Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find special and memorable. But what could hold more memory, meaning, and importance than your own home? For those looking for that perfect venue, it may not be any further than beyond your threshold.Read more
Are you planning a short-notice, small wedding or elopement?
Many couples don’t want to wait. They are planning to get married in the very near future, eloping, or rushing a small ceremony with their photographer, some close friends, and family but dispensing with or postponing the reception party.
View WPJA photo stories from smaller weddings - WedElope | Choose love, not fear!
Oregon Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers of Oregon, United States
Portland, Salem, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bend, Medford, Corvallis
Oregon Elopement Photographers
In recent days, some of our North America photographers have expressed their desire to accommodate couples who don’t want to wait to be married and are rushing the ceremony.
Many brides and grooms around the globe are planning to elope and deciding to reschedule their original ideas for a big event. They are getting wed on a whim, but dispensing with or postponing all else.
The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, documentary-style elopement photographers who are available right now who understand that some weddings can’t wait. Find yours today!
Most Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
Elopement Photographers for Small United States Weddings
Shooting an elopement or small Oregon 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.
Members are ready to document any civil ceremony, DIY - do it yourself, small, 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.
We are anxious to create a picture story chronicling your boutique, non-traditional, casual, small wedding from beginning to end. In this sense, it is no different from any other event that we have covered. The emphasis is on documenting key moments, capturing spontaneous displays of emotion, telling your real love story, as well as creating artistic portraits and details.
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Oregon Couples
19 Documentary Wedding Photographers...
I fell into wedding photography by accident. I was in school for photojournalism, dreaming of working for a newspaper when a friend asked me to photograph her wedding. From that moment on I was hooked, and I haven’t looked back. I loved that wedding photography merged my photojournalistic eye with my artistic passion. I am not only passionate about photography, but also about my home. I love exploring Portland, Oregon, hiking in the gorge, or going on adventures with couples throughout the Pacific Northwest. There is so much to do and see. The possibilities are endless. We can be inspired together. [Portland-OR Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2500 (USD)
My role is to be the observer, the curator of visual moments. I’m not there to make moments, I’m there to capture them. My name is Cliff Etzel and I’m a Pacific Northwest award-winning photojournalist specializing in family, wedding, birthing, and end of life documentary photography. My 30+ year experience for framing and catching fleeting moments and light is what gives my photos meaning and sets my photos apart from the run of the mill photographers. In my photographic work, I feel there’s a real beauty in documenting authentic life experiences. My passion to document the lives of everyday people is inspired by the works of William Albert Allard, David Burnett, David Alan Harvey plus many others and my passion hasn’t diminished even after all these years. [Oregon Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
500 (USD)
I'm a documentary wedding photographer located in the Seattle area of Washington. I live on the rocky beaches of Bremerton Washington and love riding the ferry to Seattle as often as possible. I started my professional photography career shooting for The Daily Evergreen and Columbian Newspapers before shifting my focus to wedding photography. I have been photographing weddings since 2011 now and see no end in sight. In 2016 (my then girlfriend) started shooting wedding alongside me and in 2018 we got married Cannon Beach and Leavenworth Washington. Allie Leaf and I regularly shoot weddings together. When not shooting weddings, I photograph concerts like Taylor Swift, Metallica, Nada Surf, The Black Keys, and Twenty One Pilots for the music publication I started in college called Seattle Music News. [Seattle Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4000 (USD)
