WASHINGTON DC + MARYLAND WEDDING & ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER
Real moments. Seriously good portraits.
For fun, nontraditional couples who want to actually experience their wedding and still walk away with photographs that make them say, “Holy shit, that’s us.”
The real stuff is the good stuff.
I don't want your wedding to feel like an eight-hour photoshoot. I want you to actually live it.
I'm watching for the ridiculous laughs, ugly cries, nervous hands, family chaos, dance floor insanity and all the little things happening around you that you never even knew you missed.
And when it's time for portraits? I'll step in, find the light, give you direction and make something incredible without making you feel like someone you're not.
Documentary when the moment is happening. Direction when you need it.
You don't have to choose between real moments and seriously good portraits.
You can have both.
Weddings
Make it beautiful. Make it weird. Make it yours.
Black tie or backyard. Keep the traditions you love, skip the ones you don’t. Champagne tower, taco truck, drag queen, grandma taking over the dance floor or whatever makes the day feel like yours.
I’m there for all of it: the people you love, the chaos, the quiet moments, the completely ridiculous ones, and portraits that still feel like you.
Forget the rulebook. Go somewhere. Get married.
Washington DC. The mountains. The coast. Somewhere you've never been before.
Make it a whole day, bring a few favorite people or keep it just the two of you. We'll build something that actually sounds fun and photograph everything that happens along the way.
Elopements
Hi I’m Kathy
I photograph weddings, travel whenever I can, do improv for fun, love basically every animal I meet, and somehow became an IVF mom to a very busy toddler in my 40s — which means I’m now reliving my entire 90s childhood all over again.
I’m a little goofy, definitely nerdy, and one of those people who knows just enough about a ridiculous number of things to happily talk to almost anyone about almost anything.
I’ve spent 20 years photographing weddings, traveled the world, photographed wildlife in the most wild places, I’ve won international photography awards, had my work recognized by the Prince of Monaco and once photographed a wedding surrounded by penguins in Antarctica.
Wedding photography is where everything I love comes together people, stories, emotion, a little chaos, and the chance to make something beautiful out of all of it.
Sometimes I’m literally the only other person there, witnessing the vows and feeling ridiculously lucky that I get to be part of something so intimate.
Other times I’m photographing a huge wedding and somehow seem to be everywhere all at once catching the big moments, the tiny side glances, the parent trying not to cry, the friend doing something completely ridiculous, and all the little things happening around you that you never even saw.
I love meeting people and getting pulled into their world for a day learning who the important people are, who’s going to cry first, who’s going to cause trouble, and what parts of the day actually matter to them.
And I love that weddings let me do both sides of photography I’m obsessed with: chasing the moments I could never plan, then turning around and creating a portrait that feels completely different but still completely like you.
Give me the laughter, the nerves, the weird family stuff, the dance-floor chaos, the quiet five seconds nobody else noticed and then let’s go make something ridiculously beautiful.
That’s my kind of wedding.
The Full Story, Not Just the Highlights
These weddings are all completely different which is exactly why I love them.
Different people, different places, different traditions, different kinds of chaos.
Take a look around. Steal an idea. Get inspired. Or just come see what a wedding can look like when you stop worrying about what you’re supposed to do and make the day actually feel like you.
What past couples have said about Love & Adventure Photography
“Her photojournalistic style truly captures the couple's personality and love story.”
“As the former wedding writer for The Baltimore Sun, I fell in love with Kathleen's work at first sight. Upon first reviewing her images for an article I was working on, I knew I had to have her for my own wedding—whenever that would be.
Her photojournalistic style truly captures the couple's personality and love story. Kathleen shot both our engagement session in Chicago and our wedding in Baltimore. Half the time, we didn't even realize she was there because she's so professional and so easy to work with.
Her creative touch exceeded our expectations. We absolutely recommend Kathleen's work—you will NOT be disappointed!”
— L'oreal T.
“We actually changed our wedding date so that she could be our photographer.”
We had followed Kathleen’s work for years and knew before meeting with anyone else that we wanted her.
From our first meeting, she helped us build our wedding-day timeline and immediately made the whole planning process feel easier. She even got my husband—who hates posed photos—to genuinely laugh and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Her photographs are creative and different from what you see from every other wedding photographer, and they feel like pieces of art we can hang in our home. She also got our family photos done incredibly quickly, which meant we actually got to enjoy cocktail hour with our guests.
— Ashley
“She always manages to sneak pictures of the small, tender moments.”
“This girl is incredible!!! We used her for both our engagement and wedding pictures and they look straight out of a fairy tale magazine. She's adventurous and never takes the same photo twice, so you know that your pictures will be stunning, fun, and uniquely you.
She ended up trampling through mud and climbing over trees to get the right angle for some of our pictures—and always manages to sneak pictures of the small, tender moments.
Kathy takes time to get to know each couple personally and get a feel for what they are looking for. On our wedding day itself she went above and beyond and kept a fun and calming atmosphere, even when things got hectic.”
— Sarah S.
So… are we doing this?
You’ve seen the photos. You’ve heard way too much about me. Now I want to hear about you.
Tell me where you’re getting married, who’s coming, what you’re excited about, what you absolutely do not want, and whatever random little detail is already making you ridiculously happy.
You don’t need a perfect timeline or every decision made. Just give me what you’ve got.
Wedding photography averages around $5,200
Elopements average around $2,000
If this all feels like your kind of photography and I sound like someone you wouldn’t mind hanging out with for most of your wedding day come say hi.
Email: Kathy@loveandadventurephoto.com
Text: 443-805-5155
From “I do” to everything after
One of my favorite parts of doing this for 20 years is getting to watch life keep happening.
Weddings turn into anniversaries. Dogs show up. Babies happen. Kids get bigger way too fast. Somehow you have a high school senior when you swear they were five yesterday.
And honestly? I love photographing all of that too.
The same real moments. The same ridiculous personalities. The same mix of documentary photography and portraits — just with fewer wedding clothes and usually more snacks.
