How To Get Amazing Wedding Photos No Matter Where You Are

The Commoneer will come to you

A few days before our wedding, our photographer threw her back out, so she ended up bringing her non-photographer-boyfriend along as her impromptu assistant. He was originally there just to haul her gear, but instead commandeered her back-up camera and captured an entire second perspective of our wedding. He ended up taking some of my absolute favorite photos: overhead shots of me descending the staircase to our first look while our “official photographer” waited with my husband at the bottom, wide-angle shots of our ceremony from up in the balcony while she covered the close-ups, and so on. While she was unobtrusive and stealthy AF at candids, he was outgoing and charming, distracting us from worrying whether it was going to rain and keeping my friends giggling all the way through group portraits. Beforehand, you could never have convinced me we needed a second-shooter for our 50-guest wedding, but having two photographers—especially a couple who got our dynamic and fit in seamlessly—turned out to be priceless.

The reason I’m telling you all this is because that’s exactly what you get with husband-and-wife team The Commoneer. We founded The L.O.V.E. Club because y’all are always asking for the photographers who are definitely going to be the next big thing, the ones who are currently charging unbelievably reasonable rates for work that is worth way more, and here’s one you’re going to want to jump on:

WHO: Katie and Adam of The Commoneer

WHERE: Based in Virginia, traveling everywhere for a flat travel fee of $250 domestic or $500 outside of the Continental US. Plus! They are running an amazing deal on December to March weddings, so if that’s you and you’ve yet to book a photographer, slow your scroll…

A wedding couple kiss at the bottom of a staircase.

HOW MUCH: Regular wedding coverage starts at $3,500 with a $250 travel fee if you are outside of Virginia or $500 if you’re outside the Continental U.S. Off-season weddings, November–March, are currently $2,900 WITH no travel fees. Book by December 15th for this rate, which includes 6 hours of coverage with two lead two photographers, and hi-res images delivered via online gallery. Additional hours can be added on for a reduced hourly rate of $250 per hour.

WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH THEM: Self-described “anti-wedding wedding photographers,” Katie and Adam are our—and your—kind of people. They’re equally fed up with all the wedding industry pressure and “shoulds,” and the idea that you must spend loads of money “in order to have a good wedding.” They themselves had a laid-back wedding at a cozy B&B where everyone ate homemade BBQ. And as photographers, their approach is simple: You focus on what’s important to you, and they’ll be there make sure you remember it for good. And by “remember it” they mean have it captured in breathtaking photos that are incredibly artistic without falling prey to the latest trendy filters or editing styles:

A woman poses in a room and smiles.A wedding couple walk along a dimly lit pier at night. Photo by The Commoneer.Two persons gently hold hands during a wedding ceremony. Photo by The Commoneer.

The long version, in Adam’s words:

Katie and I met in college where she studied photography and digital media, and I studied nursing. Katie was shooting weddings right out of school while I worked as a nurse in an emergency room and then an oncology clinic. I’ve always been a hobby photographer, but I started to take it seriously soon after meeting Katie. It didn’t take long for us to start working together on weddings, and after a few years of gearing up, this year we finally took the plunge to become full-time self-employed wedding photographers. And we love it! We love working together and feel really lucky to spend our weekends with people in love.

Our goal is for our photographs to be distinct while also being timeless—or at least unable to be tied to one specific five year span by how we shoot and edit! We use natural light as much as possible, and edit in a slightly moody style without being overly dark or dramatic. We also aim to shoot documentary-style work as often as possible, and keep pose-y, overly stylized work to a minimum. We’ve been fortunate to form a strong connection with many of our couples, and have had clients tell us they appreciate us being so real with them. We shoot in a quick and efficient manner but don’t rush, which helps people feel more relaxed in front of the camera. This seems to be a recurring compliment for us, that “you make this so easy!” or “this wasn’t nearly as stressful as I was imagining.” See, we will never take you out of the moments of your wedding in order to build our own portfolio. We want to take as little of your time as possible to get the shots you’ll cherish most. You invited many of your loved ones to share in this celebration with you, so you should get to enjoy it. We’ll be behind the scenes, capturing what unfolds.

It’s right there in our name: Commoneer is a word we made up to encapsulate what we strive to capture through photography—those common, everyday moments that everyone shares—no matter if it’s a family session, Carportrait, or wedding. The suffix -eer means “to be associated with,” so we seek out and capture the common moments in life, that {extra}ordinary feeling of enjoying the presence of the ones you love.

I mean, if this wedding and this wedding aren’t the perfect examples of how everyday moments can become art (including the amazing “arrival of the groom on the traditional adult razor scooter“), then I don’t know what is.

A bride reads her vows while her brides-persons stand in line behind her.Side Profile portrait of a bride.An elderly man smiles as he walks towards a woman.A man and woman greet each other on their wedding day.

STREET CRED:

Katie and Adam are THE LITERAL BEST! Having them photograph our wedding felt like having two extra buds there to celebrate with us—but those buds also happened to take incredible, heartfelt and honest photos of our wedding day. When we shared our digital album with friends and family, SO MANY people commented that Katie and Adams’ photos were the best they’d ever seen. We felt lucky to have them there and we cherish our photos and the experience we had with The Commonneer. —Erin J.

The Commoneer…Where do I even begin? Katie and Adam have a SUPER POWER! Their photos don’t just capture a moment, they tell a story. Your unique, personal, one-of-a-kind, never to be repeated story. I often get a little misty-eyed when looking at the photos they have taken for us because they have so beautifully documented our sweetest friendships, our starting of a business, our every day life, and our most sacred moments. They do it all…and they do it all flawlessly. —Stevie Lee

Katie and Adam could not have done a better job! I loved their aesthetic from the second I started browsing their website and WOW do they have a good eye. They captured such sweet, candid moments from our homegrown backyard wedding and really understood what we wanted/what our day was all about on a deep level. By the end of the night, they felt like a part of the family and we are so grateful that we hired them!!! —Zoe F

A bride is lifted up into the air during her first dance with her husband. Photo by The Commoneer.An empty ceremony location.Two women in wedding dresses make the recession from their ceremony.A man and woman laugh and embrace several babies and children.

WHAT NOW: Y’all! Stunning weddings photos like these from two unbelievable photographers for less than $3K no matter where in the country you are?! That’s pretty much what I paid eight years ago, and the second photographer was accidental. So um, run, don’t walk, because this is your lucky freaking day. And if you’re not quite ready to hit book just yet, here’s their IG so you can go stalk them, because they should at least go on the short-list.

For more information on working with Katie & Adam—click here to receive a personalized quote, or enter your email address and they’ll be in touch:

Featured Sponsored Content

Please read our comment policy before you comment.

The APW Store is Here

APW Wedding e-shop

go find all our favorites from around the internet, and our free planning tools

Shop Now
APW Wedding e-shop

Planning a wedding?

We have all the planning tools you need right now.

Budget spreadsheets, checklists, and more...

Get Your Free Planning Tools