I found my way into being a photojournalist in the Navy, but I never had any interest in photography. Everything changed for me when a tearful mom unfolded an old newspaper and said she wanted to get a better copy. The reason for the request? Her 10-year-old son had recently passed away after a long battle with leukemia and the image on the front page of the paper was him, bald from rounds of chemo, with a bird on his head and smile that would melt your heart. That was the last picture taken of him smiling … looking carefree like any other young boy. They wanted the new copy to frame and place in his little brother’s bedroom so he’d always remember his big brother being happy and smiling down on him. What changed my life from this experience was that was my image. An image from my very first newspaper assignment. I remember taking it and felt the whole assignment was taking away from my dream of being a DJ. Two things passed through my mind when this happened: I found my life’s calling The power of photography and that tangible element is real and is meaningful. It’s the visual documentation that provides proof we were here. We experience life, love, receive love, accomplish great feats, endure, and are a part of history within our family and communities. After that experience, I immersed myself in photojournalism. I studied, job shadowed, worked my butt off telling the stories of people who I was lucky enough to get an inside look of their lives. I’ve focused the photojournalism experience from all the assignments I’ve covered into telling stories of the people who won’t have their images highlighted inside a newspaper or magazine. This is why I do what I do. It’s also why my home has images hanging from every wall to highlight who my daughters were growing up, and who they are now. I want to always remember the 20th anniversary trip with my wife, and see myself and my girls acting goofy together. These moments are fleeting and the memories quickly fade without the images to remind us. Through portraits and weddings, I’ve devoted a big part of my life to telling stories with my images. And I take that responsibility very seriously. Because I want you to have that tangible element that will tell your story to your children, and grandchildren, and their children. I want a family member to walk down a hallway decades from now and point to a picture and ask about that moment captured in time. [Coeur d'Alene Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2500 (USD)
Leah Moyers is a traveling wedding and elopement photographer with a fine arts background located in East Tennessee. Her style is unobtrusive, candid, inclusive and thoughtfully captured. She creates relationships with clients that allow her to capture them authentically and truly enjoys producing beautiful and unique work. [Knoxville Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
400/hour (USD)
Ron Storer is an Award Winning Photojournalist with the WPJA and the AG|WPJA. Ron is based out of the Northwest area and is available for local as well as destination weddings. Ron Storer has been married to his wonderful friend, Neesie, for nearly the past 29 years and they have two amazing boys; Grant and Torey. 15 years ago, Ron Storer worked on a freelance basis with non-profit Organizations doing relief work around the globe. Now on occasion Ron still assists NPO's when possible and as his schedule allows. What motivates Ron is the passion of the moment. Ron believes that every wedding has incredible priceless moments and he works hard to capture and preserve them for each couple. His typical clientele is someone who wants their wedding memories captured in a unique and special way. His clientele also tend to be artistic and relational as many of his clients have become dear friends. Besides receiving awards here at the WPJA, Ron Storer has also received numerous awards at the AG|WPJA and was listed in 2016 as the Top American in the AG|WPJA. Prior to his photography career, Ron Storer raced on the US Cycling Team earning a Gold Medal in the Pan-Am Games and a Silver Medal in the Olympic Trials. [Seattle Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2400 (USD)
Born and raised in Texas but addicted to travel and shooting small-ish, untraditional weddings all over. Husband. Father. Coffee snob. And I dig all things Seinfield related. I started working as a freelance photographer in 2002 for 2 local news papers and 1 local magazine in my hometown. That time working for those publications helped me learn how to watch and wait for moments to unfold. I approach each wedding as its own unique and original event. No preconceived plans. No cookie-cutter ideas for your wedding day. Just honest moments being photographed undisturbed. My 3 children give me lots of practice photographing life as it unfolds before me in unpredictable fashion. I believe it is in those moments that true beauty is found. That's why I don't believe that I need to try and control your wedding day, but rather let the day unfold without interruption. It's the honest moments you are going to reflect on with true emotion, not the staged and posed. Be real, because life is too short not to be. [Dallas-Fort Worth Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2100 (USD)
I'm a photographer, editor, and writer based in Los Angeles (in the lovely enclave of Atwater Village). I’m not a traditional photographer by any means—I document experiences and tell stories for artists, musicians, and mindful couples that want to be in the moment and captured as they are. I watch old films, read old books, and collect old cameras to get inspired. Skateboarding, going to gigs, hanging with my wife Sarah, walking our dog Pearl June (or 'Junebug' these days), and spending time with friends and family are things to look forward to. And of course, I'm wildly obsessed with all things punk, love, and DIY. Being mindful and being present is important to me and my work. With a cinematic touch, I tend to look for the quiet and calm in a moment. It's the serene stillness of a boy jumping into a crowd of surf punks or the expression of pure love encapsulated by a bride's smile on her wedding day. Creating a true document of these experiences is what I'm after. [Los Angeles Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
