Mike Topham Photography

I was recently married on October 8th and used Mike Topham for my engagement, bridal, and wedding photographs. The quality of his work is amazing and I would recommend his services to anyone! My family and I have so many photographs to choose from!

We are delighted to give our highest recommendation for Mike Topham & his daughter Nancy as the dynamic duo photographers for our wedding on April 2011 in the DC Suburb of Leesburg, VA at River Creek Country Club.Our extensive research for a photographer took us up & down the Mid Atlantic coast.Everyone had to meet our need for photojournalism first & foremost as we didn't want the posed unnatural look. We started in May 2010 & didn't finalize a decision until February 2011!Almost one full year later we had carefully spoken to a half dozen serious candidates & narrowed it down to Mike & one other. In the end, what won us over was:1) Natural Colors that popped in his prior works2) Pricing - very inclusive of everything & reasonable when compared to talent of this caliber3) Experience with chaotic situations - White House press corp & Darfur!!4) Most important - the feel we got when we spoke to Mike. Comfort. Easy going. Everything is all right.#4 above was very important to us in that being a Viet born but modern couple raised in America - We wanted modern touches in our pictures without forgetting the more traditional themes of our culture.With traditional elders mixed with westernized guests - we didn't want a clichéd, stuffy feel in our pictures (like some of other's) but relaxed more natural captures. The photographers needed to be the calm in the eye of a mixed cultural brew without being intrusive. They were very attentive in trying to get shots of everyone that we interacted with.Almost a 5th window surrounding everything around us.Who else better than a former White House photog??!!Mike provided the experience eyes in recording the big pictorial themes such as the bride's entrance, ceremonial components & the celebratory speeches, etc.While Nancy complimented him as the second shooter & highlighted every event like the girls getting prepped & showcased minute wedding details that illustrated the essence of our wedding and what vibe we were trying to convey (relaxed spring wedding).Together, we got full coverage from big down to small - all in living color.Truthfully we barely knew they were there!& Did we mention their colors popped? This was a big deal for us as they really do little to NO touch-ups or enhancements to the RAW pictures they take.We were worry that it would show too much imperfections but upon reviewing their prior work - it was clear - there is no teflon falseness in their subject matters - just capturing life in all its colorful HiDef glory.A sidebar was the unfortunate disappearance of Mike' camera that cost us all dearly in terms of property & lost pictures (Sad people have to ruin a beautiful time doing this). But getting 1400+ shots on CD with 99% of the prime shots alleviated most of our possible fears.One final toast to the Topham's. We have never enjoyed a more wonderful & satisfying business relationship than with Mike & Nancy. Natural. Comfortable. Easy. Exceeding our expectation in every way.All of our vendors except. 1 were wonderful (see our reviews).While we thought of all of them as partners & truly - they guided us professionally & exceptionally through the madness of weddings; Mike & Nancy truly were considered friends by the end of all of this.We truly recommend Mike Topham Photography & we can't wait to work with them again in the future!

Excellent Photography! I relive my son's wedding like it was yesterday thru the pictures by Mike Topham, and daughter's Nancy and Ginger. They captured each moment as I remember seeing it, and then those beyond my vision. Each picture is beautiful! I wanted to album them all, but chose 400 of my absolute favorites!!! So hard to narrow down. Mike took the bridal party outside and placed them in the most amazing and artsy places that just thrill the eye and the memories. Thanks Mike, Nancy and Ginger!!! Paul and Deborah can live happily everafter, with such a storybook wedding album. Thanks again!!Peggy BourqueAylett, Va 23009

I have been doing VIDEO TRANSFERS & EDITING for the past eight years and Mike's wedding photos have been a delight to work with! I can only hopeto get more of his high quality photos to work with. Bill Pat's Video Transfer Service.

