Shoey Sindel Photography

I am still flying high from my wedding (one month ago as I post this) and it is largely because I keep looking at Shoey’s pictures from the event. In a word, she nailed it. (Okay, that’s three words). Shoey captured our joy perfectly — none of the pictures look stiff or formal, and we are beaming in every single shot. She even made us look good on the dance floor! But not only is she a talented photographer, she is super fun and friendly and has an uncanny ability to put those around her at ease, which helps her capture those great images. Talent + personality = great wedding photographer.

Shoey and I knew each other from a networking group and during one of her presentations she talked about her 18 year old son and how it seemed like just yesterday he was a baby and now here he is this fully grown man going off on his own life’s adventure. She talked about how meaningful it is to capture those fleeting moments with loved ones before they are gone. So when my 83 year old father came to visit from back east (I only see him once every year or two), I took the opportunity to surprise him with a photo session with Shoey. My dad loves adventure and big cities so Shoey met us in Oakland’s old town and we spent about an hour or two walking around a block stopping and shooting at different corners and in different poses, concluding with shots of my dad (who is Italian) and I sipping coffees at a local café. Shoey made him feel totally at ease and had him cracking jokes and smiling for the camera as if he had been doing it all his life. When he left, he said yeah, you kids are always taking pictures, but I never end up seeing any of them. When I went to Shoey’s studio to look over the proofs, Shoey and I edited out my favorite ones and then she had them made up into a beautiful album and we shipped it to him for father’s day. He was so overcome with his present that he could hardly speak. He loved, loved, loved it!!! and I do too. I know it will never replace having time with him, but at least I will always remember that special day we had together. Life is short. Take good pictures or have an expert like Shoey do it for you! She is a total professional and a really warm and inviting person who can bring out the best in you and your loved ones and capture is all for posterity. Don’t let those moments get away!

Okay – One word – YAY!!!
(You know what’s great about reviewing a photographer? You can show proof! My profile photo is the one Shoey took. I’d show you the old one, but you don’t really want your retinas burned, do you?)
Let me start by saying that I hate having my picture taken. But I NEEDED to have my picture taken, because one of my publishers was threatening not to promote me unless I got something better than the head shot cropped from a family picture, with the refrigerator in the back photoshopped out.
It was time. And I only had a week.
What to do? I searched around and saw the review below about this being the place for a «professional yet warm headshot.» And boy, was it ever!
First, it was FAST, and it was surprisingly comfortable. Shoey coached me about clothes, makeup, and jewelry so I arrived prepared. Then she took a bunch of shots and smiled and laughed and somehow put me at ease so some of them actually came out good. I ended up with four gorgeous shots to choose from – but the amazing thing is, I could have had 25.
She also has a cool outdoor space where I had a funky shot taken against a corrugated iron shed that turned out to be my favorite, so that’s an option, too.
Anyway – great pictures, wonderful experience, all things considered, and what seemed like a reasonable price. And no refrigerator in the background!

After years of trying to get our young son and dog to sit still for a holiday card photo, we bit the bullet and decided to hire a professional. Money well spent doesn’t begin to cover it! Shoey is amazing. I have never met anybody so patient. In less time than it would take us to get one «sorta ok» photo – with everybody being very cranky – she took literally of dozens of absolutely gorgeous photos of our family. And we had fun doing it. We were at a loss to describe exactly what we were looking for, and Shoey picked the exact right spot in Berkeley at the exact right time of day (perfect lighting). She knew what we wanted better than we did. The only difficult part of the experience was choosing which photos to order. There were so many great ones that it took us longer to narrow it down than it did to take the photos. I am so glad we decided to go with Shoey. Saying she was a pleasure to work with is an understatement. She’s so wonderful that my 5-​year-​old constantly asks when she’s going to take our picture again. Even the dog loved her. I cannot recommend Shoey highly enough. Her talent and skills are amazing, and her demeanor is a very happy bonus!

