Kind Words
Client testimonials are key to providing first-hand insight
Below are a handful of reviews my clients have left for me over the years. Additional reviews can be also found on Wedding Wire, The Knot, and of course, Google! If you are a current or past client, feel free to leave a review of your own! I’d love to hear your thoughts and your insight will greatly benefit those who are considering my photography services!
Weddings & Elopements
From Ricki: Dawn, I’ve looked at your highlight link over 50 times. I still cannot get over how you captured the moments of our wedding day. You have taught me that as a client, I didn’t hire you to take high quality images. I hired you to make me tear up every time I see Laura coming down the aisle with her dad, to see the beauty of Delaware Park with the addition of myself and some people I hold dearly. To relive that day over and over again through the inspiration of all of the moments you and Brittany had captured. I know your service had a finite monetary value, however these images/moments of time that you’ve captured are prices-less, and I will try my hardest to let others know that it is not about the visual quality of the images on a screen, but the emotions the Photographer immortalizes. Thank you so much for all you’ve done, I know when I’m much older I will look back at these photos feeling the same emotions I felt on July, 19 2019.
From Laura: My brother had Dawn photograph his wedding on a dreary, rainy fall day and my then-boyfriend (now husband!) and I were absolutely blown away with the photos. Dawn had posed people, brightened photos, and used who knows what other wizardry and technical skills to make the wedding photos some of the best that we had ever seen. We agreed then that if we wed we would surely use Dawn! Well, we got engaged a few years later and the first thing we did after choosing a date (before selecting a venue, bridal party, literally any vendors at all) was contact Dawn to make sure she was available. We likely would have changed our wedding date just to make sure we had the best photographer in WNY (and probably beyond that!). Now that we've gotten our photos back from our wedding, we absolutely love them and not just because it's from our special day. Dawn and her assistant photographer Brittany captured the best candid shots from so many of our guests, incredible and uniques portraits of the bride, groom, and bridal party, and spend the entire day alongside us in the most miserable heat and humidity until it rained (briefly). Dawn and Brittany were very creative, professional, and incredibly thorough in the photos they took as well as the entire planning process (including a timeline of the day at 5 minute intervals which I loved). If you're looking for the best photographer in WNY look no further, and maybe even consider flying her in to photograph your wedding if your not local because she might just be the best wedding photographer out there! No other wedding photographer we've seen can compare!
Laura + Ricki
My experience with Dawn was absolutely perfect. I stumbled upon her website after searching for hours to find the perfect photographer and I am so thankful I did! My husband and I decided on a small ceremony before he deployed and needed a photographer within two weeks. Dawn was excited from the moment I called her and was willing to work with us, given the timing. She was attentive, understanding, and appreciative before, during and after our wedding day. Most importantly, she went above and beyond to make our pictures perfect. We are so pleased with the results and if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely still choose her to capture our special day. Because of Dawn, we will always remember our day and have the perfect pictures to display for all to see. Thank you Dawn!!
Jamie-Lynne + Charles
My fiance and I met Dawn the day of our engagement shoot, and instantly loved her enthusiasm and friendly personality right off the bat. Not only is Dawn a fantastic photographer, she was so easy to work with and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. She has incredible patience and really took her time with us. We had a blast working with Dawn, and truly couldn't say enough good things about her. Not a lot of photographers will get down and dirty for a good shot, I'm sure Dawn was picking burrs and brush out of her clothes for days...she went above and beyond what we ever could have asked for, and we couldn't be happier with our engagement photos. We will be recommending her to every couple we know!
Jes + Brian
The moment we met Dawn at Starbucks it was an instant friendship. We can’t even begin to describe how truly lucky we are to know and have worked with her. Still to this day we are beyond thrilled that our friends Mike & Chelsea referred us to Dawn to photograph our wedding this past September. She works so hard at what she does and it definitely shows in all of her beautiful work. Dawn is the whole package when it comes to being a photographer. She is creative, patient, fun and an extremely kind-hearted person. Dawn has made it possible for us to relive our happiest day over & over by her indescribable ability to capture each detailed moment of excitement unfold. Working with Dawn was such a great experience; we cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work and dedication that she put in to making our wedding photographs timeless.
Katie + Ian
Dawn came highly recommended from a good friend and immediately my fiancé and I knew why. She has a great personality and was comfortable to talk to and work with, she came well prepared for our first meeting with great examples of her work. We booked an engagement session and our wedding and know that she will capture amazing photos that we will cherish forever.
