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$1,600 starting price
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Travels up to 100 miles See details
Roman Grinev
OWNER
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (8X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
• See our site for packages and instant prices.
• Local wedding photography studio making couples happy since 2001
• Capturing real & unscripted moments to tell your story of the day as it naturally unfolds
• Unobtrusive, photojournalistic wedding photography & artistic portraits
• Select your photographer & speak with them before the wedding
• High-resolution digital images with full rights & print release
• Professional editing & post-processing
• 4 editing options for you to choose from
Do’s & Don’ts of Hiring a Photography Studio
• Do select your photographer; don’t let a studio assign one
• Do review the individual photographer's work; don’t just view the studio’s general portfolio
• Do require RAW format for images; don’t settle for JPEG
• Do require backup photography equipment; don’t choose those with one camera & one lens
• Do ensure a backup photographer is available; don’t hire a studio without backup photographers
What You'll Love About Roman Grinev Photography
This team is praised for its ability to make couples feel relaxed, creating an enjoyable experience from start to finish. They also delighted couples with the stunning imagery they captured throughout the celebrations. Scroll through their photo gallery to see a sample of their beautiful work.
Prices & packages
See Our Site for Packages and Instant Prices
$1,600 starting price
See Our Site for Packages and Instant Prices
$1,600 starting price
Contact for hours
Contact for hours
See Our Site for Packages and Instant Prices
See Our Site for Packages and Instant Prices
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- Starting prices may not include all fees a vendor may charge.
- Couples usually spend $1,600
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Reach out and share your wedding details.
Details
Photo Shoot Types
Bridal Portraits
Engagement
Photo & Video
Digital Files
Online Proofing
Photo
Printed Enlargements
Printed Proofs
Second Shooter Available
Social Media Sharing
Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
Artistic
Classic
Documentary
Dramatic
Lifestyle
Modern
Vintage
Wedding Activities
Getting Engaged
Rehearsals & Parties
After Party
Wedding
After Party
Any questions?
Meet the team
Roman Grinev
Owner
I am a former newspaper photographer & started my wedding photography studio in 2001. I have photographed hundreds of weddings. As a former photojournalist my goal is to document the real moments of your wedding, along with creative portraits. I’m always happy to do family photos, and think that process should be short & sweet so that you can enjoy the day. Besides my role as a wedding photographer, I also manage a team of wedding photographers. When starting the studio, my objective was to offer amazing images & great service. This continues to be the cornerstone of my business philosophy.
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.0105 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Multiple reviewers highly recommend Roman Grinev Photography for weddings, praising photographers like Roman, Napoleon, Katie, and Parmiss for their professionalism, helpfulness, and exceptional work capturing both posed and candid moments. The photographers are commended for blending into the background seamlessly, making couples and guests comfortable, and providing clear direction and beautiful shots. Reviewers appreciate the effort in planning, organizing large group shots efficiently, and capturing every guest's joy. The quality and quantity of photos received at reasonable prices have left reviewers extremely satisfied and grateful, making Roman Grinev Photography a top choice for wedding events.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
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Allison K
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/27/2023
Hiring Roman Grinev Photography was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding!!!! I would give them 10 stars if I could. Roman made everything easy - in the booking, contract process he was transparent and easy. I really appreciated that they take the time to edit ALL of your photos! They also worked with us ahead of time to ensure we mapped our time correctly and made a list of all the shots that were important to us. During our engagement session, Napoleon made us feel so comfortable doing something that didn't come naturally to us. He focused on capturing us and gave us such good direction! We had Napoleon and Katie for our wedding and they made our day 100% better! I don't know how they did it, but they managed to capture every moment of the day without us feeling overwelmed by the camera. Napoleon and Katie organized our VERY large family group shots with ease - we even ran ahead of schedule which allowed us more time at our cocktail reception - every Bride's dream! I loved hearing from family members "your photographers are amazing!". They took charge so that I didn't have to and ran it like clockwork. Katie went above and beyond and even helped put on a few boutonnieres (way outside her job description). We just got our pictures back and I'm amazed not only at the pictures they got of us, but of the amazing pictures we have of our guests. We had 100 guests and they captured everyone! There are so many special candid and posed pictures of our guests that we will treasure forever. I talked to a friend recently whose photographer got minimal guest photos and I'm BEYOND grateful that our photographers were able to capture everyone's joy. We are so grateful for Roman, Napoleon and Katie!!!
Jenna G
5.0
1/01/2025
We had an amazing experience with Roman and Rob for our October wedding this year! Roman was easy to contact, responded quickly, and provided clear answers to our questions. Rob was our photographer for both our engagement photos and our wedding, and he did an absolutely amazing job in both the portraits and candid photos. Looking at our wedding photos, we can feel the fun and joy that we had during our ceremony and reception because of how Rob captured these moments. Our guests were AMAZED at how Rob moved quickly around the ballroom to capture beautiful, hilarious, silly moments. We absolutely recommend!
Any questions?
Olivia E
5.0
11/10/2024
Laura was amazing!! She called us before the wedding to go over everything. She had never been to our venue before, but had looked up prior weddings at our venue and found such beautiful spots for pictures. We haven’t seen our final pictures yet, but I’m fully confident they will be great! She was very open the whole night to people asking for different group pictures. Can’t recommend her highly enough!