250/hour (USD)
I am a Southern California storytelling photographer, so my number one goal is to capture your wedding day authentically. For me, it is all about genuine imagery that reflects the emotions and connections. I’ve always been one to document, but my love of photography really blossomed with the birth of our first child. I inherited my first DSLR camera, which I enjoyed, but it wasn’t until a friend taught me how to use the manual mode that I realized pointing and shooting play a very small role in creating a compelling image. So my quest began: to make images — creatively and expertly — that move the viewer emotionally. Soon after, I had more life-changing moments to document: our 2nd daughter’s cleft palate surgery and bringing our son home from the hospital for the first time. But I have realized what I enjoy most is capturing the little things: how she cocks her head when she pushes her palms into the play dough, or how he clambers up onto a bike that is way too big for him. For me, the joy of capturing a moment beautifully and memorably is the most exciting part of photography. My style is photojournalistic for a reason—I believe the images you will cherish over the years are not the posed ones but the genuine, honest ones. Documenting weddings gives me the opportunity to capture the unscripted moments that make life beautiful. [Los Angeles Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
1950 (USD)
Dennis Mock's self-proclaimed spontaneity and documentary spirit. His background in sports photography allows him to capture split-second moments of joy or truly spectacular action passes of familial play, and his experience in architectural photography gives him a natural sense of composition. FUN FACTS: -I took my first serious camera clicks in the front row of Fleetwood Mac and the Bees Gees concerts. -Greatest adventure was documenting Burning Man 2012. -I brake for VG donuts and strawberry fields. -Love the colors of Hot Air Balloons drifting freely in the sky. -Bucket list: Go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. -Asked by the San Diego Padres to be their team photographer from 1983-85, including the 1984 World Series vs the Detroit Tigers. -Capturing historical neon works as beautifully crafted pieces of art. -If I was a landscape architect, I'd put David Austin English Roses in every garden -I was given the nickname "Wandering Man"... long story ask me later! I BELIEVE FAMILY IS EVERYTHING The people who make it all worthwhile are my wife Lynn, my three kids I can’t wait to document all the people (and maybe even the dogs) who fill your life with joy! You can also spot me regularly tossing the ball with my two dogs (who I’m sure are convinced they are people): “Roxie” the 13-year-old basset hound and our new puppy, King Charles Cavalier...whose full name is “Princess Fiona of Sparren Ave.” [San Diego Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2500 (USD)
Since 1999, I have been a professional photographer serving in Minneapolis, MN, Seattle, WA and international destinations. While weddings are my first love, I also apply my style to portraits, promotional images, live music, commercial and editorial work for a number of clients and publications. I regularly travel for weddings, and have been commissioned to photograph weddings all over the world. Over the past 18 years, I have photographed over 600 weddings, from as few as 6 guests in Seattle to 600 in Seoul. My work has been featured in ad campaigns for Amazon.com and Sony Ericsson mobile phones, album cover art for musicians: Pete Droge, Downpilot, Fauna, February, Kim Field and The Mighty Titans of Tone, Rachel Harrington, Sugartown, Brother Sun Sister Moon, Visqueen, Truckstop Souvenir, Declining Winter, Memory Drawings, and Broadcast Oblivion. My images and quotes have been printed in local and national magazines, including Minnesota Monthly, Rolling Stone (Germany), Fuji Love Magazine, Fuji X Passion Magazine, Olympus Passion Magazine, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times, Seattle Sound, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, Photo District News (PDN), MSNBC.com, ROCKRGRL, The Big Takeover, Three Imaginary Girls, Washington Free Press, Local Planet, Seattle Police Annual Report, Seattle Police Foundation Calendar, Lutheran Brotherhood "Leader" Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Seattle Bride, Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom, The Knot, Conde Nast's Brides Magazine, Wedding Pages Magazine, Wedding Expo, Herban Feast's wedding brochure and Banquet & Event's promotional literature and billboards. My images have been used in websites for the Arc School of Ballet in Seattle, Seattle Police Foundation, Daniel Boen Law Office, Bel Canto audiophile stereo equipment and Jai Healing chiropractic office. I have been interviewed in Martha Stewart Weddings, Seattle Bride, Minnesota Bride, Junebug Weddings, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, InMyBag.net, ShutterStock, Photography Live and Uncut with Paul Griffiths, X100C, Photo Business XPosed, Fuji MIrrorlessPro, Fuji X Passion Magazine, Olympus Passion Magazine and MirrorLessons. Every Wednesday I do a podcast called Outerfocus with UK photographer Ian Weldon about the history of photography. Each week we discuss a photographer in history while interviewing a current photographer about his/her work. You can find Outerfocus podcast on iTunes. [St. Paul Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4000 (USD)
