Mait Jüriado / MJ Studios Photographer | Reviews

Choosing to marry each other was the best decision we’ve ever made, and choosing Mait to photograph our elopement adventure comes in a close second!

Mait’s eye for composition and lighting is exceptional. He has a unique ability to visit a place for the first time and somehow immediately find the best angles. The result? Photographs that feel cinematic, with a storytelling quality that wouldn’t be out of place in a fine art gallery, yet are perfectly at home in a wedding album.

Not only is Mait a master of his craft, he’s also warm, thoughtful, adventurous, and open-minded. Inclement weather, last-minute changes — nothing throws him. He’s a pleasure to be around and a steady, grounding presence during what can be (wonderfully) chaotic moments.

We can’t thank you enough, Mait, and we hope to meet you again one day!

Over three days Mait took us on an absolute journey of a lifetime. Having travelled the 28 hours from Australia, we got married at Kvernufoss on the last day of September. The weather was kind, the sun was out, and we were even treated to a double rainbow at Skógafoss.

From wondrous waterfalls, gigantic glaciers and broad black sand beaches, to majestic valleys, snow-capped peaks, and the untouched natural beauty of the central highlands, we saw more of Iceland with Mait than we would have seen by ourselves over a couple of weeks. This primarily comes down to Mait’s skill, efficiency, and vast knowledge of breathtaking locations. It was the perfect balance of planning and going with the flow.

Mait’s photography style is phenomenal and his attention to detail even more so. Coupled with the element of a multi-day adventure, the resulting photos, slideshow and drone footage captured the most incredible wedding memories that well and truly exceeded our expectations.

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Mait Jüriado for our elopement in Iceland, and we cannot sing his praises enough. From the outset, Mait invested time in getting to know us through thoughtful video calls, meticulously planning our dream day and offering valuable insights for the entire trip. His expertise extended beyond photography, as he seamlessly doubled as a tour guide, suggesting lodging and room types along with breakfast ideas, and recommending delightful dining experiences for lunch and dinner and when he recommended we remain flexible instead of making reservations. He also recommended florists (I used Sandra at ihusibloma) and hair and makeup people (I used another Sandra,
Sandra Maria, who drove to us and can be found at www.sandramaria.is) local to Iceland as well. Our flower arrangements and my hair and makeup were captured wonderfully in Mait's photos!

Mait's commitment to making our wedding day unforgettable went above and beyond; he even took care of logistics, renting a car and chauffeuring us around the stunning landscapes of Iceland. His prowess as an award-winning photographer was evident in every shot as he calls "seeing an image," capturing the essence of our love amidst breathtaking backdrops.

Beyond his professional talents, Mait proved to be a great guy and friend. His warm and engaging conversations added an extra layer of joy to our experience and helped us introverts feel safe and comfortable the entire trip. I say that as a person who had never traveled from my home country before to a country with a different language, money, culture, etc. Importantly, Mait's understanding nature and flexibility extended to our budget, ensuring that every aspect of our trip, from accommodation to meals, aligned seamlessly with our financial plans.

With over a decade of specialized experience, Mait demonstrated an intimate knowledge of elopement planning, turning our aspirations into a reality. His role in crafting an out-of-this-world trip was invaluable, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Mait Jüriado is not just a photographer; he is a lifelong friend through the extraordinary memories we crafted together. We wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking a photographer who goes beyond expectations to curate a truly magical experience.

The final icing on the cake was the outstanding photo album! He helped us design the layout and provided additional tips on what he'd suggest based on his experience, and the album while not as inexpensive as a printed book from Shutterfly, is meant to be treasured for a lifetime. The high quality of the entire book - the prints, the accessibility by the book's ability to lay flat, the cover, and even the unboxing process is a luxury! Do not miss out on your album and other prints for your house or others!

I guarantee you will forever cherish your decision to book him for your sessions or photo trips. Wishing you the enjoyment we shared for your trip and excited for you to experience it for yourselves!

I am a bit of a nerd. I spend a lot of time researching before making a decision on anything, especially when things actually cost quite a bit of money. I probably spent about four months researching different wedding/engagement/amazing photographers that shoot in Iceland and at the end of that four months, I decided that Mait Jüriado (pronounced Mite not Mate) had the most impressive portfolio/skills/everything.

I wasn’t wrong.

After opting for the three day package, my fiance and I explored more of Iceland in three days than most people would in a month. And that right there is the beauty of going with Mait. You aren’t only getting a photographer. You are getting the very best photographer money can buy, along with a great friend, tour guide, driver, explorer, everything.

I can’t stress enough how much I dislike touristy stuff despite technically being a tourist. Thanks to Mait we went to place after place where there were no crowds. Sure some spots are busy and full of tourists, but due to his knowledge of the country we would often take a different trail, or hidden spot, or whatever and while everyone crowded around to get a picture of who cares, we were climbing behind a waterfall or overlooking an Ice Lagoon or driving on an F-Road to get to the top of a mountain to experience a hurricane strength blizzard just for funsies.

Which isn’t to say the pictures weren’t amazing. Because while he was with us, there were times where I was worried that we might wish he had taken more photos. But no, I was wrong. I don’t think it would have been possible for him to take more. Like, we got 14 gigs worth of photos. Gigs. With a G. I didn’t count but I’m pretty sure there are over 2,000 photos. Along with an amazing slideshow video. Granted each photo has a black and white so technically it is over 1,000 original photos.

But it isn’t just like me snapping away on a cellphone where maybe 1 in 10 is a good photo. It is 1,000+ AFTER he went through and focused on all the good photos. So over 1,000 of the most amazing pictures I have ever seen.

Long story short, I feel like Mait is the equivalent of if back in olden times you were good buddies with Michelangelo and were able to pay him to paint your ceiling in your kitchen. At first you might be like oh man, he wants twenty Florins? But then when he finished you’d realize your kitchen was now a historical landmark and he was worth every penny. Or in this case, Florin.

That is Mait in a nutshell. He sees things that you won’t. When he tells you to get out of the car because, “the light looks nice here” you might think huh, looks about average to me. Then when you get your pictures back and they look like a celestial angel decided to descend from the heavens to hang out with you, you’ll be like oh, I apparently know nothing.

Now I just have to figure out how to convince him to go to the Maldives for our wedding.

Absolute perfection. Five stars doesn’t come within a light-year of how truly impressive this man’s professional skills are.

My husband and I had the most amazing 2 day elopement adventure with Mait in Iceland. We were impressed with Mait’s knowledge of the country, awareness of off the beaten path locations and his overall kind spirt. We recommend taking every action shots he suggests, because it makes the experience all the more memorable. From first meeting him, we felt immediately comfortable and knew he was the right fit for us. He is so friendly, easy to get to know and professional at the same time. During our wedding/first day married, my husband and I had the sense of personal adventure and privacy while also feeling as though we were with a good friend. Now, as we are creating an album of our memories together, Mait’s integrity, artistic vision and professional skills continue to shine through. We couldn’t have asked for better photos of our wedding and every time we see them we relive our incredible adventure with Mait! We highly recommend MJ studios for any special moments you want magically captured!!

We chose Mait Jüriado to capture our wedding in 2022 and we couldn’t be happier with the choice! The pictures turned out to be magical and full of life! We have so many beautiful pictures of our special day both classic portrait style and also fine-art photography. Mait has a great persona and an artistic eye which made the shooting were comfortable for us. The wedding took place in Estonia and in winter where the sun sets relatively early, the party was held in all glass building so great skills were needed to work with artificial light and reflecting walls. We are more than happy with our choice of photographer and have now the memories of our wedding day so magically in photos.