Kara V
5.0
9/29/2024
Roman did a fantastic job with the photography throughout our wedding ceremony and reception. He blended seamlessly into the background during the ceremony and reception, allowing us to authentically enjoy the day. All the planned photo shoots were quick and efficient allowing us to be present in each moment. We highly recommend Roman for any and all events.
Billette R
5.0
5/04/2024
Roman was awesome at our wedding! He was friendly and easy to work with and kept the vibe fun and light while the inevitable wedding stresses buzzed around. He got some great photos of us and made the whole thing easy. Some of our favorite moments from the wedding were the quiet ones we had when we stepped away to get photos - so he was a big personality when he needed to be (wrangling family for the group shots) but stepped back when it was just the two of us. A great combination for a wedding photographer!
Laura L
5.0
12/22/2023
I'm writing from the perspective of the bride's mother. Roman was on time and we were late. We also were a bit overwhelmed with a few things that needed to be completed before the guests arrived. Roman was super helpful before, during and after the wedding. Who ever heard of a photographer doing double duty helping the bride?! Constantly asking if he could help out in any way. Plus, I recently saw some of the pictures and all are fantastic. You can't go wrong in hiring Roman. Thank you for making a great day even better.
Rose G
5.0
10/23/2023
My husband and I worked with Roman Grinev Photography for our June 2023 wedding at River Farm, and we could not be happier with our experience. Roman was extremely responsive to all of my questions, and working with Napoleon on our wedding day was a joy. Napoleon matched the celebratory spirit of the event and put us at ease during our big day. Napoleon was able to capture beautiful moments of our guests, our family, and our love for each other. We will be able to cherish our photos for a lifetime. I would highly recommend working with Roman Grinev Photography for your wedding day or other special event.
Leigh W
5.0
10/09/2023
My husband and I and our families were all extremely pleased with Katie B.'s photographery skills. From our engagement shoot to our wedding shoot, she captured all the moments that we would want to remember with plenty of options to commemorate our day. We couldn't be happier with the job that she did. We really appreciate the quality and expertise of Roman Grinev Photography. To anyone who wants to capture the beauty of their special day, we highly recommend!!!
Valerie M
5.0
10/06/2023
Parmiss was our photographer and we really love our wedding photos! She was friendly and did a great job with both the portraits and candid photos. Highly recommend this small company, they are easy to work with.
Rita H
5.0
10/03/2023
This was the perfect choice for our wedding. He was thorough and respectful about everything we wanted in a photographer. There are multiple photographers to choose from and we were able to look through all the portfolios and pick a specific photographer we wanted. The photographer (John) was professional and fun to have around. The photos were a perfect capture of the events of our special day! Highly recommend.
Sigal S
5.0
9/29/2023
It was really easy and lovely working with Roman and our photographer, Katie. She was prompt, very nice, and provides clear direction for the shots. We got our photos within the timeframe they advised (7 weeks) and have a good few we’re framing.
Ellen F
5.0
9/28/2023
After reviewing the available portfolios I decided to hire Katie B. as my photographer for my wedding. She did an amazing job. The photos were top tier, and Katie herself was so wonderful to work with. She was polite, and had a fantastic vision in regards to our portrait photos. I hired her for the entire day and she was worth every penny and then some. If I could give anyone a piece of advice about their wedding it would be: don't skimp out on your photographer! Prices reflect quality for sure. Roman was also very communicative and easy to work with. He responded to every email and question in a timely manner, and set me up with a private meeting with Katie to discuss the specifics of what I wanted to get out of her services. 10/10 would use this company again!
Christina R
1.0
9/16/2023
While I was pleased with the communication and pre-planning, I was incredibly disappointed with the quality of the photographs we received. And that's the important part!! It has been over a year since our wedding and I am still upset any time I think about or look at our photos as I regret my choice of photographers and feel that I missed the opportunity to capture our perfect day. The photo quality was terrible and the editing did not correct basic issues, such as reflections of the light fixtures in the windows of our venue. The photographer always seemed to be at the wrong angle or just "missed the moment".
We confirmed that the wedding would be outdoors and the ceremony indoors, but the photo quality of the outdoor photos was severely lacking with shadows on our faces, yellow looking grass (even though it was beautiful green in iPhone photos), and various other issues. The indoor photos were not well-framed, often just looking like an untrained photographer trying to capture the action, taking photos from strange side angles and catching people at awkward moments. There were so many issues with the quality, I can't decide if it was the experience of the photographer, the equipment, timing, or editing, but I do not recommend this company. I wish there was anything I could do to fix it, but unfortunately I'm just sad about the whole experience.
Vendor response 09/29/2023
While i obviously regret that this bride appears to be so upset, it’s somewhat difficult t...
o comment about this specific wedding since i don't even know who this was written by. What I can say is that our online portfolios are an accurate representation of the quality of our work on the wedding day & in post processing/editing after. Each couple chooses their individual photographer & everyone with the studio has extensive experience. After the event, there is communication & follow up when the photos are delivered. Clients are encouraged to contact the studio at any time & for any reason. This bride could have reached out at any point to express her concerns & I can assure you that i would have done whatever i could to address some of these concerns.
