Elena Skaya Photography Reviews
Reviews
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![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 03/01/2025The Perfect Photographers for our Wedding!
Elena and Nik captured our wedding and engagement perfectly, I highly recommend!
Elena and Nik photographed our two-day American-Nigerian wedding this past April, and they truly went above and beyond. There was a lot to coordinate with the weekend’s events, but they were incredibly flexible and on top of everything, making sure we didn’t have to worry about a thing.
We also did our engagement photos with them in the fall, and we absolutely loved how everything turned out. From the location choices to the final pictures, they nailed it!
I was a little nervous about the photography since my mom is also a professional photographer and I am picky, but I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The photos, videos, and printed products, especially the album, are stunning. They really captured the love of our wedding day.
Elena and Nik are not just incredibly talented, but they also made us feel so comfortable throughout the whole process. They’re professional, creative, and a lot of fun to work with. If you’re getting married, I can’t recommend them enough. They’re truly the best!Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
It truly has been a pleasure spending so much time with both of you on your wedding day weekend and during your engagement session. Thank you for your kind words, Emily. Many years of happiness and prosperity to your family. -
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![Caitie]()
Caitie Sent on 08/24/2025Elena Skaya Photography is the DREAM TEAM
If you're searching for wedding photography and videography that doesn’t just document your day, but transports you back to it—look no further than Elena Skaya Photography. Elena and Nik have a rare gift for capturing not just moments, but the feeling of your wedding day, with a fresh, cinematic style that’s both timeless and deeply personal.
From the very first meeting, their professionalism and warmth stood out. They made the entire process seamless and stress-free, guiding us gently through timelines, shot lists, and creative ideas while always staying attuned to our vision. On the day itself, they were calm, organized, and somehow everywhere at once—yet never intrusive.
When we received our photos and wedding film, we were absolutely blown away. Every detail, every emotion, every fleeting glance—we were back there, reliving the joy, the laughter, the quiet in-between moments. Elena and Nik have an artist’s eye and a storyteller’s heart.
We had the great honor of working with Elena’s father, Vassiliy, before his passing shortly after our wedding. Vassiliy was more than an extraordinary wedding photographer—he was a true artist with an eye for beauty and emotion. His talent and passion live on through Elena. We were so fortunate to have known Vassiliy.
Hiring Elena Skaya Photography was hands down one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Their passion, talent, and professionalism shine through in every frame. If you want your wedding day captured with honesty, beauty, and soul—Elena and Nik are the team you’ve been dreaming of. -
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Claire Sent on 08/15/2025
The best in the game!
Elena and Nik are the best in the business without a doubt. When looking for a wedding photographer, it’s easy to look through dozens of vendors to find the perfect match. After a while, most photos start to look the same. When my husband and I came across Elena’s website, we were blown away by her unique, editorial style. From our first interaction, we felt so comfortable with the husband/wife dynamic that Elena and Nik bring to the table. They listen, ask the right questions, and respond quickly and transparently. From our engagement shoot to receiving our final wedding album and personalized photo box, we were so thrilled with the whole experience. Your wedding day is a whirlwind and they captured every moment without adding stress and managed to stay in the background during the intimate moments. We will cherish these photos forever and will never stop singing their praises. -
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![Kristin]()
Kristin Sent on 07/31/2025Style and Elegance
We can not say enough about Elena Skaya Photography, She and her partner/husband Nik made us feel comfortable for. Our first engagement shoot. I had gone through other vendors galleries, but, they had the edgy but elegant beauty in a photograph that I was looking for. I wanted a photographer who was going to capture us and our moments. They were professional, communicative, and reasonable. They truly are great people and you can tell they love what they do! They made us feel so comfortable. We used them for engagement, wedding, and also couples shoot after the wedding. We were traveling to be married in Virginia Beach from NJ and they made the process so easy for us, with no worries. -
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![Alex]()
Alex Sent on 12/18/2024Thank you for capturing our special day!
