay area

I did a ton of research on wedding photographers and interviewed several of them to make sure I was picking the right one for our wedding day. When we finally met with Mike Danen and were able to discuss his practice, his art, and his prices, we knew that he was the right one for us.Based on his calm flexible personality alone, we could tell how he would not only be a pleasant presence for us on one of the most important days of our lives, he would also produce amazing artistic images that we would cherish forever. Based on his portfolio, it was apparent that he was super talented and had a very unique approach to wedding photography, often producing images that could belong to an art or fashion magazine (as a former model, I found this to be especially appealing). Moreover, his prices were the most reasonable I had seen for his extremely high caliber work.Signing a contract with him on the spot, my husband and I felt secure with our choice. When the time for our engagement shoot approached, we were both excited and nervous about how everything would turn out. Knowing he was really good, we wondered how he might capture us. As could be expected, the day turned out wonderfully; Mike gave us all of the time and scenarios we could want, completely flexible with his schedule. This was all in spite of the fact that he had injured himself in the course of our shooting due to some rather jagged rocks in one location. Afflicted leg and all, he insisted that he could continue despite our concern for his comfort. Notwithstanding the injury, he still produced amazing images that day -- which were so awesome, we couldn't resist using our favorite ones in a photo guest book for our wedding reception.Now knowing firsthand beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mike was a photographic superstar, we were already excited in anticipation of our future wedding images. When the big day finally came, Mike showed up early and stayed late with his assistants, covering every artistic scenario and giving us way too many awesome photos to choose from -- a blessed curse, if you will. Notably, he and his team were able to capture all matter of awesome moments without interfering with our events or encroaching upon our space. Bottom line: they were very subtle but VERY effective.Now we are left with the task of narrowing down our favorite images to incorporate into our wedding album -- a task that is nearly impossible when an fabulously talented artist like Mike Danen gives you way too much strikingly awesome material. Indeed, Mike was seriously one of the best investments we made for that day. Without him, we may not have been able to commemorate the details of our wedding nearly as well. I highly recommend!

Mike Danen is the BEST! Seriously, there is not much more to say than that. He did an AMAZING job with our engagement photo session and an even more AMAZING job with our wedding pictures! In a nutshell, here is why working with Mike has been great:1. He is extremely talented and professional! His photos are AMAZING and he has a great eye! All of my family members (many of them hobby photographers) rave about his work2. He is responsive, I would email him and receive a response within 24 hours3. He is flexible and willing to work with clients on scheduling, etc4. He listens, if I asked for a certain pose or photo (like of my dog), he took the photo and then suggested other interesting photo opps5. He did not get in the way, the nice part was that I hardly felt that he was at the wedding, and he was able to stay out of the way and still get all the shots I wanted. Unlike other photographers who you feel are constantly in your face/way trying to capture that "perfect picture"I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Mike. I hope that I am able to work with him again at some future point!

Mike's photography & his assistant were INCREDIBLE. He was soooo pleasant to work with & I would highly recommend him to anyone who would like a professional memento to look at from time to time. The Engagement Photos Session was a blast. We would have liked a few more close up shots of us, and that should have been communicated by us, but everything else was perfect...

Mike did such a beautiful job, we love our pictures!

It was so great working with Mike, he's really a fun, easygoing guy. He did such a great job, I love love love my wedding photos! He made me look and feel so beautiful!

Mike is a special person, and a fantastic, creative photographer. Highly intuitive, he was a fun and calm presence on my wedding day- when I was melting down. He helped me calm down, not get too nervous, and enjoy my day. And he got so many beautiful images. Most of which I completely missed. I am overjoyed with my pictures, they are so beautiful! So many artistic shots that are more like fashion than wedding photos. All of my friends and family were so impressed with him, and my maid of honor has now booked him for her wedding! I highly recommend him! http://www.mikedanen.net/

What can I say, Mike is absolutely an amazing artist. I loved working with him, he was so fun, helpful, and giving. What a charming guy. And my wedding pictures are so beautiful! He captured everything that I missed in the whirlwind of the day, and my wedding album is just to die for. All of my friends and family are so impressed. I get to pat myself on the back for finding him. Definitely see if he's available if you are getting married in the Bay Area.

Mike is fabulous! He has an artistic eye for wedding photography, and creates pictures that are really different from the usual stuff. So many of my photographs stand out as fine art prints on their own- not just typical wedding pictures. He was easy to work with, and made everything comfortable. I can't believe how good he made me look! Everyone thought he was great, and he was attentive and professional on my wedding day. I really can't recommend him highly enough!

What can I say about Mike....he is absolutely amazing!Seriously.I am so happy with my wedding pictures, and my album. Breathtaking. He has such an artistic eye, everything came out so much better than I imagined possible. And he captured so many precious moments that we would have totally missed.Mike is fun and easy-going, and really made us comfortable. That is so important, because I really don't like my picture being taken.If you can get him you will be so happy. Our friends and relatives are all ooohing and aaaaahing over our photos. We really cherish them!