Jenna P
5.0
7/16/2023
We chose Katie B as our main photographer and Roman as our second photographer. Both photographers were amazing, and our photos were so perfect. They beautifully captured every moment of our day and I couldn't have asked for anything better.
Lauren C
5.0
6/26/2023
Napoleon was great, the photos that he showed us were beautiful! He was able to communicate posing for family portraits great with my in-laws who don't speak English well. 10/10 recommend.
Devinn S
5.0
6/21/2022
Roman Grinev Photography was the perfect choice for our wedding! Roman was so easy to work with, answered all of our questions, and communicated well throughout the process. We selected Parmiss as our photographer and she did a wonderful job! She made us feel at ease and suggested great poses and locations for photos at our venue. We loved the combination of posed portraits of us and the wedding party as well as the candid shots of people enjoying the party. For the amount and quality of photos we received, the price was incredibly reasonable. We would highly recommend this company!
Gloria H
5.0
6/05/2022
From the very beginning Roman was on it. The communication was easy and clear. We went with Napoleon for wedding day and he was AMAZING! I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever.
Nicole F
5.0
2/18/2022
We worked with Katie W for our wedding, and it was a pleasure. We haven't seen our photos yet, but have no doubt Katie did a great job capturing all of our important moments. We told her ahead of time that we weren't big on photos, and she was incredibly respectful and efficient with our time. Katie was professional, fun, and insightful. The entire process of dealing with Roman Grinev and his team was smooth and enjoyable.
Michelle W
5.0
6/21/2021
We had Roman shoot our small 30 person ceremony/reception. He was easy to get in touch with beforehand and I appreciated the online form to fill out information so our phone calls could be more productive since he already had most of the information he needed. He showed up on time, and since we did a first look, we also got all of our other bride/groom wedding portrait type shots done before the wedding, so we could actually join our guests for cocktail hour. The turn around is a typical one for the large amount of photos you get, and all the photos we got were nicely edited and curated from the thousands of shots he took that night.
Katie H
5.0
11/12/2019
We loved working with Laura for our wedding. The photos were beautiful and she was able to capture so many special moments! Roman has a great team and makes the entire process feel so easy and effortless. Thank-you for all of your help and advice!
Stef S
5.0
10/05/2019
In fairness, I haven't seen the proofs yet. But, Roman & Laura did an excellent job at my daughter's D.C. wedding last month. They showed up on time, took pictures of every moment of this very special day. Their presence was felt, even though they weren't the least intrusive before or during the ceremony. They seemed to be everywhere during the reception, capturing everything. I've seen the engagement photos and have no doubt I will be even more impressed with the wedding pictures.
They were easy to work with and I think their fee was fair.
Jessy B
5.0
10/03/2019
Roman was wonderful. He met with us in person to make sure we had all information we needed and so we could choose the photographer who would best meet our needs. He was also quick to answer any questions that we had leading up to the wedding. Sean was also amazing. He showed up early to set up and walk the venue. He made everyone feel comfortable and patiently worked with our large bridal party to get all of the pictures we wanted. He was laid back and captured a beautiful mix of fun and romantic pictures. I did not have a videographer and I wanted to have a photographer that was able to capture the emotion and energy of the reception. Sean did so exquisitely and exceeded my expectations. We were so happy with the whole experience.
Rebecca H
5.0
9/07/2019
We worked with Laura for our August 2019 wedding and engagement photos, and she was amazing! She and Roman Grinev Photography were very easy to work with and edited photos were turned around very quickly. They did a great job, highly recommend this place.
Chelsea P
5.0
9/06/2019
We just got our photos back from our July wedding and were thrilled with the results! Laura was our photographer, and not only was she an absolute pleasure to have around on the day of the wedding, she captured our day wonderfully. It was easy working with Roman from the outset, he was super responsive and we quickly felt comfortable entrusting our wedding photography to the company. Would definitely recommend Roman and Laura!
Chelsea T
5.0
9/02/2019
We highly recommend Roman Grinev Photographer. We really enjoyed working with Roman and our photographer Laura. Roman was responsive and professional. Laura was friendly, discreet, and got amazing shots of our wedding day. Very satisfied with our experience!
Katherine E L
5.0
9/01/2019
My friend recommended Roman Grinev Photography, and after looking at their beautiful website and portfolios, we chose Laura as our wedding photographer. We could not be happier with our wedding photos! We wanted photos that would capture what it was like to be at out wedding with lots of candid shots. Laura worked incredibly hard to capture all of the right moments without drawing undue attention to herself. Our photos show the best parts of us and our day without looking forced. Our photos don't look like any other wedding photos I have seen--they are uniquely ours and capture our unique perspectives perfectly. We could not be happier with our photos and will recommend Roman Grinev Photography to everyone we meet!
Amanda L
5.0
8/29/2019
We had Rob from Roman photograph our wedding and we were super happy with the outcome! We were impressed with how smoothly the whole process ran, from contacting Roman to coordinating with Rob, to receiving our photos. Rob was super professional and kept all of the photographs running smoothly during the wedding. The photos turned out beautifully, and we'll cherish them forever!
