The word that comes to mind about Shelby and her work is PHENOMENAL! From the day we met at our local coffee shop to talk initial plans, I knew Shelby was going to be the perfect person to capture our wedding day. She absolutely exceeded our expectations. Being in front of a camera can be stressful and nerve-wracking, but Shelby excelled at making us feel comfortable and right at home. Bring in the 2020 COVID pandemic and our worries of not having our dream wedding. She worked closely, met with us, and answered all our questions and calmed our worries as we pushed back our wedding date, changed our venue location, and reduced our guest count. We went from total strangers to great friends and I would highly recommend Shelby to anyone looking for the most professional, fun, talented, and positive photographer to capture any life moment!

- Annie G

We just received our wedding photo gallery back (in less than 7 weeks!) and are thrilled that we chose Shelby as our photographer! Throughout the entire process she was really easy to work with, very responsive, and very flexible. On the day-of, she was super organized, efficient, and an overall pleasure to work with. She captured family photos quickly and in a strategic way that left a lot of time for my husband and I to just have fun being photographed. And I am someone who usually does not like being photographed!

Shelby captured so many great moments & photos without us even noticing her presence half of the time! This made our photos feel and look natural, which is something we really wanted. Shelby is everything you want in a wedding vendor and more. I truly feel that she goes above and beyond the "wedding photographer" role. She even figured out my dress bustle when 3 of us could not! Our family keeps telling us how great our photos turned out, how warm & nice Shelby was, and what a great photographer she is! We 100% agree. She went above and beyond to make our day run smoothly and captured it all beautifully!

- Kamila B

Odessa James Photography was the highlight of my wedding day! We got married at Zion National Park and while I've been there before I was worried about getting the right permits and locations for photos. Shelby walked me through everything I needed for the day and researched and scouted the perfect views for our photos! She was basically our wedding planner, helping make a timeline for the whole family and when and where everyone needed to be. My entire family loved her, she was such sweet company and really felt like part of the family. On my wedding day I briefly mentioned how I wished I had made a plan to preserve my bouquet - which she also ordered and picked up the morning of the wedding and it made my life so much easier! Shelby immediately offered to fly back with my bouquet and take them to a flower preservation company so that I could keep them. I could go on about all the small and thoughtful things she did to make my day special and all about my husband and I. Choosing Odessa James Photography was the best decision my husband and I made for our wedding. We are both in awe of all the photos!

- Hannah A

Shelby is not just an incredibly gifted photographer, she's a wonderful person, organizer, planner and friend. She's responsive and fantastic to work with. My wedding day would not have been what it was without her help. She traveled with us to Jamaica for our engagement shoot and a year later came back to Jamaica for our Welcome Party and Wedding Day. Practically every guest commented on how wonderful and kind she is and how her photos are the most incredible they've ever seen. Shelby captures everything from the emotions of each individual to the most thoughtful detail shots. I am genuinely sad the entire experience is over because Shelby is that great.

- Alyssa C

Shelby is amazing! She is extremely talented and an absolute joy to be around. We had so much fun running around Red Rocks posing like Vogue models under a rising sun. I asked her if she ever had couples where the guy just didn't want to do the shoot. She said yes but had tricks up her sleeve to make it fun and less pressure and has found herself very successful with it. I find it believable since she is so easy going and easy to connect with. I absolutely recommend Shelby and her vibrant spirit. Don't just settle for pics around someone’s yard or a lake by your house. Give her a fun beautiful spot you've dreamed of having photos taken in and she'll make it happen.

- Allison S

I cannot say enough great things about Shelby and her photography! We needed to reschedule our wedding 3 times during 2020 and 2021, and Shelby was so incredibly flexible, communicative, and positive—always coming up with new ideas and finding the silver lining in our changes (going from a huge summer wedding to an intimate winter wedding). Somehow she managed to make our rainy, freezing wedding day look magical, glamorous, and captured everything we wanted to remember from the day and more. If you want a photographer who will make you make you feel special, relaxed, and look like a dream on your big day—Shelby is definitely your girl!

- Evelyn S

We had Shelby travel to our destination wedding in Hawaii. The care, professionalism, enthusiasm, and encouragement we experienced through every step of the process was more than we could have ever asked for from our wedding photographer. She was our biggest cheerleader throughout the whole process and after seeing her photos I'm still not entirely convinced she's not a magician. 100/10 and will always go the extra mile for you (including literally hiking that extra mile).

- Joe S

Shelby Odessa Photography is excellent! She was SO helpful with telling me what I needed to do to prep myself, and the bridal party. She took the time before the wedding to get all the details in order and to help me create a schedule. She is so detail-oriented, knowledgeable, talented and she is a sweetheart! Honestly, she is an amazing human, and I am truly blessed to have met her and to have had her as photographer for my wedding! She takes the time to listen and to be as helpful as she can. Her editing skills are excellent and she has a fabulous eye and taste. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs photos done for any type of major event, especially a wedding which is probably the most difficult to nail. My photo gallery from my wedding came out so gorgeous and professionally done! HIGHLY RECOMMEND her for your wedding. Thanks so much Shelby for truly highlighting this special day of mine! You are a wonderful human, and a true professional in your field.

- Michelle Rose