Tom Daly Photography

There’s a lot of crossover when it comes to shooting weddings and shooting live music. Subjects are in motion, there are dynamic lighting conditions. It’s really a game of compose and wait — a photographer trick where you anticipate where the shot will happen, you set it up, center the dream backdrop and wait for the subject to come to you.
 
“If you wait for the lead singer or the couple to come to you, you’re going to get the shot,” says pro Charlottesville wedding photographer Tom Daly.
 
Tom graduated from the University of Virginia in 2004 and has photographed over 250 weddings since 2008. His genuine love of Virginia and all of its beautiful backdrops is prevalent is his distinct and playful documentary style.
 
Photography is in Tom’s genes — his dad was a freelance photographer and his grandfather was a photojournalist for the Washington Post. Over the years, Tom has shot Virginia weddings from vineyards to farms to small backyards and intimate elopements. He has also served as tour photographer for the Grammy-Award-winning bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters and was the official photographer for the Virginia Film Festival.
 
His wedding photography style is friendly, spirited and candid, showcasing a documentary and photojournalism background and attracting laid-back couples who don’t want every photo to be posed or every moment orchestrated.
 
“My couples want to have an actual true real moment-based day,” Tom says. “We do have a timeline, but there’s often improv. This is not a Hollywood-style shoot.”
 
After shooting thousands of wedding-day photos in his relaxed, calming behind-the-scenes style, Tom hand-picks the best moments, culling genuine facial expressions and the most joyous flashes in time. His editing is clean and real, without using a ton of filters.
 
His trick of the trade? Being open to the wedding day flow. “I’m not running the show,” Tom says. “That’s not the vibe I’m going for. I let couples dictate the timeline and do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. My job is to keep them happy and psyched and in that party mode.”