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Tom Daly Photography
Candid Charlottesville Wedding 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 professional 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 in 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 a 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.”

Real Talk with
Wedding Photographer Tom Daly
The best weddings are…
fun, relaxed, and real occasions.
My biggest piece of advice is…
If you don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera, there are ways to pretend I’m not there. Practice laughing with each other and try not to think about me being there. Zone in on each other. Sink into your own little orbit when I’m shooting the couple shots.
I’m there to…
document a fun day. Not direct a big photo shoot. I’ll get out there and dance with everyone, become one with the flow of the dance floor. I think being a pseudo-guest at that time of night makes for some really great shots.
My favorite camera is...
My Canon 5D Mark IVs
My favorite special wedding moment is...
The in-between moments when the bride and groom have quick, smiling eye contact that displays their inner private language to each other.
The people who are booking me are the jazz couples versus the more classical music folks.