This review is WAY overdue. Nik and Elena did our engagement photos at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and wedding photos at our family garden. Photos were a very important part of the day because we had so many out of town visitors and family in one place and wanted to have my mother’s garden shine. They were professional, fun, and so accommodating for all the staged photos we did with friends and family during the reception! They are very talented. The turnaround was so fast too!
Can’t say enough. Hire them! -
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![Danielle]()
Danielle Sent on 10/16/2024Top Class Photo & Video
Photography and videography were critical parts of our wedding planning process and Elena & Nik truly delivered on our high expectations. As inexperienced formal picture takers, my husband and I valued Elena & Nik’s extensive photography knowledge and capabilities. They knew just what environments to create and how to capture the best moments within them, all the while fostering a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere that made us feel at home even while not completely in our element. Elena & Nik were incredibly thorough throughout the planning process, making everything completely stress free and giving us complete and utter confidence that our precious moments would be captured perfectly. Our photos and videos turned out better than we could have ever expected. We are able to look back on them with such profound gratitude for the ability to again experience our special day forever through the moments that Elena and Nik were able to freeze in time for us. We recommend Elena and Nik to anyone who is looking for a level of experience that is truly top class and look forward to any opportunity we might be able to work with them again in the future. -
Caroline Sent on 09/27/2024
Amazing photos and the kindest people to work with!
We had a great experience with Elena and her amazing team! They did our engagement photos and wedding photos and they turned out stunning! Her team consists of her husband and father and the fact that they are a family team really made working with them such a special experience. They were all so kind and easy to work with and my guests and family won’t stop talking about how great of a job they did! We highly recommend them to all and will definitely use them for any future photo shoots!:)Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
Thank you so much, dear, for your kind and warm words! They mean a lot to us! Your wedding was absolutely unique, bright and beautiful! We can't wait to share more from your day! You're going to LOVE your video as well! We captured so many fun and lovely moments! Congratulations again! :) -
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Glynis Sent on 12/31/2023
The Best Choice!
As an out of state couple, relying solely on online reviews and portfolios, picking the perfect photographer for our wedding felt like a daunting task. However, when we stumbled upon Elena and Nik, we instantly knew we would be in good hands. We reviewed their wonderful website and portfolio of photos and reached out to book immediately. From the day we booked until now, almost 3 months after our wedding, communicating with Elena and Nik has been a breeze. Not only did we receive our engagement photos, sneak peeks, and wedding photos in a timely manner, we were surprised with thoughtful gifts along the way! We have received so many compliments on our photos and even have friends wishing they were getting married in VB so they could book with Elena and Nik! We would recommend them to anyone and everyone! They made everyone from our older family members to bridal party feel comfortable and at ease. We are so happy to have had such a wonderful experience with such wonderful photographers. -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 12/20/202310/10 Highly recommended
Elena and Nik were amazing! We booked with them for our Sept 2023 wedding at the Norfolk botanical garden. With the booking we also got an engagement photo shoot as well which was just wonderful. Both our wedding photos and engagement photos came out amazing. I’m beyond excited to work with them to create our wedding album. They are super sweet and so easy to work with. They are genuinely the most amazing people and artist. They make you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. They have so much fun shooting weddings and because of their joy and creativity we got some of the most incredible photos! We also somehow missed a photo I wanted in chaos of our wedding day. I reached out the day we got pictures back and Elena did a quick photoshop edit and got it back to us the next day. Highly recommend working with them for photos! 20/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Nicol Sent on 10/20/2023
Amazing !!!!
Elena and Nik are amazing to work with, they where to capture some very beautiful shots of absolutely natural interactions with me and my now Husband. For our engagement photo shoot i really wanted some formal shots in front of a piano. Nik and Elana made it happen. We where so happy. The communication was friendly, professional. I felt like they went above and beyond to give us the most amazing photos possible. We are very pleased and would highly recommend Elena Skaya photography . We appreciate the beautiful video, movie and photos. What was most impressive was, that upon looking through the photos of our wedding day they where able to capture almost all of our guests at some point though out the evening and that was more proof of their photography skills. If you are looking for someone to make your experience with a photographer Amazing, look no further Elena Skaya photography will do just that.
