About this vendor
I’m Jo Mahaney, an Augusta County and Staunton wedding photographer dedicated to creating images that showcase the connection between each couple I get the joy of serving. There's nothing more personal than your wedding day. I consider it such an honor to be chosen to photograph these family moments. The instant they happen, the moment is gone. As much as we try to remember and cherish, our memories fade and our lives, families, faces, all change so fast. I want to preserve these memories and stories of your wedding day for you and your loved ones. My goal is to document the emotions and unique story of each wedding day as authentically and raw as the events unfolded. I specialize in documenting candid interaction and emotional expression. We spend our whole lives seeking joy and contentment, and I love that I get to spend my career celebrating and sharing love. Along the way, I've been published in Virginia Bride Magazine, Offbeat Bride, and wedding pier networks like Virginia Wedding Network and Once Upon a Time Events.
You’re here because you're a Virginia bride, groom, or are helping plan a really special wedding. I’m so glad you found me! If you didn’t know, I’m from the Roanoke area, but grew up in Staunton Virginia and started my wedding photography business there. In 2013, I moved out of state to attend Shepherd University in West Virginia. After college, I got married and landed in northern Virginia for a while. We have an adorable toddler together, and five crazy animals. Six years of NOVA, Washington D.C., and Baltimore weddings has me yearning for sweet southern ceremonies, small town sweethearts, and precious historic venues yet again. I moved home to Staunton n 2021, and am serving all of Virginia in 2022. For more about my approach to photography, history and education, family, and personal style, visit my about page.
In addition to being a wedding photographer, I have become a professional boutonniere pinner, bonus bridesmaid, master timeline creator, manipulator of light, and emotional confidant. Primarily, I am there as your wedding photographer to ensure that--although your memory will fade with time--these photographs serve as vivid reminders of the joy in the season and the relationships that matter most.
Photography by Jo began back in 2014 when I shot my first wedding for my roommates, while still in college. That year, I fell in love with weddings and have focused on those and other major family milestones ever since. Every minute, we are changing and growing. We never get these seconds back, but great photographs tangibly preserve memories of this life's most important moments. The relationships I get to build with my couples are the most rewarding part of being a wedding photographer. Photographing couples and families feels less like a job and more like celebrating with friends every single weekend! Photos (especially prints!) are how we share memories, and I love that I get to give that priceless piece of family
Details
Business Attributes
- LGBTQ+-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Same-Day Edits
- Second Shooter Available
Photo & Video Styles
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.012 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 6
Working with Jo was so wonderful, it was truly the most amazing part of our day. She really makes you feel so relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera and directing you on ho...
w to pose and where to pose, made the day a breeze. I truly don't consider her a vendor or photographer after working with her she's a friend! The photos are amazing and the album will be too once we get all the details at our reveal appointment. I love her style of candid shots and catching all the special moments of the day without being super posed. It definitely tells the story of the day and the real and raw emotions of the day. I would plan another wedding all over again to get the opportunity to work with Jo again!! Do not even hesitate just go ahead and book her now, you will thank yourself for it later!! - Stephen and Jamie Siebert
We chose Jo to photograph our June 2025 wedding and we recommend her services in the strongest terms! Working with Jo is a great balance between working with someone who has years ...
of industry experience and someone who feels like a friend. She made us feel comfortable starting from the consultation, and that feeling was reaffirmed at the engagement shoot and throughout the planning process. She shared multiple detailed guides and questionnaires along the way, leaving us feeling informed and excited about the entire process. Although neither of us had ever been photographed at this length before, Jo quickly made us feel at ease and offered posing guidance when needed. She ended up capturing so much emotion in our photographs because she took the time to get to know us and anticipate those moments. She also has a great eye for location and lighting when shooting, and her editing style only further enhanced the beauty of our venue and the day. Overall, working with Jo made us feel that our wedding was truly something worth documenting. She acknowledged the effort and intentionality we put into making our wedding day our own, which meant a lot to us, especially coming from someone who has been to hundreds of weddings. More than a year later, we remain extremely pleased with how our photos, wedding albums, and prints turned out. We are so grateful to Jo and the entire team for capturing our special day, and we’d book Photography By Jo again in a heartbeat!