Mike was really an exceptional value for the service he provided. Our pictures are spectacular, I could not have hoped for better. We looked into dozens of photographers and even met with four others before choosing Mike Topham. His pictures were some of the best we saw at a cost far less than the comparables. He works great with his assistant, since she's his daughter. She could have her own business with her skill level and enthusiasm. The Tophams stayed for the entire event and took thousands of pictures throughout (of which we received over 1300 excellent ones). The pictures were posted in about a week. They were very professional and able to handle the group they were photographing very well. They're shots were creative and they listened to all my requests as well. I would hire them again for any event.

Mike and his charming daughters were just wonderful! The portrait that Mike took was just beautiful, and he was so easy to work with. His daughter, Nancy, and another photographer shot the wedding and the pictures were the best I have ever seen. Both the cadid and posed pictures were just amazing, and captured the tone of the day. A wonderful way to remember such a memorable time in ones life. Ginger, his daughter the videographer, (who received her degree in film from VCU) did an incredible job! Watching the DVD of the wedding was just like being there. It was so tender and she captured every moment that was meaningful to us. What a talented family! They are a wonderful, professional, and easy to work with family and I highly recommend each and every one of them. I felt the cost was more than fair, especially for the quality of work that we received. If you want wedding photos and a DVD that you will cherish forever, Mike Topham and his lovely daughters are definitely the photographers to use.

Mike has provided service since my husband and I got engaged. All of our pictures from engagement photos to wedding pictures were so beautiful. The enthusiasm he and Terri showed meant so much and it shows in the quality of the pictures.

Mike and his daughter Nancy were absolutely amazing from the first time we talked with them to when we got the DVDs of our pictures after the wedding. Nothing but professional the entire time and we have amazing pictures of both our engagement shoot and our wedding day. The pictures of getting ready, the ceremony, and the reception were more of a documentary style, but the requisite "posed" pictures were also great and creative. It was nice to have both photographers during the reception (as well as getting ready and during the ceremony) to capture all of the memories and faces of people that we did not necessarily have the most time to hang out with. Overall, start to finish, you cannot go wrong with Mike

Wow! I cannot say how happy my husband and I are of the work done by Mike, Nancy & Ginger Topham! The photos are BEAUTIFUL & between Mike & Nancy, they covered every possible moment of our wedding without ever intruding in the actual moment! Ginger did the wedding video and she was just as excellent! To top it all, we just received our wedding album & it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! If you are trying to decide if spending the extra money on Mike is worth it, let me speak from experience....IT IS!!!! You can tell that our wedding pictures were taken from the best of the best! Thank you, Mike!!!!

Mike and Nancy were excellent!! I cannot begin to say how wonderful they were. They were so helpful in keeping everything on time and in order, and took wonderful pictures, but blended right in during the ceremony and reception. The second I was thinking "this would be a great picture" they were there. They didn't miss a thing!Ginger Topham did the videography and was also excellent. Can't say enough about how great Mike and his famiy are!

Exceptional service!!! My husband (then fiance) met with Mike to see some of his work and we were absolutely impressed... the quality and the creativity were awesome. The price was just right and what a value you get... I had two photographers on my wedding day, one of which was Mike's daughter... not only did she take pictures, she was even kind enough to get me dressed!!! I was so impressed by the professionalism... I'm happy we went with Mike.

Fantastic job all around - wasn't pushy, but was organized yet flexible. Gave us hours and hours of coverage, and were unobtrusive but still managed to get all the great shots we wanted. We shopped around, and are thrilled we went with Mike and his team.

Mike and Nancy were wonderful! They listened to everything we wanted and they took every picture that we could have dreamed of. They were everywhere throughout the night. I couldn't have asked for more!

great father daughter team. mike did a great job on my portraits off-site. highly recommend

Mike Topham and his beautiful daughters were incredibly professional and took amazingly beautiful pictures of our ceremony and wedding! We also did engagement shots with Mike and they were beautiful as well! Mike and his daughters are very encouraging and accomodating. Not to mention they made us feel like the best looking bride and groom in town!! We have yet to receive the video of the wedding, and we are very anxious to watch our special day again.I would highly recommend Mike and his daughters. They spent 9 hours with us and completely captured every moment from the tiniest detail of my grandmother's pearls to the overwhelming sense of romance in the air -- all on film!! They are amazing!!