Nicol & Dell HamlinElena Skaya Photography's reply:
Oh, dear Thanks so much for these kind words! We appreciate it a lot! Your wedding was ABSOLUTELY beautiful! Happy we were a part of it! -
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![Cassie]()
Cassie Sent on 08/09/2023Wish I could give more than 5 stars!
My fiancé and I had the best experience at our engagement shoot with Elena Skaya Photography. Not only were the photos ABSOLUTELY STUNNING but Elena and her husband Nik were the most kind, genuine people. They made the whole photo shoot so fun, made sure we had input on what kind of photos we wanted, and matched our vibes perfectly. Could not recommend more!!Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
Thank you Cassie. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. We had a great time during your engagement session. Thank you for trusting us with capturing your love on camera. -
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Arielle Sent on 11/16/2022
Super Awesome
Elena and Nik were amazing to work with. The photos came out stunning! -
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![Tiffany]()
Tiffany Sent on 12/23/2021Elena & Nik have done it again!
When Elena Skaya captured my sisters wedding in 2019 I knew they were going to be the ones I wanted to have for my own wedding. Fast forward two years later when I found myself planning my wedding, Elena & Nik were the first vendor I contacted. Photography/Videography was the biggest expense of my wedding, and though it may seem like a small fortune, it's not one you want to cut corners on. The flowers will be withered away, your dress stored, never to be worn again, the food will be gone & no one will even remember what was served, & lets be honest, that piece of cake you have in your freezer is going to taste like cardboard on your first anniversary. The photos and videos will last a lifetime. They will capture just how stunning you look in that dress & how perfectly your bouquet coordinates, how beautiful your cake display was & how all of the decor you spent countless hours deciding on came together. Having the video you will be able to watch all of your "first looks" over and over again. You will be able to see the look on your grooms face the moment he sees you walking down the aisle. For this, you cannot put a price tag on. -
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![Hannah]()
Hannah Sent on 08/30/2021Best in the biz!
Photography is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing for your wedding and I’m so so sooooo happy with my decision to choose Elena! She did such a phenomenal job, I couldn’t have asked for better. Her style is elegant and modern, she is professional & courteous, and was able to help me pose to get the best pictures. I would highly recommend her services, I plan on using her for future photo shoots! -
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![Madeline]()
Madeline Sent on 08/23/2021Simply The Best!
Elena and Nik are hands down the best photographer and videographer team out there! I cannot say enough about how great this dynamic duo is, even if I wrote pages and pages!
When we first started researching photographers, I was immediately drawn to the artistry of Elena's photos and her ability to capture these beautiful moments between couples through unique perspectives. We were not originally thinking of hiring a videographer, but after viewing Nik's wedding films, I quickly realized this was an essential addition. We could not be happier with our choice.
From our very first interview, Nik and Elena made us feel incredibly comfortable. We decided to do a bridal portrait session one month prior to the wedding, since multiple friends had recommended this. I'm so glad we decided to do this! I also did a hair and makeup trial that day, and it was a great way to make sure I was going to feel comfortable the day of the weeding and start to feel really comfortable in front of the camera. The day was an absolute blast!! I felt like a model, and Elena's cues for the shots helped me feel more comfortable in front of the camera.
When it came to the wedding day, we were absolutely blown away by the level of care and professionalism. From start to finish, we always felt that they were capturing every important moment, but it never felt distracting. All the cues they gave us for arranging our group shots with family helped us feel natural and not like we were posing for the camera. They were able to send us a teaser photo and video very quickly, which was amazing as we were able to share with friends and family so soon after the wedding. I cried tears of joy when I watched the teaser video and looked through those first photos! I felt like I was reliving the magic of the day all over again. Everyone always said the day goes by so fast, and it's absolutely true! We are so so glad that we were able to have the magic of that day captured and to be able to go back and relive those wonderful moments time and again.