Mike is amazing! He made us feel comfortable and took beautiful pictures! Can't wait to do my trash the dress shoot!

Mike Danen is really an amazing wedding photographer. Our pictures are so beautiful, and he really caught the spirit and fun of our day. It was so nice having him with me, really making me feel calm and beautiful, which I'm sure helped the photos. The guys loved him, he was fun and casual, and caught really fun shots of them. My wedding album is so amazing, with a beautiful design, and it looks great in our living room. All or my friends and family have been amazed, they've really never seen wedding photos like this!

Mike Danen is an amazing wedding photographer! I am completely delighted with my pictures. He was so nice, and calm on the day, he made me feel comfortable and beautiful- which helped the photos I think. Everyone thought he was fun, and great to have with us. The images that he created are so elegant and beautiful. Definitely not your usual wedding photos. And you should see my gorgeous album!

Mike was an absolute pleasure to work with, and he got every shot that I wanted, plus a ton that I missed in the mad rush of the day. I was stunned by the gorgeous photographs, and all the beauty and emotion that he captured. I can't recommend Mike highly enough, he's a true artist. Plus, he made me a beautiful video of the day.

I can't say enough about how much I LOVE my wedding photographs! Mike Danen is really an amazing artist. All of my friends raved about my album, and they wish that he had photographed their wedding. Mike was definitely my best wedding vendor, fun to hang with, a pleasure to work with, and the photos are fantastic. He got all the details, and captured everything- including a lot that I somehow missed! I highly recommend him.

I am so delighted that I was able to have Mike Danen photograph my wedding day! He was such a pleasure to work with, every step of the way. He got everything, including so many moments that I missed in the whirlwind of the day. He was also fun to have along with us on our day. My wedding photographs exceeded my expectations, they are truly beautiful works of art. I get misty eyed every time that I look at them. Mike was my favorite vendor, and I would give him my highest recommendation.

Mike is fantastic!! His personality is so laid back and friendly, and he takes amazing pictures without you even noticing that he is there. He let us decide how many formal shots to take, and didn't say any annoying phrases or hound the bridal party to behave. Every time I wanted to take extra pictures he was willing to help us decide how to pose and make suggestions.

Then, our photos were ready for us on a website so we could share them with our family only 17 days after the wedding! I was amazed at how quickly we got the photos and how amazing they were.

I highly recommend Mike, he didn't even charge us a travel fee to come out to Napa, and he was with us for the ENTIRE day.

Mike Danen is truly a dream come true! The time and energy that he put in for my wedding photographs was unbelievable. The beauty shows in every image. We look at our album and photographs all the time, and always see things that we missed, or had forgotten. He made my fairytale wedding come true! One of the best wedding photographers in San Jose, and the entire country.

amazing.

mike did such a wonderful job with the photos for our wedding, i couldn't have asked for anything more. he really knows what he's doing as our venue had extremely poor lighting, but he was able to pull it off beautifully. mike and his crew were professional, friendly, inconspicuous, accomodating, efficient, helpful, thoughtful...i could go on and on. the results were incredible, who knew we could look that good?!?!

and he does it all for a great price too! i definitely recommend him with no reservations whatsoever!

i just noticed there's no link to his website. it's pretty minimal, so you'll have to contact him to see all his gorgeous work - www.mikedanen.com

ps - he does videos too!

I had the best experience booking Mike Danen to photograph my wedding! He is really busy, I was lucky to get him. Everything was great, he was a pleasure to work with, easygoing, friendly. He was fun, and able to get us relaxed in front of the camera. If you are getting married in the San Francisco bay area, I highly recommend Mike. I am so happy with my pictures, and got tons of compliments from my friends and family. His site is http://www.mikedanen.com

Absolutely Beautiful!

I have to say, I am stunned. My wedding photos came out so beautiful. I am so happy! I knew that Mike did a great job, and I loved my engagement photos, but I never thought they would be so nice. I didn't even notice him for much of the day, yet he got so many great candid shots. He's the best!

Everything was perfect ! they captured every image i hoped for

I recently had the pleasure to work with Mike on a wedding at the Highlands Inn and was blown away by his photographs. He was very professional, yet friendly and the bride was very happy with art. The highest compliment. I would highly recommend Mike Danen as a photographer.

I actually used Mike for my own wedding and he is AMAZING!!! At first I doubted not hiring a videographer to capture the day as well. But once I saw the proofs from Mike, my doubtts were put to rest. Mike captured every single special moment of the day. The emotions he caught brought me to tears as the photos took me through the day all over again. Everytime I look at our photos I am reminded of the special day we had. Mike is extremely personable and makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. He is one of the best and I would highly recommend his services!!

Many brides don't realize how different one videographer is from the next. As a videographer myself I can tell you it's trueand Mike is one of the good ones. If you are lucky enough to be able to book him you won't be disappointed.I've hired him to shoot for me on a few occasions and loved his creativity and style. Plus he's a super nice guy.