I hired Mike as a recommendation from a friend who had used him for her wedding. The photos were perfect! I did a lot of vendor research in this area and found Mike's prices to be extremely competitive. His business is a family affair, he and his daughter photographed the event. His other daughter does videography. One thing that was really important to me when shopping around, was being able to get all of the rights to the images and Mike provides them on CD. I also wanted someone I felt comfortable with and who wouldn't be obnoxious and pushy day of. He and his daughter were professional and got the job done. He was extemely flexible with my ever changing wedding date due to my fiances military committment and I was very pleased with the product and service received.

I love his work! Mike Topham didn't shoot my wedding, but he did our engagement shoot. And he's fabulous! I absolutely recommend him for anyone looking for photojournalism type of pictures. He's great to work with, and really gets to know what you're looking for and what you like. During our engagement shoot, he took us to downtown Richmond and snapped some really great candid moments! Plus my fiance and I felt like models with people staring at us. He had Terry Brown shoot our wedding and I was thrilled with her work as well! Same photojournalistic style as Mike. She also meets with you beforehand to meet you as a couple and get to know what makes you tick, and what photos are the most important to you. One of my favorite pictures she snapped was of when I thought my dress ripped. It was after the ceremony and we had gone down to the lakeside to take some one on one pictures of us. Well I got up and stood on top of a catamaran boat, so I could match my husband's height. When we were done he was helping me down and we heard this rip... My back was to the camera, but my face was in profile and you can see it. Her assistant actually captured this moment, because the next photo is Terry trying to fix the back of my dress. Fortunately it didn't rip, it just unsnapped! If you're looking for non-posed/non-traditional pictures that are more artsy I suggest giving Mike Topham a call... and even ask if Terry can be your photographer. The cost included a bridal portrait shoot or engagement shoot/4 hours on wedding day/all your proofs on CD/online availability to view and purchase/ and the album.Mike Topham for the most part delivered when promised, it may have been a day or two later than promised on getting some of pictures/proofs... but I'm impatient to begin with...

Mike Topham takes absolutely beautiful photographs! His pictures were just what I wanted, and he made the already perfect wedding look even more amazing in pictures. He is incredibly nice, honest and down-to-earth. His business is full of family - his daughters are also photographers and do a wonderful job as well. He came while I was getting ready, he tolerated endless photos of different family member combinations while also having a stunning ability to quickly move things along without seeming pushy. I loved the option of getting all the digital proofs on CD - it was such a great idea to get it, because now I have them if I ever want to make copies of them. On the downside, it was difficult to pick pictures for the wedding album because there were a TON of pictures of me, and barely any of my husband. I think that there are less than 20 pictures at the reception that have my husband in them without me. Granted, he was difficult to track, but considering that they were always around me, I figured they were around him too. It was crazy to get the pictures back and realize they didnt. Also, it took FOREVER to get the proofs back, and then to get the album back. We got married on August 5, and we got the final album in late January-early February. But, the pictures were Totally worth it, and Mike was so nice it made it ok. I would definately recommend this company for wedding photography - just make sure to give better instructions than I did about how much you want both of you photographed.

I was not really happy with our pictures. They were very slow and sending them to us and you better like black and white photos because you will be getting mostly that. His daughter is very unprofessional, be prepared for her to hook up with your male guest! I wasn't very happy with either Mike or his daughter. I really wanted more color photos and he tried for a half an hour to talk me out of it because it would be more work for him. Over all they will take a lot of photos but dont expect quality. I am investing in photoshop because the coloring in the pics that were actually in color needed touch up. I would not recommend this photographer team.