Planning a Covid wedding was one of the most challenging experiences I've faced so far. But one thing that was never a challenge was working with Nik and Elena. We knew the weather would be touch and go that day, and sure enough we did get rain for our planned beach wedding. The rain broke just long enough for is to run out to the beach for our couples portraits, which was hands down our favorite moment of the day. We were so impressed at the ease at which Nik and Elena were able to switch gears from capturing an intimate candlelight indoor ceremony to family portraits under the covered porch, to action shots of running on the beach in a moments notice when the rain cleared just just long enough. I can say enough good things about this talented and genuine couple and how happy we are with our choice! -
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Kirsten Sent on 07/16/2021
Amazing experience and photos!
Elena and her father photographed our small 40 person wedding in April. They were both so nice and captured our day perfectly. I’m so happy with how our pictures turned out and we will really cherish them forever. -
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![Samantha]()
Samantha Sent on 12/08/2020Amazing and so talented!!
Elena is beyond talented!! She’s done my headshots for work, our engagement photos and our wedding. I’ve only gotten my sneak peak so far from our wedding and I am in love!! I’ve never seen such beautiful wedding photos. I highly recommend working with her and her husband Nik. They are super professional, creative, and fun to work with! We plan to use them in the future for all of the important moments in our lives. Thank you Elena and Nik! -
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Kara Sent on 10/05/2020
Fun, easy and beautiful!!
Our photos turned out amazing! We absolutely loved working with Elena Skya! They were fantastic and made us feel so comfortable! -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 09/28/2020Unique and Gorgeous Photos
I cannot recommend Elena and Nik enough if you want stunning, gallery-worthy photos. We were looking for some different, more high fashion photos rather than just the usual poses and Elena was so great at thinking out of the box and really capturing some special moments. Nik was a wonderful videographer and was able to give us a very quick turn around on our ceremony video (fully edited!) for us to post for those would couldn't be there due to COVID. They were very professional, reliable and just great people to be around all day. Highly recommend booking them if you can, we have gotten so many compliments just from the few photos we have seen so far! -
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![kawaiiamaiai]()
Amber Sent on 01/06/2020Perfect In Every Way
I heard about Elena through a mutual friend and hired her without even meeting just based on my friend's good word and all of the gorgeous pictures I had seen.
Her and her husband made my wedding day perfect and all of our pictures far surpassed all of my expectations. Do not hesitate in hiring her. You will not be sorry. -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer Sent on 10/25/2019Captured our Love
Elena and Nik are amazing photographers who were open to our ideas and made them even better! They were very accommodating to all of the places we wanted pictures taken for our engagement pictures, and they even took us to First Landing State park between our wedding and reception because we wanted pictures with the changing leaves. Wow! They are super knowledgeable and the pictures turned out so beautifully! They were also very communicative throughout the process which was appreciated, and the slideshow at the wedding was such a nice touch :) -
![Taylor]()
Taylor Sent on 10/12/2019Best photographer and videographer around!
Elena and Nik are truly amazing. From our first session with them for our engagement photos we knew we found the perfect photographer and videographer. We recently recieved our wedding photos and videos back and we were blown away by the quality. During the wedding we hardly noticed their presence but they managed to capture the whole night. We love that we not only have the pictures to look back on but we have the video as well. Every time we watch it we feel like we get to relive the best night of our lives! -
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Kimberly Sent on 09/22/2019
Incredible experience
Dont look any further. You’ve found THE BEST photographer and videographer husband and wife duet in all of Hampton roads. I had a special request to surprise my husband with a horse to be in our wedding photos and they were just as excited about it as I was! They did a day-of surprise slide show at the end of our reception with about 15 photos which made everyone ball their eyes out. They also posted over 20 fully edited breathtaking photos in less than 32 hours. Elena and Nik were so genuine, calming, and professional. You can’t ask for 2 better people to take along with you on your wedding journey. From the beginning of the 14 month planning process until well after the wedding was over, these 2 made us feel like we were family. Never once did we feel like we were a bother, even with our hundreds of questions that we probably asked more than once!!! Thank you Elena and Nik. You guys helped make our dream come true. -
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Rose Sent on 08/20/2019
A Joy to work with!
