Elyssa & John Kivus are a husband & wife wedding photography team. They live in Durham, North Carolina, but have travelled for weddings before and will certainly do so again (they like beaches!) Elyssa's background is in photojournalism, and John's is in computer software, but they fell in love in law school. Their story is long y'all. They like Star Wars, beer, and Disney World. They say they like running, but that's mostly so they can get away with drinking beer.
The thing they love most is working with fun couples and making vivid, enthusiastic images.
FAQs:
Recommended by 100% of couples
32 User photos
Carly Caldwell · Married on 10/13/2018
Amazing to work with and gorgeous photos!
If their website doesn't draw you in, your initial meeting with them will! You can tell from their website just the type of people they are (awesome - that's the type of people they are), and their images are beyond gorgeous. When I was searching for wedding photographers, you usually find two camps -- dark and moody or romantic. Elyssa and John fell into a perfect balance of that for us.
Sent on 11/04/2018
We first did a Skype meeting where we hit it off! They are a perfect balance of quirky, nerdy, and extremely knowledgeable/helpful! Elyssa is very quick to offer any help she can give you, and they truly work with you to make your day absolutely amazing. They are super responsive throughout the entire planning process, and send you so many helpful tips that really help you plan so thoroughly.
When the day finally arrived, I don't know what I would have done without Elyssa's super helpful, laid back, and calming presence. She's also spot on comic relief! My now husband and his groomsmen can say the same for John as well. They work as a perfect team!
They work so efficiently to capture your day and really go above and beyond! They keep everything running smoothly, and are so accommodating. They are also super down with all of your quirky nerdy wedding fun too!
We also got our wedding preview back faster than any vendor I've ever worked with, for any event, and we were BLOWN away by how gorgeous the photos were. They so beautifully captured our day, no detail was missed, and we could not be more grateful to them.
I highly recommend Kivus & Camera! They are so much fun to work with, and produce some truly breathtaking work.
Nicole Oakes · Married on 03/30/2019
Great pictures
Pictures are so important to capture all of the big and little moments. Elyssa and John were professional and had a great eye for every detail.
Sent on 04/26/2019
Sarah Hill McIntyre · Married on 10/20/2018
The best possible experience with a photographer
Working with Kivus & Camera was easily one of the best decisions we made for our wedding celebrations. We did both our engagement session and wedding day with Elyssa and John Kivus. In addition to being very talented photographers, Elyssa was incredibly organized, quick to respond to emails and calls, flexible, and full of helpful tips and guidance throughout the entire process. As someone who doesn't love being the center of attention, I found myself growing anxious as the engagement session approached. Every one of my nerves completely disappeared after five minutes with Elyssa. She made the entire process seamless for us, had us laughing and joking the whole time, and let it be exactly what it should be for every couple - a super special opportunity to celebrate this next step. As if that wasn't enough, the pictures were absolutely stunning. Elyssa has a true gift as a photographer. She is able to see light and color as well as capture those "little" looks and moments in a way that is just incredible. Much to our surprise, both my fiance and I shared many happy tears and huge smiles looking at our photos. The pictures were just "us" and somehow they were able to show our personalities and the love and happiness we felt in a very real way. Elyssa kept in regular contact between the engagement session and the wedding. She even helped to review the day of timeline we crafted with our day-of planner to offer advice and feedback. As our wedding weekend approached, she collected information about our priorities for photos as well as information about the special touches we were planning so she would know what to look for. And, no surprise, she and John were an absolute joy to have as party of our wedding team on the day-of. They calmly and patiently helped to organize our family and friends for posed photos and were somehow everywhere documenting it all. Elyssa even let us have some fun with sunset photos and pictures out on a floating dock. We have only received a sample of the photos so far but I already know they will be treasures to us always. We are so, so appreciative of the opportunity to work with Kivus & Camera and cannot encourage others enough to find reasons to work with them!
Sent on 11/08/2018
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2 Endorsements
Kivus and Camera is a duo of creative and ever experienced photographers! Elyssa and John have a diverse but very cohesive style; your wedding day photos will show such natural progression in mood and a variety of angles, colors, etc. They've mastered the balance of providing content that is unique but timeless, bold but classic. Our property is incredibly varied in design, expansive, and exposed to weather elements. They seamlessly covered a recent wedding in torrential downpour with such ease and grace while still managing to capture incredible shots. I truly don't thin they missed a single detail of the day or experience. Elyssa and John go above and beyond as one of your wedding day vendors; they do not just provide photography but support and guidance as well. We invite them back as often as possible!
If you love a dramatic and romantic style for photography, you will love Elyssa and company. They are so talented and a dream to work with. Hire her today!
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