Hampton Roads Wedding Photographers

Our Hampton Roads photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk

Hampton Roads Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements

Intimate Wedding Photography in Hampton Roads - Capturing the Joy of Small Celebrations - Discover the best Hampton Roads photographers specializing in intimate marriages. Couples are embracing the trend of smaller, more meaningful celebrations. Let our talented photographers capture the joy and intimacy of your wedding day.

By planning a simple Hampton Roads elopement, couples are able to stay present in the moment and fully absorb the impact of their wedding day. Given the fact that many couples feel more natural and at ease in intimate settings, it's no surprise that some of the most breathtaking wedding images come from elopements.

The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, Hampton Roads documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!

Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards

The bride and groom shared an intimate first dance on a sea of clouds, while fog blanketed the garden outside, creating a magical moment for the couple to remember forever

Detelina Krasteva

The couple's small wedding was made unforgettable when the cavernous room with pendant lights created a magical ambiance that was witnessed by their parents and captured in a beautiful wedding photo

Lucy Schultz

Picture of the couple strolling public park during a destination wedding

William Lambelet

Hampton Roads Photographers for Large or Small Weddings

Shooting an elopement or small Hampton Roads wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.

Virginia WPJA members are ready to document any town hall, city hall, justice of the peace, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.

View Award-Winning Pictures from Hampton Roads Wedding Venues

2 Hampton Roads Wedding Photographers...

Heather Hughes Ostermaier, a veteran Virginia wedding photojournalist, captures moments with her own style. With 8 years of experience, Heather and her husband Rob bring their expertise in photojournalism to beautifully document weddings.

Heather Hughes Ostermaier

Newport News in Virginia, US *Now booking Hampton Roads weddings.

2999 (USD)

Neil Thurston is a destination wedding photographer who takes a documentary approach to storytelling through visual imagery. With a background in action sports photography and extensive international experience, Neil uses his unobtrusive style to capture the authentic...

Neil Thurston

Nags Head in North Carolina, US *Now booking Hampton Roads weddings.

500/hour (USD)

Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Hampton Roads Couples

Searches Related to Hampton Roads Wedding Photography Vendors

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who are the best Hampton Roads wedding photographers for small elopements?

A: The WPJA is proud to have some of the top Hampton Roads documentary wedding photographers for elopements. Our members are able to submit WedElope Stories that take you step-by-step, via a 9 image picture story, through the unique and moving elopements that take place around the world.

Q: Where can I find a photographer for a short-notice, small Hampton Roads wedding?

A: There are many WPJA photographers who are able to help you out at a moment's notice. We understand that sometimes love happens and there's simply no time to lose. We can ensure that you can get married as quickly as possible — and have incredible photographs to remember your Hampton Roads wedding day by.

Q: Can a wedding photojournalist create artistic portraits on my Hampton Roads wedding day?

A: While wedding photojournalists strive to capture candid moments on the wedding day, our photographers also are skilled artists who can compose powerful portraits. If you have a specific vision of what types of images you want from your wedding day, look at the top-ranked Hampton Roads wedding photographers who have earned Artistic Guild awards for portrait and detail images.

WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles

An Unforgettable Romance: The Intimacy of an Elopement

While some people live for the hustle and bustle of a big wedding with extravagant décor and an impossibly long guest list, others find these kinds of weddings to be too much hoopla, preferring instead something simpler and quieter, allowing for more intimacy between them...Read more

Vows, Crowds, and Nerves: Avoid Stress with a Small Wedding

While some of us were fortunate enough to be born as extroverts, not everyone feels the same way. For a good chunk of the population, any number of the typical wedding day traditions can inspire anxiety and existential dread. This day is all about you, yes, but does that...Read more

Small Weddings - How to Budget and Save

Traditionally speaking, often times it is the couple’s families who help pay for their wedding. However, unfortunately that’s just not possible for everyone, especially these days when the cost of weddings can quickly and easily get out of control. Some couples find...Read more

WPJA Communiqué: Viewpoints

Elopements: Traditional and Modern

The oldsters among the WPJA ranks no doubt remember when 'to elope' meant, in Merriam-Webster’s definition, “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married, usually without parental consent.” Many wedding photographers have gone on the lam with couples who did just that. However, even Merriam-Webster now acknowledges that “elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘ small destination weddings ,’ a ‘ wedding that is not financially insane ,’ or a ‘ wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite .’” Smaller Weddings are... Read more

What is Reportage?

On Instagram and elsewhere, one can see images labeled as #photojournalism or #reportage when they are, in fact, merely photos. I say "merely," even though photography has been my career's great passion. But it's because of that passion and my respect for the work of actual photojournalists that I am particularly bothered to see wedding photographers call their work "reportage." That word properly used actually means something important beyond just a stylistic conceit. By contrast, however, I'm the lead cheerleader for those practitioners of #weddingphotojournalism ... Read more

RAVES, REVIEWS, AND Hampton Roads WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Laura & Bryan

Photo by Heather Hughes Ostermaier

Hi Heather! Thank you!! We are so excited to see the pictures. Thanks you so much for being a part of our day and capturing all our special moments. We will treasure these forever. Feel free to share any photos you'd like. Thank you again so much! I hope that one day our paths might cross again. Until then, I wish you and your family all the best!

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Kitty Hawk Wedding Photography by Neil GT Photographer

Heather and Andrew

Photo by Neil Thurston

Wow! I am speechless, these photos are absoloutely amazing! Thank you so much for capturing these precious moments on our wedding day!

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Corley & Don

Photo by Neil Thurston

Hi Neil and Lisa, Don and I are beyond thrilled with our pictures! The quality, detail, and beauty of the pictures is just so obvious. Aside from all those things, we love that you captured the sequence of events in a photojournalistic fashion. I've gotten comments from many of my friends/family that these are the best pictures they have ever seen, and of course we are just so proud that they are our pictures. I also have to chuckle a little because you guys were such an organized but chill vendor and as a project manager myself, I know how much preparation you both did behind the scenes to make that work. We couldn't be any happier and if you ever need a reference - email, phone, whatever - please do not hesitate to call.

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.