Princeps Studio Photography

Working with Havar was such an easygoing experience. He is a professional, fun, and confident photographer who has a wonderful personality. We had an outdoor portrait session this fall in Washington D.C.

I met with both Sharon Macorol (Bobbi Brown makeup artist) who did my makeup for that day, and Havar and was filled with both excitement and nerves. The duo were able to ease my nerves and were very welcoming and friendly. Sharon did a great job with my makeup and choose very flattering colors. I even ended up purchasing the lipstick she chose on me.

Havar was able to direct me on how to pose, but also gave me the freedom to pose however I wanted to as well. He made the shoot very fun and comfortable even despite my initial awkwardness and lack of modeling ability. He was also very patient and did not rush the shoot, which I very much appreciated. This really showed me that he aims for, and values client satisfaction.

What I was amazed by most was how quick Havar was in sending me the thumbnails of the shots. I believe he was able to send me all two hundred something of the thumbnails by the end of that night so that I could choose my top 10. After I chose my top 10, he had them edited and sent to my email the next day. I would definitely recommend Princeps Studio Photography to all of my friends for any type of photography that needs to be done. I couldn't have been more happy and impressed with how the photos turned out!

I was really nervous before my appointment at this studio. I had never taken professional photos before and I was anxious about looking stupid, embarrassing myself, and slightly skeptical (what if this guy is a total creep??)

Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about! Havar & Sharon are super sweet and accommodating, not to mention very professional. Sharon did an amazing job on my makeup; she works exclusively with Bobbi Brown products, which I was pleased about, so that I wouldn't break out later!

Havar is a creative genius and worked with different lighting, sets, and props. He never rushed me or made me feel dumb, and coached me a lot since I had no idea what I was doing.

Highly recommend!

I've had the pleasure of working with this dynamic duo, Havar and Sharon, both as a model and as a collaborator.

As a model: Sharon has a keen eye for bringing out the beauty in every unique individual. To say that I was impressed with her skills, would be an understatement. It is very hard to work with Asian features, as anyone would attest, or any Asian woman will admit, but Sharon makes it seem effortless.

Havar is a great photographer, giving great direction and feedback as you work with him. He works within your comfort zone and respects that.

As a collaborator: I have had Princeps Studio work with us recently for a charity fashion show at L2 Lounge, featuring 3 local designs. Sharon was able to work well with our team of make up artists and keep the look very consistent.

Havar took some amazing shots of our runway show and the turn around time was exceptional. They are both very hard working individuals who are professional in every way.

I highly recommend them for more than just engagement shoots as Havar and Sharon are both creative types who love to experiment and try new things. If you are a model looking to expand your portfolio, they would be the perfect team!

Random Fact: Havar has made a cameo on the Real Housewives of DC. He was a photographer at an event in which the ladies attended.

Havar had been recommended to me via many friends in the NoVA area :) At the time I had been researching photography studios to help with engagement photos in New York City. But upon their recommendations, I had gone onto Princeps Studios' facebook page and thus the official site itself. I loved the work I saw, so I sent in an inquiry to Havar on facebook. He responded right away and we quickly came to an arrangement regarding a date for the engagement shoot (November 2nd). I felt confident and at ease after seeing how responsive Havar was (on both facebook and his gmail) with every question I had about the shoot; it was a clear indicator of how he operated the studio. I like efficiency with the professionals which I choose to work with.

It had gotten very cold as of late, and thus I requested that we do an indoor shoot since I did not want to be bundled up in winter clothes for the shoot. Havar chose a gorgeous site for this (The National Building Museum). Upon arriving, however, I suddenly had a pang of regret for not choosing to do it outdoors, and asked him if we could do a few shots outdoors. Havar was very flexible and said yes (I was soo happy!). Then the shoot unofficially began with his partner/gf Sharon Macorol doing my makeup.

And I really have to write a separate review about Sharon Macorol on yelp someday (she deserves it. Go see her at Neiman Marcus, she currently works there now!). In short, she is *amazing* and a professional. On the studio's site, you see her work via various assignments with women of various ethnicities. And it is clear that she knows how to create the right 'face' for the situation. **for Asian yelp readers: I'm Asian, and it has been a struggle to find the 'right' non-pink foundation as well as knowing how to bring out my eyes via makeup). She figured out complementary shades in such a short time, and when she finished, my face was flawless and my eyes popped. The makeup also ended up lasting the WHOLE day without smudging! Even my fiance commented on it!

Ok, back to Havar: Ever the quintessential professional. Told us how to pose, where to stand etc. But also left us to be spontaneous (created some great photo opps). After taking many indoor photos, we took the photo shoot outside to Judicial Square Metro, which was incidentally a gorgeous site in itself! So unexpected. I threw off my coat (Sharon was courteous enough to carry all our coats and bags as we moved from spot to spot). I had such a blast during the shoot. Havar would continually make suggestions to us, there was constant communication and a lot of camaderie.

That evening, I received about 400 low-resolution proofs of the day, and I was delighted by what Havar had captured of the day. My fiance and I looked *amazing* in the photos! In the days that followed, we would go back and forth about photos and edits. Havar never faltered with receiving any requests for edits and would send a revision back within a few hours without question. He truly goes the extra mile to make sure clients are satisfied. All my friends and peers all loved the photos as well! Truly a great experience!!

THANKS HAVAR & SHARON!!!! :D


Princep Studios is not just photography but a full house graphics/photography studio. Havar and Sharon are a *great* pair and I wholly RECOMMEND their studio without reservations.