Jo is a wonderful photographer! Our photos turned out great and we are so happy that she was able to capture the special moments throughout our wedding. We were really happy with h...
ow she accommodated some of our **stranger** requests and emphasized our priorities throughout the day. She really went the extra mile to get to know us and make us feel comfortable. She’s also extremely quick at getting photos back! She sent us sneak peeks of around 50 pictures the day after our engagement shoot and wedding, and had the full batch ready not long afterward! And, finally, our album that we got from her is absolutely gorgeous! She was very helpful through the process of designing it, showing us the options and rearranging as we made comments, and it turned out exactly as we had imagined! We recommend Jo wholeheartedly 🙂
If you are looking for an amazing photographer and want your sneak peaks back fast Jo is the best!!
She was a pleasure to work with from day one! I love her style of photography. ...
She is so nice and gets the job done beautifully. Couldn’t have asked for more beautiful photos!! I give Jo 5 stars!!
We had a fantastic time working with Jo! She photographed every detail and was very accommodating. She is easy going and fun to talk to while maintaining professional, making sure ...
to get every smile. The photos seemed to fly by because we were all enjoying ourselves. I’m so incredibly happy with how the photos turned out. We are happy to have worked with Jo and will go to her with any future events! Thank you!
If you are considering having Jo as your photographer for your engagement shoot, wedding shoot, family shot and more.. DO IT! Jo is incredible at what she does! My now husband and ...
I never kissed until our wedding day and she helped us feel comfortable with each other and have fun at the same time. She is so easy to work with, on time, super professional but not stiff. She is so relational and kind. Her quality of work is out of this world! Do it. Do it. DO IT! YOU WONT REGRET IT!
We used Jo for our wedding in 2019 and I strongly recommend her. My wife has very strong opinions on photography, so choosing a photographer was one of her top priorities for our w...
edding. The photos from our wedding turned out great and I love that Jo's photos look "real" and not like they've been touched up endlessly. Jo was so helpful throughout the process and I was particularly grateful for the timeline she created. Since our wedding, we have also used Jo for family photos which we were also very happy with.
Working with Jo was one of my favorite experiences of getting married (aside from actually marrying my husband of course!) Photography is VERY important to me and after becoming en...
gaged, it was the FIRST vendor I wanted to book. We had 3 vendors narrowed down within 2 weeks of getting married and quickly booked Jo. Her light and airy photos really appealed to us and matched the look and feel we were going for with our wedding. Our package included engagement photos which was a wonderful introduction to Jo's personality, styling, and vision. It allowed us to become comfortable with her direction and guidance and gave us a sneak peek at her work prior to our big day. When it came to planning for our wedding day, she created a timeline that utilized her wedding expertise allowing us to maximize our wedding day coverage. While we opted for the package that did not include a 2nd photographer, Jo effortlessly managed to be everywhere we needed her to be during our ceremony and reception, capturing all of the important components we wanted (and some we didn't even consider) to remember throughout the day. She has an eye for detail and her photos truly captured the love and excitement we had that day. We highly recommend Jo for your wedding photography needs!
Jo was amazing. She took pictures for our Wedding ceremony and dinner reception and they look incredibly beautiful. She was great at directing us during pictures and made sure to c...
apture every detail of our special day. The wedding album and prints looked amazing, her special gift to us for booking with her was a nice touch. Highly recommend Photography by Jo.
Photography By Jo was an amazing experience. From the first inquiry until the wedding day they provided encouragement and advice and were incredibly responsive. They ensured the we...
dding day ran smoothly, did not hesitate to offer a helping hand, and captured beautiful moments as memories. Thanks, Photography By Jo, we could not have made a better decision!
Photography by Jo is absolutely the best choice for any event, especially engagements and weddings. Jo is not only the pinnacle of professionalism, but is willing to go the extra m...
ile to make these once-in-a-lifetime memories perfect. Jo has immortalized the biggest moment in our lives with her pristine quality photography. She was willing to answer any and all questions we had, and made the stressful process of wedding planning that much easier. She has incredibly reasonable rates, and is worth the investment for her services.
Every member of our wedding party, guests and even strangers who share a passing glance have inquired about who took our wedding photography. Do not hesitate to contact Jo for your big event. From friendly service to creative ideas, Jo continues to display she is the photographer you need on your team.You will never be disappointed. It is a no-brainer, you have to go Photography by Jo.
Did a great job, got everything back to us quickly.
Contact
9 Lawyers Row, Suite 102, Staunton, VA | Serving Staunton, VA, MD, DC, WV + Surrounding
Photography By Jo's photos