I had the pleasure to work with Elena on wedding recently. Her professionalism and experience was seen at every point of the event. The final pictures (sneak peek) shows how skillful and talented she is behind the camera. I would work with Elena over, and over again. As a Professional Wedding Planner I would recommend her to any couple. -
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Hayley Sent on 07/30/2019
Best Photographer!
Elena was the most amazing photographer for our wedding! She was so willing to work with us, despite our crazy schedules and ideas for our engagement pictures and our photos on our wedding day. She has so many great ideas for poses, pics, etc. All of our pictures were edited and sent back to us in a timely manner, and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out! We will use her as our photographer for all of our life milestones! She's amazing! -
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![Elena]()
Elena Sent on 06/25/2019Highly Recommended
Nick and Elena are incredible and we are beyond happy with our wedding photos. Elena kept in contact with us from the day I hired her to the very last day.
They captured the best moments and emotions of our day and helped us look our best in every photo. Elena did an amazing job staying within our timeline frame to make sure everybody and every detail was captured on camera.
It was sweet of them to send us a Christmas card and brownies for our first anniversary! Nice to be remembered!
The album Elena made for us was absolutely beautiful. In general, money well spent. -
![Self]()
Self Sent on 05/24/2019Very professional and capture great photos!
Elena and her partner were our photographers at our wedding on 05/11/19 at Norfolk. First of all, they are very flexible. you can customize your own package and they also do videos. Their price is reasonable since they did a fantastic job on our wedding day! Their responses are quick and efficient. You can even get a hold on them on weekends. Their sneak peek is fast and eventually, they would build a website gallery for your own wedding day photo. It was both very sunny and raining on my wedding day but they still did a good job of capturing great photos. They are patient and pay close attention to what is going on so they were able to utilize all the chances to capture as many as photos as they can. -
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Jordan Sent on 03/25/2019
Nik and Elena Captured Our Wedding Beautifully
Nik and Elena were a joy to work with. They are a nice young couple who made my fiancee (now wife) and I very comfortable during our engagement shoot because they would demonstrate the poses themselves. For the wedding, we were very pleased with how the photos came out and the ideas Nik and Elena had. They seem to have all the latest gadgets, and Nik even used a drone to get awesome aerial footage of the venue that captured the bride getting ready through the window. Overall, a very nice, professional, and reliable couple to work with who provided us with beautiful memories that will last forever.Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
Jordan, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Your wedding was unforgettable and so many people commented on how beautiful your bride (now wife) Kim is in your wedding film and images. We truly enjoyed working with you all and from the bottom of our hearts we wish you many years of happiness, joy and mutual understanding in your marriage. We're so glad we've met you and Kim and we thank you for trusting us with your wedding day. -
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Paige Sent on 01/11/2019
Absolutely Amazing!
Elena is very professional, personable and talented! From the first meeting we felt so comfortable with Elena as she took the time to get to know us and made sure she understood our vision. My now husband and I had never taken professional photos before...During the engagment shoot she helped us relax, be comfortable and made it such a fun day. And the photos turned out amazing! We are also beyond happy with the way our wedding photos turned out. We have so many favorites and she made our simple back yard wedding look so spectacular. Elena was very involved during our big day, captured every moment and my family really enjoyed talking with her. I am so happy we chose Elena to capture such an important moment in our lives. She is so easy to work with and is very passionate about her work. We look forward to working with her again in the future! -
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![Paige]()
Paige Sent on 01/11/2019Best choice I made for my wedding!