Havar and Sharon helped with my engagement photos and the surprise of proposing to my fiancee. The work that comes out of these two are unmatched. They fulfilled my expectation and provided us with memories to last a life time.

Havar and Sharon are one heck of a team. Havar's talents and professionalism go above and beyond. Sharon's artistic make up skills are simple and flavorful.

You really couldn't ask for a much better team. They are trust worthy and always have new and creative ideas. I would recommend them to anyone!

I don't even know where to begin talking about Havar and Sharon. They are a dream to work with. So kind, fun and professional! Havar shot my wedding and Sharon did my makeup as well as makeup for my bridesmaids.

The makeup, first off, was stunning. Sharon has a great touch for what works for your face shape and skin tone. She is also quite skilled at contouring, which I think many other makeup artists overlook. It was just the perfect makeup to make me look polished and a more beautiful version of myself. My guest commented on how great my makeup looked throughout the day. Not only did it look amazing in person, but just as amazing in the photos. Just as a note to what an amazing person she is (not at all included in her job description for the day), I came back home from an absolutely disastrous hair appointment and Sharon did not even think twice but to grab a curling iron and fix my hair right there on the spot!!

Now onto Havar and the photos. Havar did such an amazing job at capturing the story of the day. From getting ready, all the way through cutting the cake, he was there every step of the way. He was so kind and funny and he made me, and the whole party really, feel so comfortable and relaxed. He was non-invasive and didn't ask us to do the silly jumping in the air shot (thank goodness). I asked him to direct me because it is so hard for me to get great pictures of myself and he did just that. He reminded me to smile! He chose great locations for us to get the best shots, the lighting was absolutely beautiful, he got every shot I asked him to catch.

I truly can go on and on about Havar and Sharon. My experience has been just wonderful and I will be recommending them everywhere I go. At the end of the day, the photos were stunning, the makeup equally so. I will forever have photos where I was somehow transformed to a beautiful woman because of Sharon and Havar! And that's all that really matters, right?

On Saturday, we had our engagement shoot with Havar and I must say, we were totally blown away by the experience. The entire shoot, I felt completely comfortable and at ease with him. He gave us basic places to stand and basic directions and then continued to talk to us, offer suggestions for interaction and hand placement, and shot picture after picture. I can honestly say that we actually had fun with the shoot!

So, we finished the shoot Saturday, and we got a zip file of all of our pictures on Sunday night! It was a file of nearly 400 pictures pre-processed (not that you would know because the camera work itself is amazing). We still need to pick out our pictures for final processing but he sent us a few examples of post processed work and, wow, I know I'm going to cherish these pictures forever.

I am SO happy we decided to pick Princeps Studios for our wedding pictures. The engagement session has left me that much more excited for the pictures at our wedding in October. I can't wait! Thank you so much Havar and Princeps Studios! Can't wait to do it again!

We worked with this company for both our engagement photos as well as our wedding photos. I couldn't have been happier. Their service was impeccable! My then-fiance and I were looking for a local photographer who not only took amazing candid shots, but we were also interested in more artistic, almost "fashion-esque" shots. We also had some crazy ideas for some fun engagement pictures involving holi powder, which is a colored powder used at festivals and color-runs, as well. Havar and his team did not fail to provide us with everything we imagined.
For our engagement pictures, we took a bunch of pictures around the grounds of an old field and stone house. Havar did an amazing job of finding perfect angles, perfect lighting, great backdrops, and even dealt with my crazy dog. Christian, who was working with Havar that day, was also wonderful and took some brilliant photos and kept my dog highly entertained. Alone, they are incredible, highly recommended photographers. As a team, they are unstoppable.
For our holi-powder shots, we found an open field at the top of a hill. They were very patient and had some great GREAT ideas for fun poses. ALL of our photos turned out beautifully! They got our images back to us very very quickly, quicker than we had expected, which was a lovely surprise.
For our wedding day, Havar arrived on site early, and Christian soon followed. It seemed as if they were everywhere taking pictures of everything that day. I feel like they didn't miss a moment! They have wonderful personalities and are always excited about all the moments surrounding them! We received all the un-edited photographs in less than a week! I couldn't believe it! We still have to go through all the un-edited photographs to choose our favorites and have them post-processed.
We have already contacted them about a potential "trash the dress" session and couldn't be more excited. I would (and already have) refer them to anyone! Such a delight!

I've always been camera shy, so when I came in for a shoot, I was a bit nervous. As soon as I walked in, however, I felt at ease. Havar and Sharon are very friendly, talented, and professional. They make a great team together. The make up was perfect and I felt comfortable through the entire shoot. Also, I had so much fun!!

All the photos turned out beautiful; their passion really shows through their work.

This was my first professional photo shoot and I am extremely happy with whole process and professionalism to which Havar and Sharon have demonstrated. Since it was my first shoot, I was really nervous and anxious about the whole process and what to expect. What I received goes above and beyond what I had imagined a photo shoot to be like.

Once I stepped foot in the door I was greeted with open arms and in the most sincere and friendly way. I found my nervousness diminishing the more I chatted with them and as they explained the process to me. They made the whole process enjoyable and fun. It was so personable that I found myself laughing and chatting with them as if we had been good friends for years.

As with any photographer and studio, you would want the best to make you look good in the photos. Seeing the photos taken and in chatting with them, I can see that they have the expertise, experience and knowledge, all of which makes them a great studio in my mind.

For great quality photos and excellent customer service experience they are the best bang for the buck.