Joslin M
5.0
8/08/2019
We used Laura from Roman Grinev photography for our wedding in June and definitely recommend using them if you're getting married in the DC area! Roman is very responsive (I usually got a response in just a few hours), and Laura was the perfect photographer. I was a little nervous because we didn't speak with her until two weeks before the wedding (we opted for just wedding pictures), but she was really nice and provided great advice on where to do our pictures (and helped ease any anxiety I had over getting pictures if it rained- it didn't thankfully). On the day of, she was present without being intrusive, helpful, easy going, and took wonderful photos. Our pictures took awhile (but Roman set that expectation early), but they are wonderful and captured so many beautiful moments (and were perfectly edited)- well worth the wait. Finally, Roman was the best value I could find in the area, which for DC is a big plus!
Morgan S
5.0
8/07/2019
We wanted to write a review for Roman and Laura, our photographers for our wedding this past May. We could not have asked for a more professional pair to capture our big day and allow us to remember each moment through their lens. Our wedding day was photographed perfectly because of their sharp eye and talent to get the perfect shots. We look back at the photos and can appreciate their execution because the most perfect shots (practically all of them) were candid, personal, contained emotion, and captured all the feeling we had in a single frame. Working with Roman was fantastic, he was timely with responding to emails, clarified expectations on location shots, timing of light outside, and speed of the day. He was extremely professional and allowed me to be assured that he understood what we wanted to get and how he could make it work. Laura was so pleasant and was able to help get detailed shots that we are still are in awe over looking back. We thank them so much for allowing us to re-experience our wedding each time we flip through the photos, all the emotions and feeling were captured and that is a priceless feeling to have once the wedding is over. We would recommend them to anyone, especially this duo.
Rachel R
5.0
7/25/2019
We LOVE our photos! We worked with Sean, who was super friendly and made us feel very comfortable. He captured all of the important moments that day, and we love the photos he took. He managed to photograph almost all of our guests at the reception, so it's been really fun to share those photos with friends and family. Would definitely recommend Sean and Roman Grinev photography!
Allison S
5.0
7/13/2019
We love that we chose Laura to capture our wedding day. Leading up, I was nervous about not having met Laura in person prior to our wedding day (since we did not use Roman Grinev for an engagement shoot), but those feelings were immediately squashed when we met her. She made us both feel so comfortable from the very start. She managed to capture a ton of beautiful pictures of us with multiple different backgrounds and we never left our wedding venue! My husband joked prior to our wedding that we only needed two good photos, well now we have over 900 gorgeous pictures that remind us of our wedding. Thank you Laura and Roman Grinev Photography. We are so happy we used them for our wedding photography!
Stephanie D
5.0
7/05/2019
I worked with Sean from Roman Grinev photography and I am so happy that I chose them! Roman was incredibly responsive throughout the whole process and I really liked that his site featured a portfolio for each of the photographers that work with him, including a full suite of photos from a single wedding that they shot. It helped me to get a good feel for each photographer's style so that I could select the person who was the best fit. It was also beneficial that there was a group of photographers to choose from, since, when my initial pick left the company a few months before my wedding, there were still three excellent photographers who were available on my date. I am so happy that we ended up working with Sean - he is such a kind person and he helped to put me at ease as we wrangled family members and traveled between a few different locations for our photos. He even helped my husband and his groomsmen figure out their boutonnieres! Plus, Sean was a great sport when we got caught in a freak rainstorm at the monuments - he was the only person who had an umbrella and he sacrificed it to keep the bridesmaids and me dry. He even took a group "rainstorm" selfie which turned out to be one of my favorite photos of the day. We just received the rest of our professional photos and I am so pleased with the results. Neither my husband nor I am really comfortable in front of a camera, but Sean made us looked relaxed and our happiness showed through. He captured so many fantastic memories from the day and I will treasure the photos forever. I cannot recommend working with them enough!
Veronica D
5.0
7/03/2019
As my now-husband and I were planning our wedding in April, I went through dozens of portfolios trying to find a photographer that not only had everything I was looking for, but was offering a reasonable price at the same time. I went through all the portfolios on Roman Grinev's website and quickly noticed the skill, talent, and attention to detail in all of the photographers! Laura really stood out to me - she had a beautiful technique and was really able to capture the emotion in her clients. We booked her quickly for eight hours for the wedding day and were absolutely delighted with how the photos turned out. They were beautiful and she and Roman were great to work with. Before the wedding, Roman was right there to answer all our questions and to make suggestions about our timeline. Day of, Laura was so calm and professional and was just so pleasant to work with. We ended up with over a thousand gorgeous photos that captured the entire day from start to finish, so I highly recommend!
Yelena L
5.0
7/01/2019
We were beyond lucky to have had Thomas at our wedding!! His photos are so alive and he captured so many wonderful moments, looking through the photos brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face because I felt like I was back in my best day ever. He was patient all day, gave guidance when needed and was beyond flexible- corralling our 12 person wedding party and two videographers. Professional photography skills aside, we truly appreciated him, not only because he’s amazing at his job but because of all the other jobs he took on throughout the day, stepping in as wedding planner (when ours was elsewhere)/videographer coordinator/veil attacher/dress bustler...the list goes on. Our wedding would not have gone as smoothly without him. During the planning process, Roman was very direct and easy to communicate with. We would highly recommend Roman Grinev Photography and Thomas in particular!!