Dana + Pierre
I knew weddings were expensive, but long ago I decided I would scrimp on anything BUT the photography. Luckily for us, Dawn was the best of both worlds. I could not believe what she was willing to go through for us. She drove over 2 hours away TWICE, went out on Lake Ontario on a pier in the middle of a huge storm to capture absolutely breathtaking engagement photos and went completely above and beyond what we were expecting for our wedding day, all for a very reasonable price. We are thrilled with her. There's always that one thing that happened that you wish you had on camera- well Dawn captured everything. She didn't miss a beat. She also let me carry out crazy ideas I had about what I thought would make a good picture. (Turns out she knows better than I do), but the point was that she bends over backwards to incorporate your ideas and tastes. Photos can really make or break how you feel about your special day. I will recommend her to every single one of my friends.
Johanna + Greg
I am in the process of creating wedding albums for both sets of parents and for us, and the photos I have to work with are phenomenal -- you captured our day perfectly. From "getting ready" shots to our walk upstairs to the honeymoon suite at the end of the evening, every picture takes me right back to our day and how it felt. You were in the midst of all the action and yet never obtrusive. In fact, the day went by so quickly that in some cases, the photos captured things I didn't even get a chance to look at, so I am incredibly grateful. Finding the right photographer to suspend in amber our most important day was what mattered most to me when planning our wedding, and I'm so glad we found you! Thank you for everything!
Sarah
Interested in making a review of your own experience?
Here are two great places to leave reviews specific to wedding coverage!
Birth Stories & First Hours
We had the amazing opportunity to have Dawn photograph the birth of our son! We couldn’t be more pleased with our decision; her perfect blend of warmth and professionalism made us feel completely at ease with her capturing so sacred an event. We are so in love with our photos, we’re overwhelmed with emotion every time we look at them. We’ll be calling her for any future additions!
Rebekah
My husband and I had the absolute honor to have Dawn M. Gibson present at the birth of our son. Being a first time mom, it was such an emotional and intimate experience. Dawn was professional but so reassuring and compassionate all at the same time. She truly was a blessing to have at my labor. When we received our photos from our baby's birth, my husband and I were blown away. The photos captured all the emotion- the apprehension of labor, the pain of the contractions, the absolute intense joy after the birth, the first moments holding my baby boy, the moments of happiness as our families saw our son for the first time. These moments are captured so perfectly and we will treasure the beauty and emotion of them for the rest of our lives. Dawn is truly a wonderful person and photographer and I would recommend her birth photography to anyone.
Brittany
We are SO grateful and happy that we had Dawn present at the birth of our first child. She has photographed our growing family for the last 7 years, and her photography is unparalleled. She was very respectful, and beyond kind during my long, difficult labor.
Dawn captured the moments beautifully- the quiet moments, the painful moments, my husband caring for me, and the little details to truly provide a 'birth story'. She went above and beyond and was there for almost my entire 29 hour labor, without complaint, and even stepped in and put her camera down to help when a nurse had to run out of the room! She returned the next day to take photos of my son and little family, after a little well deserved sleep!
The photos we have are priceless to me, as I ended up on a difficult medication and most of my labor and delivery is a blur to me. Dawn's photos provided with us with precious memories that I will cherish forever.
Jessica
Family Sessions
This is the person you want behind the lens when it comes to capturing your life – whatever the occasion. We were lucky enough to find Dawn in 2014 and she has been a constant in our life ever since – from engagement, marriage, two pregnancies, and now life as a family. She has given us such priceless shots of our love, our girls, and our good boy golden retriever, Ruben! There may be many photographers out there to choose from, but her eye, her talent and her skill is unmatched.
rebecca
After meeting Dawn, my husband Adam and I were so happy to her her photograph our newborn daughter Isabella. Dawn instantly made Adam, Isabella, and I feel extremely comfortable even though we were still adjusting to our new roles as parents. Dawn came to our home to accommodate any needs our new baby may have and did a great job improvising with her surroundings. Dawn was extremely patient, kind and understanding to our needs as parents. Dawn captured many special moments that my husband and I will treasure for many, many years to come. I cannot thank her enough for the beautiful memories and intimate moments she captured during my daughters first few weeks of life. I cannot wait to have many more photo sessions with Dawn as our family grows and highly recommend her to anyone I meet.