I was so worried about choosing a photographer because I am in NY and my wedding was in VA. So I had to completely go off of reviews and price. Wow, did I luck out! This group was the best decision I made for my wedding-- and everyone else agrees too! Their price is good, they are very friendly and wonderful, and wow is their work (video and photos) spectacular! Couldn't have dreamt of anything better. -
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Janna Sent on 09/10/2018Great team to work with! We are very happy with an outcome! Thank you for this amazing memory captured with the best quality!
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![Brent]()
Brent Sent on 06/18/2018Nik was amazing from Day 1. He responded to our call promptly and worked with us. We had requests that differed from his set packages to include extra time and sending us a flash drive with the raw footage, and he was very accommodating and helpful. He met us a week prior and was able to answer all of our questions. The day of, he worked well with Kim and I and made the entire process smoother. He quickly sent us the preview video 3 days after the ceremony and the full video within 3 weeks. Kim and I are extremely pleased with how both videos turned out and am glad to have chosen Nik as our videographer.Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
Brent, thank you for trusting me with your wedding film. You and Kim were so easy to work with and your wedding day was unforgettable. Many years of love and happiness to you both you. -
Hanna Sent on 05/27/2018We had our engagement ceremony during cherry blossom period in 2018 in DC - Elena and Nikita did an amazing work! It was our second photo session (we did Love Story last year) with Elena and this time she helped/consulted me to chose the colors of our outfits and the exact location as we both love T.Jefferson memorial. On the day of the photo session Elena and Nikita arrived earlier to set up and prepare everything for the session. I always considered myself as a non-photogenic person, so I was worried. Through the photo session, Elena helped me to relax, be myself and more over, open myself up from a different side I have never seen. I felt so confident and as if I have always been a model. Also, my fiancé enjoyed the session and the work Elena and Nikita put in to us. They both continuously helped us, by saying where to look, how to stand, how to put our hands- so we looked incredible! We are so lucky, we had them to shoot our Engagement session. We are now planning our wedding- overseas, and we are definitely inviting them, so stay tuned to see their unbelievable work!
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Felicia Sent on 02/22/2018Elena was simply amazing to work with. I unfortunately arrived to my wedding venue late and she was ready to step in. She had taken photos of my guests and used the time to determine the best shots to take. I’m so thankful for her and her husband whom provided us with the best memories of our special day. She made the entire process so easy and I would urge others to trust your day in her hands. Thank you for the best photos and video a bride could ever imagine.
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Yulia Sent on 11/19/2017We are impressed with the photos, they are beautiful and delicate, just the way you want your wedding photos to be. We were on a low budget, so we arranged just a couple of hours for the shooting, but Elena did her best.
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Arielle Sent on 10/30/2017This husband-wife, photography-videography duo is amazing! The pictures were gorgeous and the edited video, which we watched at a video "premier" party, made all of us cry. They catered to all of our requests and needs, and never disappointed us, even when they were overseas for their wedding and honeymoon! I would HIGHLY recommend them for your upcoming wedding!
Elena Skaya Photography's reply:
Thank you, Arielle for your kind words. We enjoyed working with you and Josh as well. Your wedding was unforgettable. Thank you for having us -
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![Emilee]()
Emilee Sent on 03/30/2017Book this vendor, so accommodating and my engagement pictures are beautiful! My wedding sneak peek pictures are beyond gorgeous, I love this photographer, her work is amazing. I will be using her in the future, I am so pleased and have gotten so many compliments on the photos I have so far, I can't wait to see the rest. -
Lyubov Sent on 05/24/2019
Excellent and outstanding!
Nikita and Elena did excellent job and more then we are expected!They find the best way to safe a special emotions and happiness of our day, life, love and journey! Elena and Nikita live and experiencing with us moments of our life during the shooting, so they are successful. Thank you so much guys! Love you ! -
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