Brittany S
5.0
3/17/2019
Roman did a great job with the photography did our summer wedding! He was very responsive with any emails/phone calls I sent him. His prices are very reasonable and he is fairly quick at editing and returning the photos to you. I was planning my wedding from South GA—Roman made it very easy to plan the photography from a distance and to receive my photos after they had been edited.
Claire C
5.0
1/13/2019
My husband and I chose Roman Grinev Photography for our November 3rd wedding because of their photojournalistic style and quality of photos. We chose Roman as our photographer. He was extremely helpful and patient with us from the initial phone call. When our initial engagement session was postponed due to thunderstorms, Roman was flexible about helping us find a new date. During our engagement session he put us at ease and did an amazing job capturing our personalities even in the midst of sweltering August heat! On our wedding day Roman did an incredible job facilitating posed group photos, as well as capturing candid moments. It took exactly seven weeks for us to get our photos back, but the wait was so worth it! We are absolutely in love with our wedding photos! We couldn't stop beaming as we went through our gallery reliving the most perfect day. I highly recommend Roman Grinev Photography to any bride and/or groom looking for exceptional service and top-notch photos!
Kerry O
5.0
1/03/2019
Roman Grinev Photography offers fantastic, professional service and photos at a price well below that of its competitors in DC. We received our photos within five weeks of our wedding date and are particularly grateful to our photographer, Napoleon, for his vision.
Sarah S
5.0
1/01/2019
Roman Grinev Photography did our wedding photography for our wedding in October 2018. We worked with Roman from the time of initial inquiry until after we received our wedding photos. Throughout the whole process, Roman was quick to respond, informative, and professional. He always gave us all the details from the beginning and answered my many questions. Roman Grinev Photography offers a variety of package options and prices, which we found one that perfectly met our desires. Sean was our photographer on our wedding day. My husband and I, and even our family and friends could not say enough wonderful things about Sean and his photography. He was so easy going and professional. He blended right in with the families and did not miss a moment on our wedding day. Sean paid special attention to our personalities and what we wanted through our wedding photos. He did a phenomenal job of capturing so many special and fun moments throughout the wedding day! Both Roman and Sean made our wedding photography decision and process stress-free and easy! They were both absolutely great to work with and exceeded our expectations in what we wanted. We highly recommend using Roman Grinev Photography for your wedding, special event or other photography needs. We look forward to using them again in the future!
Matt R
5.0
12/17/2018
We booked Thomas for our wedding and he was fantastic. He was punctual and professional. He did a great job managing our requests for both posed and action shots, and he suggested a number of shots for us that turned out great. We’re very happy with our 1000+ pictures from the event.
Working with Roman was also a pleasure. He promptly answered all of our questions and worked with us to quickly resolve the issue when we had trouble accessing the pictures at the end. We are definitely glad we went with Roman Grinev and we would recommend them without reservation.
Andrew S
5.0
12/13/2018
My wife and I were married on October 21st at Kentlands Mansion in Gaithersburg, MD, and after doing a lot of online research, we hired Roman Grinev Photography for both the wedding and engagement photos that we took in the spring. We previously posted a review elsewhere before receiving our wedding photos--given the quality of the engagement photos, we were quite confident that we would be perfectly happy with them, and indeed we were.
We chose to have Thomas as our main photographer (for the engagement photos and for 6 hours on our wedding day) and Sean as our secondary photographer (4 hours on our wedding day). A secondary photographer isn't required, but it worked well for us given the layout of the venue. Both were a pleasure to work with--very professional, accommodating, good interactions with our guests, etc. Thomas in particular went above and beyond the call of duty--e.g., he helped to pin boutonnieres on me and my groomsmen and to bustle my wife's dress after the ceremony. Roman, who does the photo processing and much of the coordination, was also easy and pleasant to work with. The photographs turned out great--the photographers did a great job of capturing all the special moments, big and small, that made the ceremony and reception meaningful to us and our guests.
All of this--engagement photos, two photographers on our wedding day, and high-resolutions downloads delivered in a reasonable timeframe (1,080 photos for the wedding alone, a couple hundred for engagement photos I believe)--was reasonably priced given the quality of the photography (about $3,000). In short, we highly recommend Roman Grinev photography to you if you're looking for high-quality wedding photography.
Morgan B
5.0
12/03/2018
My husband and I had Rod as our photographer. He did a wonderful job of capturing the day (and was also incredibly friendly)! The photos are beautiful and we especially love how the candid ones during the reception turned out. Throughout the entire process from start to finish, Roman Grinev Photography was so easy to work with and very responsive. I really love how they provide high quality digital copies of all of the photos so that clients can print or use them however they wish.
LaKisha P
5.0
11/05/2018
Roman Grinew Photography!! I cannot adequately express my gratitude for having Rob and Rod as our wedding photographers. So professional, so intuitive, so engaged! Every shot looked like magic. They were not intrusive but directed every posed shot to perfection and the candids were amazing, really captured the love and pure joy of our day! Thank you all so much for everything I couldn’t have asked for anything better! If you are a person looking for a photographer, look no further. Roman and his team are wonderful.