Where should you go if you need a professional yet warm headshot? Read on.
I needed a professional portrait. I’d recently started my own business and was using a photo that was not appropriate for that purpose.
So, I turned to Shoey Sindel. I don’t know anyone who likes getting a portrait taken. Here’s the thing: Shoey, a consummate professional, made it ridiculously easy and fun.
I went to her studio with a small armful of tops in hand. Should I go sleeveless — well, no — or opt for a print? Not a good idea. Shoey patiently steered me through my choices until I found the best options. Not only that, she helped me accessorize!
Shoey invited me to choose music. I started off with The Bad Plus (but Pandora was making too mellow selections), so I turned to The Pixies. Shoey made me so comfortable I was emboldened to do a little dancing!
The shoot itself was thoroughly enjoyable. Shoey took many, many photos of me. She routinely checked the lighting to ensure that the good moments would be captured correctly.
When it came time to sift through the many images, Shoey guided me through the process. It was hard to choose — there were so many compelling ones. The thing is that any photographer worth her salt can take a competent photo. Shoey, however, did much more than that. She captured my essence, my spirit.
Several days later I received color and B&W versions of each of the three images. There were even a set sized to work on LinkedIn. Prompt. Professional. Painless. I couldn’t be more pleased. Highly, unequivocally recommended.

Like many, I don’t enjoy taking pics that much bc I’m well aware of the ways that I don’t look «perfect» like the people we see regularly in the media. Shoey took pics used for my executive recruiting firm’s website and everyone said the pics were quite attractive — not just from a visual perspective, but that they captured my warmth and humor. That was more than I could have hoped for — I was quite pleased with the response to her work. I highly recommend her.

The thing whith Shoey is that she doesn’t necessarily have the newest camera (although apparently it is a pretty good one), but she knows when to push the button.
No Joke.
Every picture she takes is uncannily good. if I wasn’t there to watch her take the pictures of my kids, I would think that there was something going on, but the truth is, she just works the camera better than I could.
And that is why she is worth my money.

I attended a really fun event hosted by Shoey at her studio on Salono Ave.
A makeup artist presented a tutorial to a small group of woman.
Shoey snapped candid pictures of us during the class. Her presence was positive and calm. I felt comfortable with her taking pictures as we practiced our makeup application.
After we completed our new looks Shoey took individual shots of us with lighting and a backdrop. She made me feel very relaxed and natural posing in front of the camera.
I recommend Shoey for candid and/​or studio sessions. She has great energy to be around!

Nice Professional Photographs. Nice delivery. timeframes and finished product!
Look forward to our next photo shoot.

Oh the sweet, sweet taste of victory in finally tackling what would hopefully be the perfect business portrait and coming out on top! I would have paid twice as much for the result!
I’m a realtor and I work on Solano Ave, up the street from Shoey’s studio. For a long time I’ve admired her work on display in a glass and wood box that hangs on the wall outside one of the business’s near Peets. When I finally met Shoey it was at a business mixer and I was so appalled with the photo on my card when I handed to her that I felt compelled to book her on the spot for a photo shoot. Scheduling was easy. We chatted a bit about what I wanted, I had something very specific in mind and Shoey listened to my needs.
On the day of the shoot I showed up with my 3 shirts, ready to go. I was nervous. Like most people I really don’t like having my picture taken. The studio is a simple, quiet, calm, open space. Shoey is relaxed, warm and smiles pretty much all the time. She makes conversation easy. The beautiful photos on the walls and in various books remind you that you’re in good hands. When we got started there was a sense of collaboration which took my mind off me being the subject. Shoey’s got all the latest gear and lighting so she takes about a gazillion shots which I really liked. She pauses often to adjust lights and gently suggest ways to move this way and that. In the space of about 30 minutes she managed to capture me in a huge range of different angles and lighting styles, with at least 2 backdrop and clothes changes. Shoey uploaded everything to her extra fancy, huge monitor and we were able to view the photos immediately. The EXACT photo that I had in my minds eye was THERE, woohoo! Only it was better than I could have hoped for, and there were several other fabulous pictures too. Shoey processed everything in a very timely manner (actually, I needed a last minute rush and she was there for me). She retouched the images beautifully. My eyes sparkle!
Thanks so much for everything Shoey. I’ve been handing out way more business cards than I used to and I’m getting great feedback on my photo. A number of clients even called me just to say how much they like it. Isn’t that something?

I really enjoyed my photo session with Shoey. She made the whole experience fun, and I loved the photos she took. But the best part was the editing she did AFTER the photo shoot. Cheaper than a plastic surgeon, and much less painful. Ha ha ha!

I used Shoey for my son’s bar mitzvah and she was great. She’s easy to work with, professional and has a great eye. On the day of, she was calming, not intrusive to the event and then was very patient in really helping me put together a GREAT album. Her photos captured the spirit — both solemn and fun– that a bar mitzvah can be.
I will be using her again for my next son’s bar mitzvah!

