Seattle's top-rated wedding photographer

Candid, artistic photography for couples who want to have fun with their wedding photography!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let’s talk about why you probably came to this page

You’re looking for someone to photograph your wedding, one of the most important days of your life. For most people this is not something they have done before, and you may not have even been to a wedding as a guest, much less a participant. So let me try to help you a bit with the selection process.

If you are like almost all of the people I have worked with

Your wedding photos are a very important part of your day and a high priority in your wedding budget. You don’t just want “decent” photos, you want GREAT photos that capture all the joy and love of this incredible day in your life. You understand that your photos will possibly be the only tangible memories of the day, and have decided to find the best possible wedding photographer to record this day for you.

Let's create some amazing photos
to remember your day!

Here’s the catch

No photographer, no matter HOW good she/he may be, is going to appeal to everyone. Styles of photography differ among photographers and what one couple might love, another might find boring. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder!

Also, personalities among photographers vary even more than their styles!

And it is very important that your personalities are a good "fit" with your photographer, since you will be working more closely with this person than anyone else on your wedding day. If my comments on this page and throughout my website are turning you off, I may not be the right fit to be your photographer. I tend to be a bit blunt, and don’t do well with BS. So before you go any further I'd suggest you read my Client Reviews. You'll find that the couples who DO choose to work with me are pretty much universally very glad that they did!

So I hope that you’ll take some time and look around my site

Learn more about me and how I can help you create some kick-ass wedding photos that will have your friends and family saying “WOW!” and make all of your already married friends jealous; unless I happened to be their photographer too!

Audra & Nate - Seattle wedding at Alki Point

"We are so grateful we chose Tom as our wedding photographer. Tom is an incredibly talented photographer and such a nice person. He is very efficient and responsive. We are both rather camera shy but Tom made us feel very comfortable and confident. Not to mention he is just a blast to work with! He worked well with the entire bridal party and we are all ecstatic with how amazing his photos turned out!

There is something quite magical about his work. He has a true talent and a great eye for things and his photo quality is impeccable. We are incredibly happy with his work. His pricing is reasonable and worth every penny! If you are looking for an amazing photographer, we highly recommend Tom Ellis!"

Nickole and Clarence

We can go anywhere you want
to take your photos

I specialize

In what I'd describe as a natural, story-telling style of wedding photography

Combining traditional posed photos with pictures taken in a photojournalistic style. I want to not only capture all the special candid moments during your wedding and reception, but also to help you create amazing posed photos using the lighting and backdrops available to us on your wedding day. There are many wonderful locations for wedding photos in the Seattle area, and I am happy to take you just about anywhere you'd like to go so we can make some incredible photos together.

I am a "local boy"; I grew up in the Seattle area and have lived here almost my entire life. I know my way around Seattle and Western Washington very well, and have photographed weddings in hundreds of different venues in Washington State. If you would like to see a fairly comprehensive list of Seattle and Puget Sound area wedding venues please visit my Seattle Wedding Venues page.

I have photographed weddings with as few as 2 people (just the bride and groom, I was one of the witnesses for signing the paperwork) and with as many as 400+ guests. I have photographed weddings of many different cultures, including Indian weddings, Japanese weddings, Chinese weddings, and numerous others. I am comfortable working with any size group, and my years of experience mean that I know where I need to be at all crucial times during the ceremony and reception to get the best possible shots.

Filming a wedding is serious business, but also needs to be serious fun! Everyone has heard nightmare stories of the "Photographer from Hell" who turned the formal photos into an endurance contest, or never let the bride and groom have a free minute to enjoy their own reception. That isn't me!! I have found that clients prefer spontaneous, authentic photos that reflect the emotion of the moment. My job is not only to take great pictures of your wedding day, but to do so in a way that helps to maximize your enjoyment of your day. I work hard to make those important formal photos a FUN experience, not just a "necessary evil" photo session! And when it comes to candid photos, I like to stalk unobtrusively in the background, constantly watching for those pictures that will best capture the spirit and the joy of your special day. I want to treat every couple as friends who have done me the honor of allowing me to record their wedding day for them. As a friend I remind you to breathe, relax and (most of all) have fun!

Get ready for an incredible
wedding photography experience!

Local and Destination Wedding Photography

While Seattle area wedding photography is the majority of my work

I also do weddings all over Washington State - Aberdeen, Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett, Gig Harbor, Kent, Port Townsend, Tacoma, Vancouver, Yakima etc. If you're getting married outside of Washington State I have also photographed weddings in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Vermont and am hoping to add more states to my tally! I am a "Go anywhere!" destination wedding photographer, and I am available to travel anywhere in the world to photograph your wedding or special event. See the Weddings page in my site for details if you are interested.

...Here is a short video

A slideshow of a wedding at the Salish Lodge. There are more slideshows on my Real Wedding Videos page

Audra & Nate

Tom was absolutely wonderful as our photographer, and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to hire him again if we were to do it all over. I have (and will continue) to recommend him to my friends. Tom was friendly and made it clear that his advertised packages were just a starting point. He was extremely flexible and willing to create any kind of picture package we wanted.

Audra & Nate

Shannon & Kaleb

What our Clients Say!

I can't say enough wonderful things about Tom!!! He was so easy to work with and helped me with things that I hadn't even considered until he asked me and brought them to my attention. He did exactly what I was hoping for and more! We received our pictures online within a week of the wedding and all were GORGEOUS! I would HIGHLY recommend Tom Ellis for any wedding, absolutely wonderful!

Shannon & Kaleb

Lisa & Kelly

What our Clients Say!

Words cannot express how incredibly pleased my husband and I were with Tom, but I'll try. He did both our wedding photography and our engagement pictures, and I'm so happy with the work he did for both. He is not only a supremely talented photographer, but is also a very kind and pleasant man to work with, and a consummate professional. He was there for us 110%, and we are so happy with the pictures he took.

Lisa & Kelly

Erin & Floyd

What our Clients Say!

Tom Ellis was fantastic. He was professional and helpful in the planning stage and really put us all at ease on our wedding day. He took great pictures of our bridal party and families and also many candid shots from the ceremony and reception. He documented the joy of the day without ever being obtrusive. Our digital pictures were available within days and our album within a couple weeks. Wonderful experience!

Erin & Floyd

Kristen & Chris

What our Clients Say!

Having Tom as our wedding photographer was a great experience. He has extensive knowledge and experience in the field and not only was a great photographer, but was helpful in helping us figure out multiple other wedding details (day-of timeline, recommending vendors etc) and repeatedly offered to help with more than the expected photography questions. I highly recommend booking your wedding with Tom.

Kristen & Chris

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