Meagan G
5.0
10/26/2018
My husband and I had Sean as our photographer and he was more than exceptional for our wedding day! Not only was he extremely professional, but he was very kind, friendly, kept track of the things I had forgotten, and even acted as a therapist for me when I had a mini freak out about time. He was genuinely SO happy to be there and we were very comfortable around him like he was a best friend of ours.
I would definitely recommend using Sean to anyone else, and I'm sure everyone else on the team is just as amazing!
Terry B
5.0
10/10/2018
Working with them was great! They asked us our needs and wants, explained clearly what they could do, and remained flexible throughout the process. The pictures are amazing and complete. We are very happy with their services! Rob was a fantastic photographer!
Gregory N
5.0
10/06/2018
We used Thomas and we couldn’t have have asked for someone more professional. As we all know weddings can be unpredictable and Thomas was able to adapt to everything. My groomsmen were even a little roudy and Thomas but everyone into shape and took our photos . I haven’t seen the albums yet but I know they’ll turn out great . Thank you Thomas .
Ariel G
5.0
10/01/2018
Working with Roman Grinev Photography was a great experience! Roman and my lead photographer, Laura, were very organized making my life MUCH easier with all of the other details I was trying to keep track of. Laura was a calming presence the day of our wedding and the photos are truly fantastic, capturing so many of the details we missed on our wedding day. They provide a lot of service for the great value!
Jenny J
1.0
9/25/2018
My husband and I got married on 7/22/18. We chose Roman Grinev Photography based on the positive reviews they received on Weddingwire and other sites. However, our wedding day experience with Dawn, the photographer that Roman set us up with, led to multiple concerns with her poor communication style, inflexibility in working with us, and mostly with her failure to deliver 2 out of the 8.5 contracted service hours.
On our wedding day, we wanted pictures of our wedding party taken at the National Mall. Initially we emailed Roman about our intent and invited him to ride with us in our limo so our trip there would be captured and also because we knew that parking in downtown DC is difficult. We'd have the limo driver drop us off at our locations and pick us up when we were done with pictures. When we found out Dawn was actually our photographer, we extended the same invite to her during our initial phone conversation. On our wedding day, we repeated our offer, however she declined, saying she would drive separately. Once we got there Dawn told us that she couldn’t find parking, didn’t want to double park and get a ticket, and therefore wouldn't take pictures of us. This was incredibly frustrating since it could’ve been easily avoided if she had simply accepted our offer to ride in the limo.
We were very disappointed but tried to patiently resolve this directly with Roman over the past 2 months. After we shared our concerns with him, he offered us a free hour session with Dawn. We respectfully declined because of the extra money we’d have to pay for another National Mall photo permit, my makeup and hair, and tuxedo rental for my husband. More importantly, we wouldn’t have our entire wedding party there; one of my bridesmaid is from Belgium and my mother is traveling abroad.
We then requested a refund of $652 for the missing 2 hours and the photography permit that was never used. Roman gave a counteroffer for an album which he said was valued at $600. Again, we respectfully declined because we already received multiple albums from friends as wedding gifts. At this point, Roman refused to give us a refund and furthermore rescinded his offer for the album and the photo session. He also falsely accused us of not having room in the limo (it was a 14-person limo; specifically the passenger seat was available for Dawn), that I told Dawn to take her own car (completely untrue), and that I said it “wasn’t a big deal” that there were no professional pictures taken.
We are extremely disappointed that we weren’t able to resolve this situation with Roman directly. We are further disheartened that the conversation devolved into a she said/ she said argument with false information. We spent an entire year thoughtfully planning the details for our wedding day and wouldn’t just throw it away with such a cavalier statement as it’s not “a big deal.” This was our wedding day so of course we wanted to capture our moment with all our cherished family and friends together with a professional photographer. Many of the professional pictures taken did turn out well, so we are saddened that not only will we not have professional pictures of our wedding party at the National Mall but that Roman refused to refund us for the lost time.
The fact of the matter is that Roman Grinev Photography didn’t provide their contractual services and therefore should have given us a refund per their “failure to perform clause” in the contract we signed.
Vendor response 09/28/2018
Since this review is full of inaccuracies, I recommend reading our other reviews in order ...
to get a better idea of our consistently high level of customer service & photographic skill. There's a reason our overall score is 5 out of 5. We work very hard to make sure that all of our clients are happy from our first communication to delivering the final photos. This level of customer service is evident in our other reviews.
To quote the review in question: "Many of the professional pictures taken did turn out well". This particular couple’s issue is not with the studio as a whole, or the quality of the photos they received. Their chief complaint stems from a situation which occurred because of poor planning & a lack of communication on their part. Unfortunately, this made it impossible for Dawn to document their quick trip into DC & blame has been placed unfairly on their photographer. We have done whatever we could to make things as stress free for them from the beginning & to then offer some kind of gesture to show that we really do care that things didn’t work out exactly the way they’d hoped.
Before the wedding day the couple had a wedding date change. Although we normally can’t change the wedding date once the contract is finalized, we made an exception for them and they did not incur any additional costs.
On the wedding day Dawn discovered that the couple hadn’t made an alternate plan for where to take portraits if it was raining, which it was. Dawn not only found an appropriate spot inside, but with some help, moved furniture to make it work.