Shoey did some family portraits for us last year. Not only was she sweet, patient and helpful, she captured us perfectly! She had us choose a favorite place, which was a nearby park, and took several hours to catch all of us in the right light, in various arrangements, and different locations in the park. I was so impressed by her ability to get my shy 9-​year-​old twins to let loose and be photographed! After the shoot, Shoey had our proofs ready within a week or so, and helped me choose the best of the best photos for our home. She’s also reasonably priced, and had lots of packages to choose from. I need to book her now for my girls’ bat mitzvah!!.

Shoey is a talented, professional and personable photographer. Actually, she is an artist! Shoey and I spent a morning together doing a photo shoot at one of my favorite bay area spots. Shoey was great fun to work with and really was able to capture pictures of me that looked great and were very unique She was able to find character and create very attractive images for me, even though I’ve never considered myself photogenic. Also, Shoey puts in a lot of time behind the scenes to enhance, crop and add touches to the photos to make them real works of art. Finally, the prints she gave me were high quality and presented in a beautiful box. Albums are also available. I would highly recommend Shoey Sindel for personal portraits, professional photos, weddings, parties or any special events. Thanks Shoey for all your talented work!

Shoey did the best shots possible in the Hornblower Yacht as our venue. As it was challenging to work under the yacht space, she did the best she can. Got the emotions recorded, and most importantly, she made me look great. Wink wink! Knew how to play with the lighting, and a very pleasant and positive person. Now we have wonderful Hornblower wedding pictures without really breaking the bank. (I looked around to shop and picture prices can be enormous) Glad we did not choose the super expensive photographers, given our space. They can only do so much. Shoey already has a lot of experience taking pictures in a setting like that (low ceiling, and not ideal conditions for photographs for we were against the light all the time, it was a daytime wedding) I put together a collage of our favorite ones because she took a lot of pictures for us to choose from.

I have used Shoey on two separate occassions. The first was for my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah in October 2010 and the second more recently for professional photos for my business.
Shoey included a short photo shoot of casual shots of my daughter prior to the big day– which gave us a photo for the synagogue bulletin, but also put my somewhat prickly daughter totally at ease. The day of the Bat Mitzvah, Shoey was professional and engaged with my family and was able to work around the religious restrictions with ease as she’s taken so many photos at Congregation Beth El over the years.
The final book and photos that we ordered were wonderful and she even got some fabulous shots of my younger daughter that we framed separately. (I’ll be booking Shoey again in two years for her Bat Mitzvah ;))
I recently had some professional shots done and Shoey is so great at making her clients feel easy and relaxed. She was able to bring out the best in me so I can be more effective in marketing my business.

Shoey is an amazing photographer. It’s hard these days to think about paying someone to take pictures, when our phones do it for free. But Shoey does something I can’t do with my phone. She understands people at a deep level and knows how to capture the emotion, the deep expression of a person’s soul in a photo. That is a rare and extraordinary gift, and the reason I think anyone with a professional service website and a picture that doesn’t convey what you want to your customers should invest in your business by getting a photo from Shoey that sells your service for you! So many people try to use their own home-​done photos for their website and it’s a terrible mistake, because your picture is probably 90% of what people base their decision on, when they’re choosing a service professional from websites.
I also think anyone who wants to capture your kids’ cuteness for a lifetime – before they grow up and never look like this again – should have Shoey do this for you. decades after you get these pictures of your loved ones, you’ll be enjoying and treasuring them, and whatever you paid for them will long since be forgotten.
Yeah, she’s that good!

I hired Shoey Sindel as photographer for a big family event, and she did a wonderful job. Her photos captured us all at our best — relaxed and engaged, thanks to her easy manner and amazing eye. The photos we received were top quality, and I have never seen better. I highly recommend Shoey Sindel Photography, and will be forever grateful!

Portrait Photographer Whose Personality Gets Results!
Shoey Sindel has a way of bringing out the best in people and capturing it in the right light. I recently completed a head shot session with Shoey. She was patient, playful and put me at ease right from the get-​go. Shoey collaborated with me on achieving exactly what I was after. She used her keen eye for detail and good intuition to take my ideas one step further. I know how hard it can be to find a talented photographer without a big ego; I hope this review will help others who have a sense of what they are after know where to go to make it happen!

I spent an afternoon with Shoey a few weeks ago. We met at the Hotel Shattuck in Berkeley and I played dress up while she took some fab photos! I was super nervous, but after only a few minutes, I was instantly put at ease by Shoey. We took some amazing photos. She is so relaxed and comfortable, you don’t feel weird posing in front of the camera. In fact, some of the best photos were when I felt so at ease and I was just goofing off. She caught it all! Thanks Shoey! I can’t wait till our next shoot :)