Cole Hofstra Photography

Cole Hofstra is a magnificent photographer. We were fortunate enough to book Cole for both our engagement and wedding photos. During the engagement shoot we learned that, as Cole puts it, he simply loves love. Working with him, this sentiment really shines through. His photos captured all of the love, joy and warmth we felt on our wedding day, not to mention all the fun we had. Cole has the perfect mix of enthusiasm, professionalism, and humour, putting everyone at ease when they know the camera is focused on them which is no small feat. He just seemed to know all the right times for either encouraging people to keep hamming it up or when to step back and let the quiet moments play out, resulting in beautiful, candid shots. His level of experience really shone through when our day kept switching between rain and sunshine. While his style is relaxed and fun, his mind is 100% on task, quickly shifting directions to take advantage of a momentary sunbeam, noticing when a groomsman has his umbrella blocking a bridesmaid, or capturing your little nephew doing something adorable. Cole was amazing at taking our zany idea of going climbing and turning it into the most wonderful shots. Even while suspended several metres off the ground, Cole was still making us laugh and providing directions to make sure we looked beautiful and were having fun. This is stating the obvious but any wedding is a once in a lifetime event, so no do-overs on the photos; and is full of very intimate and personal moments. Who your photographer is matters as they will be part of all those moments and they have a big responsibility to capture them. Cole is an outstanding photographer and just a wonderful person to be around. Having him capture our wedding was the best decision we made. I cannot recommend Cole enough!

Cole's work is a truly an art form. The moments he's given us to treasure through our gorgeous, candid, expressive photos that perfectly allow us to relive each moment of our wedding day are truly priceless. He brings the most precious moments to life in each and every photo. We were truly honoured by his passion, creativity and sincere care for his craft that will allow us memories to last a lifetime.I first met Cole during my best friend's wedding. The moment you meet him, if feels like you've been friends for years. He immediately makes you feel comfortable to be yourself. When it came time for my own wedding, without a doubt, we knew it had to be Mr. Cole Hofstra!During Covid, having to change our guest list from 150 to 30, we knew how incredibly important it was to capture every little detail, every smile, laugh and tear to be able to share with our family who couldn't attend. With so many uncertainties, and anxiety running high, it was an absolute blessing to know that no matter what, we were in good hands with Cole, knowing he would bring each special moment to life behind his lens.With every photo, you are transported back to the moment. Anytime you would turn your head, he was already two steps ahead of you to capture the moment. Cole captured our special day absolutely perfectly and we would recommend him to anyone we know, a million times over.Not to mention, we've called him the photo-wizard, because within DAYS we had sneak peeks and in less than 2 weeks we had the whole album! This is truly unheard of and we know that he went above and beyond to make that happen for us! But this is no surprise, because he gives the same attention, love and detail to every client he encounters.From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Cole!

I can't recommend Cole enough, I would gladly give him more than 5 stars if I could! Especially coming from a couple who are not used to being in front of the camera, Cole made us feel very comfortable and we even forgot at times we were having our photo taken; it was as if we were chatting with an old friend! He sent us photo samples right away that are absolutely breathtaking and we are so excited to see the rest! Highly recommended!!

Cole was great to work with. Considering how this was our first time doing this sort of thing. (I am sure it is and will be for many.) Cole’s amazing high energy made it comfortable for us! Even his cheesy jokes helped a lot! We really enjoyed the photos he took for us and we appreciate the short turn around time! We would be more than happy to recommend him to anyone for any occasion! Thanks again Cole!

When I was part of a dear friend's wedding a few years ago, I was able to see Cole in action, and for my husband and I, it was a no-brainer for us to want to have Cole photograph us for our day as well.We emailed Cole, and he responded quickly with all of his information and was willing to give us a call or FaceTime conversation. When we spoke with him, and when you meet him for the first time, it’s as though you have known him for many years.We set a date for our engagement photos in early 2020 (little did we know the chaos that was about to ensue soon after). We went out to Canmore, strapped on our boots and went on what was truly an adventure engagement shoot. These moments with Cole really told us that we made the best decision. Cole made us feel comfortable while still directing us during our engagement shoot. He is so passionate about his work, he even placed himself in compromising positions (ie laying in the snow) to get the most amazing shots.When the unthinkable happened, and we were placed in the situation where we had to decrease our numbers for our wedding day, Cole was still able to accommodate us fully. We knew how important capturing every small detail would be, and Cole was able to provide us this gift of these treasured moments with photographs.Cole, we were honoured to have you photograph our special day, and we are SO excited to see you again to photograph our reception when everything settles down. Your passion and dedication to your craft is like nothing we have seen before.We cannot thank you enough!!

Cole did our wedding photos in 2019 and I cannot begin to say how happy we are that we were able to work with him. My sister in law recommended Cole because he made her friends look like movie stars" (the hype is real

Cole was referred to us by some friends for our engagement photos back in January – and we are so thankful for that!We wanted to do this shoot to help us get more comfortable in front of the camera, and also so that we would have some photos to treasure and celebrate our engagement while our wedding plans were on hold. Right from our first call with Cole we could tell that he would help us feel comfortable and that we would have a great time the day of our session – indeed, we had such a fun afternoon, and Cole perfectly captured some really wonderful moments. We’re so happy and thankful for Cole’s expertise and patience to help us accomplish all of this.Each time we’ve gone back through the photos, we find something else about them to love. We appreciated Cole’s keen eye in identifying elements around the lake to incorporate into our photos – some of the shots at spots he found while we were exploring are some of our favourites!Any opportunity that we might have to recommend Cole to others, for photography or officiating, Cole can count on it!

If you are searching for a wedding photographer, look no further. We cannot stress enough what an amazing experience Cole provided for us. From our initial meet and greet over a beer, to engagement photos, our wedding day, and beyond - Cole was responsive, attentive, professional, and above all, fun! He'll immediately put you at ease and joke that he can get all the best angles being a head taller than the crowd. All of our wedding guests kept asking how we met Cole, as many assumed he was a long-time friend of ours due to how he interacted with our guests. I have never seen a photographer get so low to the ground on shake" that he was dancing on his back... cameras and all! This guy just doesn't run out of energy. My family loved him so much we tried to book him again for my brother's wedding

Cole Hofstra is an excellent photographer. His attention to detail is immaculate and there isn't a moment of your wedding day that he won't capture. In addition to his artistic and creative photography expertise, his appreciation for natural beauty and the surrounding landscape will add to your wedding photography experience with Cole.Moreover, Cole has incredible people skills and is sure to bring a sense of kindness, empathy, and fun to your photography session. He will make sure your wedding day goes seamlessly, capturing every special moment.We could not be happier and more appreciative of our time spent with Cole during our recent ceremony at Lake Minnewanka near Banff. Given the extraordinary times, Cole ensured and promoted our safety and well-being throughout our day with him. We would work with him again in a heartbeat, hopefully soon for a family session.

We were recommended Cole through a few couples that a gotten married in the past and we were not disappointed! He was very thorough with the day-of planning and was super professional leading up to our big day. He made us feel comfortable and his direction made getting our photos taken extremely easy. Our guests echoed this as well. He is extremely adaptable as we had rain on our day, which he came prepared for. He had also previously scoped out" our location prior to the date and had ideas in mind that were phenomenal! We only have seen a few sneak peeks