This couple choose Dawn as their photographer and her name is listed as their photographer in the contract. All clients choose their photographer & we do not assign photographers to our clients. The fact that she refers to Dawn in the review as "Dawn, the photographer that Roman set us up with” is an absolute fabrication, as is the statement "When we found out Dawn was actually our photographer”. We even have the original message from the bride requesting Dawn as their photographer. I am happy to provide documentation showing Dawn as their requested photographer.
Yes, it was discussed beforehand that Dawn would ride in the limo with the bridal party, but there was no way for her to know that there would not be enough room. The limo was simply too small for her and the bridal party. An offer to ride in the front was never made & it was the bride who told Dawn to take her own car. This was apparently after some back & forth about going or not, or just “driving around”. The weather had been uncooperative up to that point & they were running more than an hour behind schedule. With years of experience photographing weddings in the D.C. area, why would she then choose to deal with impossible city parking unless she had no other option? If appropriate transportation was arranged prior to the wedding and things were running on schedule, there would have been DC portraits taken. Weather, transportation and scheduling issues are outside of our scope of responsibility.
According to Dawn’s gps tracking app, she left at 2:36 and returned to the hotel at 3:49 which is 1 hour 13 minutes. She only drove around for about 10 minutes looking for parking & when she told the groom that she found a garage a few blocks from where they were & would get there as quickly as possible, she was told never mind & that they were going to head back. I honestly don’t understand where this perceived loss of 2 hours is coming from. They were gone for about one & a quarter hour & most of that time was spent driving into DC & then back to the ceremony location.
Dawn stayed past her end time to take some more photos. She apologized for not being able to find parking quickly & was told that it “wasn’t a big deal” or something to that effect. When they offered to pay her more for the extra time, she refused. It sounds like she went above and beyond over the course of the day & that the things which went wrong were not due to negligence on her part. She also received nothing but positive feedback on the wedding day. In the moment, this couple was understanding & seemed to place no blame on her. To hear such a serious complaint weeks after the fact came as a complete shock.
We worked very hard to resolve this issue. We offered them a portrait session in DC and then an album, which they refused. They requested that we refund them for 2 hours of service and pay for the $140 permit. They did not “lose” 2 hours of photography. Driving to DC and back was just over an hour and Dawn made up most of that time by staying later. During the planning process we told them that a permit is not required for portraits at The Mall, which is documented by email. Not really sure why they got a permit in the first place, never mind that they’re now asking to be reimbursed for that expense.
Ruth N
5.0
9/24/2018
I worked with Sean from Roman Grinev Photography and he was absolutely amazing! We booked him for an engagement shoot and the entirety of our wedding day. He was punctual, extremely professional but most importantly, a TERRIFIC photographer. Sean's style of photography is very natural, which is exactly what we wanted.
Moreover, the price was very reasonable. Every penny we spent was way worth it. I will definitely keep Sean & Roman Grinev Photography in mind for future events.
Jessica S
5.0
9/09/2018
We could not have been happier with Roman Grinev Photography! I was extremely impressed by the quality of the images on their website and reached out to Roman. Roman worked with me to make a contract that fit our budget and was very flexible when we wanted to add more time to our wedding photography services. Sean was the photographer we chose for our wedding and he captured the joy and love of our celebration perfectly. He showed up on time and work hard for the whole time segment we had hired him for. The photos took seven weeks to be polished before we were able to download and view them but they were well worth the wait. We will treasure the pictures from our wedding forever and will certainly reach out to them again in the future with any other photography needs.
Katharine N
5.0
6/25/2018
We worked with Dawn and she was amazing! Very fun and did not make it awkward. We wanted more candids and she did exactly that. They gave us a link to all of the pictures to share with family and friends and an easy way to download them. Extremely reasonably priced as well. Very glad we had the chance to work with them. Highly recommend this company for weddings, or any professional photography needs you may have!
An-Lih T
5.0
4/25/2018
Our photographer Thomas was awesome! He actually arrived earlier than our scheduled time and started taking photos right away. He worked with us to get all the shots we wanted, including a bunch of extra family photos. We haven't gotten our photos yet but I can't wait to see them. The ones he briefly showed us looked amazing! Roman was also very easy to work with and helped walk us through the process and determine what the best fit for what we needed was. I even recommended Roman Grinev Photography to some friends who are getting married this year. That is how wonderful they are!
Lauren K
5.0
2/24/2018
We worked with Rod for our Dec 2017 wedding, and received the photos a few weeks ago. We couldn’t be happier! Rod was right on time, and worked with us to capture all the moments we wanted... and was barely a presence during the ceremony and reception while getting over 1000 amazing shots.
Working through Roman, who we met last spring, was a pleasure as well.
Alli S
5.0
1/30/2018
Working with Napoleon and Thomas was so fun! My (now) husband and I planned our wedding while out of the country, and Roman's centralized logistics were a breeze. On the day of, Napoleon and Thomas were on time, courteous and great at gently directing us for unforgettable shots. We couldn't be happier with the pictures!
Kasey V
5.0
11/29/2017
We had Rodney as our photographer and he was really great to work with. He was easy going and got shots of whatever anyone asked him. He somehow was everywhere and yet not intrusive at all. We asked specifically for some photos that would play with light and the sunset and we ended up with exactly that. At the end of it all we ended up with nearly 1,000 photos to go through!!