Della Chen is all about telling an honest story with creative and interesting images. As a wedding photojournalist, she creates timeless photo essays of authentic and genuine moments and her behind-the-scenes approach is reflected in discerning and lyrical photographs. Her style of photography relies on the natural chemistry and love between a couple, families and friends. Della is committed to working with a limited number of couples every years so that she can continue to freelance for editorial and commercial assignments, mentor for youth programs and document families and people everywhere. Based in Seattle and available for travel. [Seattle Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3000 (USD)
Professional documentary wedding photography based out of Seattle, specializing in photography that blends in an acute sense of the moment. In addition to providing local and destination wedding photography; Lightphoria also offers lifestyle, senior, family and child photography. [Seattle Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4500 (USD)
My work as a photographer began back in 2008 as a sports photography intern at Getty Images. As a freelancer, I covered baseball, football, basketball, rowing, tennis, and motorsport. My experience at Getty sharpened my eye for composition, light, and timing. The technical challenges were amazing, but as time passed, the nature of the work became impersonal and systematic. Another touchdown, another home run, another victory lane… I was just one of a gang of photographers trying to capture the same moment. I felt like my life’s work was becoming a commodity. I growingly became frustrated and disillusioned with my professional journey. Something had to change. Then it hit me. How can I be truly passionate about my work when I don’t have any personal connection whatsoever with the people that I'm covering? As a sports photographer, I was always at arm's length from my subjects – leaving me without the ability to truly relate to what they were feeling. At that moment I knew I wanted to work one-on-one with my subjects. There is something so gratifying about capturing two people madly in love, handing them the images and then hearing how their experience brought them even closer in their relationship. This is the joy that wedding photography brings me and it is why I have chosen to dedicate my life to this work. It would be an honor to hear from you! [Los Angeles Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
1800 (USD)
I am a Dallas based photographer that has been trusted by grooms and brides across the United States, flying me to unique and exotic locations to shoot around the world including Scotland, Thailand and the Virgin Islands. I look forward to doing more of the same so that I can take the creative journalistic style wedding pictures that will make your friends jealous, families envious and blow your minds away. I will be on my feet, cameras to my eyes capturing every special moment of you from the time you're getting your hair ready, right on through until you say your "I Do's!" And it's not over yet...I'll be there for your first dance until the last song where you'll have to be carried out from all of the fun. Whatever happens, I'll be there to marry artful photojournalism with life, love, and laughter. My mission is to bring focused passion in photography through elegant service. [Dallas-Fort Worth Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3500 (USD)
Calm and unobtrusive, yet determined to get the shot. Initially, I was somewhat intimidated at the prospect of shooting weddings professionally, as a business. Fortunately, that changed after my first summer as a wedding photographer in South Lake Tahoe, California and I never looked back. The feedback I received during weddings and upon delivery of the final product motivated me to continue my pursuit of wedding photography. Today, I am an experienced wedding photographer, having shot weddings in downtown Sacramento, the California foothills, Quincy, Truckee, Reno, and almost every venue in Lake Tahoe. I am deeply passionate about photography and capturing the most meaningful moments of your wedding. I specialize in a photojournalistic approach, documenting your day as it unfolds. As a seasoned photographer with a wide range of freelance experience, I know how to anticipate the unique, natural moments of a dynamic event. I spot the key moments, big and small, that you will want stunningly, permanently recorded. Creativity, attention to detail, and dedication define the services provided. Whenever possible, I utilize both my artistic skill for shooting the natural environment and my experience as a wedding and event photographer to produce timeless, compelling imagery that truly captures the moment and the place you have chosen to get married. Formal or casual, you have a vision for your wedding and I would like to be there to tell your story with my camera ... [Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
1800 (USD)
