Wedding Photography That Feels The Way It Felt
Hey! I’m Matt. And photographing awesome couples being their real weird selves is my jam.
When I got in to documenting couples + their love back in 2015, I thought it’d be seeing new places that would be what I loved about weddings. I wouldn’t have guessed that photographing the connection between two people and their supporting community of friends + family would end up being the real magic stuff that I love in wedding photography. So while the new backdrops can feel very unreal at times, it’s my couples + their stories that are the heart of what I do.
My style of wedding documentation is based on candidness, motion and using natural light to capture authentic, raw moments with a sense of adventure. It’s not stiff and overly posed, and it’s not like the movies. It’s better than that because it’s real.
I’m a firm believer in breaking norms
and not necessarily doing what the Wedding Industry tells you are the 10 Things You Need To Do To Have a Perfect Wedding.
What’s struck me the most over all these years of photographing love + connection is that the parts of your wedding that are truest to you - in which you don’t try to have a Perfect Wedding but instead a perfect wedding for you - are always the most memorable parts.
Want to say your vows on a glacier in Denali with just your two best friends while doing magic tricks for each other? Want to party in embroidered matching denim jackets with your cats’ faces on them? Want to have your ceremony underneath a planetarium dome? Want to take your engagement photos you swing around your adorable tiny home like monkeys? Nothing’s too crazy or weird if it’s true to you.
Basically, you be you and I'll bring the cameras.
Don’t think of it as a photoshoot. think of it as hanging out with your best friend.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that 90% of my couples tell me they’re worried about looking awkward. But thanks to my lifelong experience as a Very Awkward Person, I fully understand the fear and everything I do is geared towards making couples forget they’re even being photographed. We’re literally just walking around somewhere beautiful and I happen to have a camera.
I’m pretty much a professional third wheel.
It’s not weird! Don’t make it weird!
I think this job is really, really freaking awesome
because I love getting to hang out with awesome couples and unique people at their giant crazy (or intimate) love celebrations, telling their stories authentically through photos.
I know this candid, un-posed approach isn't for everyone. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If this sounds like how you'd like your relationship + marriage documented, we should talk!
I call Charlottesville home, but I photograph weddings all over Virginia, DC, and Baltimore regularly, and am always available for travel anywhere.
You can find out more info about my wedding documentation + rates here, adventure elopements here, and all engagements and couple sessions over this way.
Whatever you want to do, let’s make it beautiful.
all the love, all the quirks, and all the adventures together
My favorite part of photographing weddings and engagements is getting to know the story of how two people found their other half - their best friend, their road trip buddy, the love of their life. I put my heart and soul into documenting all of this authentically, with all the weirdness, the dancing, and the laughter. The galleries below are all real & a little rough around the edges & I wouldn't have it any other way. You can check out more on my blog.
what my couples are saying
“I cannot say enough about how much we loved the photos that Matt took from our wedding. There is an authenticity about his pictures that I haven't seen anywhere else. They weren't just the usual cookie cutter stand and pose and smile pictures like I usually see. Some of the moments he captured made our whole family cry just because they were so honest. He embraced our silliness and awkwardness and celebrated it. Having him and his partner there on our wedding day felt more like having our friends there, rather than photographers. He was so cool and fun and made it all feel so comfortable. We are beyond elated with how all our pictures turned out. I would recommend Matt to ANYONE. His pictures are magical and unique and and captured the most special moments so beautifully. Hire him immediately.”
- Kaitlin + Dave
“It's hard to put into words what Matt brought to our wedding. He was the first vendor we hired (almost two years out) and he turned out to be so much more than a dude with a camera; he really had a major hand in shaping the experience. He was kind, funny, and always willing to give advice on planning questions. And he worked out a time to do an engagement shoot in our city despite living across the country, which was so helpful for our comfort level. By the time we got to the wedding day, Matt felt like an old friend. He has a great instinct for when to be unobtrusive and when to really jump into the action, and it shows in the final product. In both the portraits and candids, the emotion shows so true to life in every image. Looking at them just instantly takes me back.”
- Katy + Dan