Theresa H
5.0
11/22/2017
We hired Roman Grinev photography for our wedding. Our photographer was Laura and she was fantastic. She was very professional and friendly at our wedding. She was very flexible to accommodate all of our requests for pictures of the bridal party. I can't wait to see the pictures!
Kelly P
5.0
11/22/2017
I had the pleasure of working with Roman Grinev Photography for our September 30th wedding at The Winery at Bull Run! Sean was our photographer and our wedding pictures turned out amazing!!! Sean did a great job of getting all of the photos I wanted, and more! I hardly noticed him the day of, but looking back on the photos he caught so many memories that we have been looking at over and over re-living our special day! Sean did an absolutely phenomenal job! Roman was also a pleasure to work with. Before our wedding, we connected and he answered all of my questions in regards to photos, timelines, etc. He was always very quick to respond- which always makes a bride feel better. I would recommend Sean and Roman Grinev Photography ALL day!!!
Amy B
5.0
10/29/2017
We used Roman Grinev Photography for our wedding and engagement pictures and couldn't be happier. We had an amazing selection of pictures for a great price. Rob and Thomas really captured the wedding day with some great artistic shots. Both were very easy to work with and non-intrusive. Roman is very quick to respond to any questions and helped us to work within our budget. I would recommend them to anyone and would definitely use them again! Thanks!!
Brock D
5.0
10/28/2017
We had Roman as our photographer. He was very professional and kind during the whole process. He was very easy to get a hold of and the pictures came out amazing. I highly recommend him for your big day!
Adam C
5.0
10/22/2017
We were so happy with Roman Grinev Photography. We worked with Thomas on our wedding day. He was wonderful! We really did not want to spend the day posing for pictures and he was very fast and efficient. Thomas captured the day and we have countless perfect pictures!
Taylor S
5.0
10/15/2017
We had a great experience using Roman Grinev Photography for our wedding on August 12th, 2017. We chose to have Napoleon as our photographer, and we included an engagement photo session in our package. We met Napoleon for the first time in person at the location for our engagement photo session in June, and he was very friendly. He was very quick to scope out the venue, and found some nice locations to take pictures. We received almost 300 photos from the session, and they turned out great!
To prepare for the wedding, Roman had us fill out a form with specifics of our timeline, and we also could give details on how we wanted to do our photos (location, portraits, etc.). During the day of the wedding, Napoleon started by taking getting-ready pictures at the hotel. He then drove to the venue ahead of us, and the bridal party, to start taking pictures of my wedding dress and the venue. He worked closely with our videographer and day-of-coordinator to make sure all the important things were captured the way we wanted, without being in anyone’s way. During the wedding ceremony, he moved all over the place very quickly and professionally, and neither we, nor the guests, noticed him at all. We did not know he was moving around so much until we received our photos, which was amazing! He also got a variety of photos during our wedding reception, and he was able to take us aside during the reception to take some additional portrait photos of my husband and I.
It took about 7 weeks to get the pictures back to us, which we didn’t mind, since we were initially told it would take about 8 weeks. We received almost 1500 pictures, and we are very happy with them! We highly recommend Roman Grinev Photography and Napoleon for your wedding photography!
Bertha A
5.0
10/12/2017
They were amazing to work with. WE got married in July and it was cloudy and kind of rainy. Didn't mind the weather. But the photographer we worked with took beautiful pictures. We very impressed with his work. I was so happy we hired them. Totally recommend them. They are the best !!!!!!!
Emily M
5.0
10/12/2017
We loved working with Sean for our engagement photos and at our wedding! He was easy to work with and out photos turned out better than we could have imagined. Highly recommend!
Gayathri C
5.0
9/06/2017
We had Rodney photograph our wedding reception in July of 2017 (at the Ospreys at Belmont Bay - see separate review) and we had such a great experience working with him! Rodney is so talented and captured so many special moments throughout the day. His style is photo-journalistic, and that really shines through in the photos we received - each one brings to life a special moment that would have otherwise been easily lost and forgotten in such a busy and hectic day. The photos are not only aesthetically lovely in the balance of light and color, but more importantly, they also capture their subjects' essence very well, and naturally. You can see smiles in the subjects' eyes, and not just on their faces, and each photo reawakens the smells, the sounds, the laughter, and the hustle and bustle of a happy occasion.
We had asked Rodney to take "engagement style" photos of us as a couple before the reception and he did a fantastic job capturing both this and the reception itself. We received over 700 photos for a 4 hour event, and they were a great mix of photos of us (the couple), our families, and the guests as well. Roman, the owner of the studio was very helpful and responsive to the many questions I had throughout the process.
As a person, Rodney was kind and approachable, and took the time to listen to what we were looking for in our photos. As a photographer, he went above and beyond. The day before our reception, Rodney spent about an hour on the phone with me as I described the style of photos I am drawn to, and what I wanted to remember of the day. I am no professional photographer, but he was able to figure out what I was looking for and incorporate this into the photos. Our reception started at 10:00 AM but Rodney showed up a few hours early to scout the reception venue for good photos spots. All in all, he approached the task of capturing our reception with all the dedication and enthusiasm as if he were capturing his own wedding. I would highly recommend Rodney as a photographer to capture any special or meaningful occasion. I know I will enjoy our photos for years to come.