I graduated from the University of Houston with my Master’s Degree in Accountancy and started a career as an auditor in 2015. Only a few months after I started, I felt out of place. Photography has always been my passion growing up. When I was little, I would borrow a camera phone from one of my cousins and start taking photos of things around me. In my senior year of high school when one of my good friends got this very awesome Sony camera phone (it was not a smartphone yet), she would let me use it an document our memories of senior years, per my request of course :). I used the paychecks from my very first part-time job to buy myself a DSLR and start taking photos for friends and family. So yes, it would be so much fun and exciting to start a photography business. While people spend 4 years of college trying to learn to do a job, I spent my 4 years to learn how to do a different job, not photography. I started doing wedding photography and fell in love. I fell in love with the exciting and upbeat environment of a wedding, I fell in love with the emotions that a bride goes through on her wedding date, I fell in love with how the guests dance the night away and how the wedding cakes taste just so indulging, and I fell in love with being the one to document all of that. So that was how Half A Rice Studios was born. [Houston Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3200 (USD)
Searches Related to Oregon Wedding Photography Vendors
WPJA Communiqué: Features
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 themselves in the position of paying for all of their own wedding expenses, which can be quite the financial burden to take on, and about 40% of Millennials end up in this boat. So, how can you stick to your allotted...Read more
Not everyone has a lagoon or glacier next door, but there's no rule saying you can't have a small wedding in the great outdoors. Take advantage of natural sunshine and that open, airy feeling and give your guests some room to breathe! LESS IS MORE Instead of hemming your guests in on all sides, give them some elbow room, and legroom, too. There's no need to induce claustrophobia when you've got a wide, open space. Let your guests take in the view, especially if you've got a spectacular one. You...Read more
We all know that the economy can go through some hard times, and be somewhat reminiscent of past recessions. However, as people cut back on non-essential little luxuries here and there, one constant remains: weddings. People don’t tend to just stop getting married due to a poor economy, nor should they! So, in an industry that keeps on going through thick and thin, what are some things to expect for the future, and what is really necessary to still make that wedding day memorable and...Read more
Everyone always says that your wedding day is all about you. But let’s face it; that’s not always actually the case. Many couples stress over guest lists, planning, expenses, and all the frills and traditions of your standard large wedding that they may or may not even be interested in. Fortunately, though, the concept of small weddings is becoming increasingly popular for couples who either want to be able to completely customize their day where and when they want with the option...Read more
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 and their fiancés on this special day. So how do you infuse your wedding with all the romance but none of the fuss? ALONE AT LAST Many couples these days are opting to elope rather than planning a large wedding. For the no-...Read more
RAVES, REVIEWS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Allie and Cody Liberatore
Photo by David Braun
Hi David, Just letting you know I received the memory stick! I love all the extra touches you did, that is really cool and cute! We couldn’t believe it when we opened the package. Thank you again, I really appreciate everything you have done for our engagement and wedding photos. Mahalo- Allie
Tim + Kristin
Photo by Jared Lindsay
“Holy cow Jared! I want to cry I love them so much! Our trust was very well founded. Thank you. You captured our moments and more. I’m so happy”. – Kristin.
LAURA AND SID
Photo by David Braun
Hi David, You were so great to work with and the pictures are really stunning. We will leave you a review ASAP, hoping to get to it this weekend! Thank you for everything!
Kari and Glen
Photo by Ron Storer
Omigoodness!! Can I just say wow? You are such an amazing photographer! Glen and I have shared these photos with some of our family and friends, and all of them have been like, "I love these pictures! You rock!
Teresa and Kenny
Photo by Ron Storer
Thank you so much for all of your hard work on our beautiful wedding photos. There are no words to express our gratitude for capturing some of the most important moments of our lives. Our wedding & engagement photos are an absolute treasure that we will savor and cherish forever. When we share our album with friends, they rave about how unique it is and that they’ve never seen anything like it. I have to agree it is amazing and a delight to flip through - it just seems to bring us right back to June 7, 2008 - a day that we hold very close to our hearts.
Amy & Matt
Photo by Ron Storer
I must say again, that I love what you've done to capture the memories of our special day. Matt and I both really appreciate how you've expressed our personalities so accurately with your shots and the candid yet flattering moments you captured. You have a gift and your genuine interest in us only made the photos that much better! Thanks again!
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.
