It can be a day of real moments, where your true self feels fully expressed — set in a beautiful place, surrounded by the people who matter most.
A once-in-a-lifetime travel adventure — full of exploration and new experiences, yet easygoing and stress-free.
No performing, no pressure, just living your best life with intention and meaning.
Eloping is about carving your own path, designing a day around your values and the way you want to celebrate.
This is your chapter to write — one that can unfold anywhere in the world, in a way that reflects the incredible life you’re beginning together.
To have an intimate wedding day that's unmistakably yours, intentionally made to experience everything you value in life.
/əˈlōp/
Beyond photography, I also plan elopement experiences. One that's worthy of honoring your love for travel and adventure.
I make sure everything we do for your wedding day is aligned with what you want and what you value.
From the beautiful locations to the activities you want for your day. My greatest joy in my work is seeking this out.
There’s a world of possibilities out there, really anything you want—I want to hear what your dream honeymoon vacation sounds like and bring you there.
Neylan & Nathan | Eloped in mt. rainier national park
Neylan & Nathan | Eloped in mt. rainier national park
Let’s hop on a call and dream out loud. Tell me your story, what lights you up, and how you want your elopement to feel. I’ll take notes and start personalizing the adventure.
You’ll get a personalized timeline, a ready-for-anything packing list, location scouting, vendor recommendations, everything you need for a stress-free day.
"On our wedding day, Calvin made everything feel effortless. He guided us with gentle reminders of the schedule, but never made it feel forced or staged. He helped us navigate challenges like choosing between multiple locations and even supported our last-minute decision to move our ceremony from a waterfall to the coast. This turned out to be perfect!"
- charli & Belinda
Neylan & Nathan
My husband and I had the pleasure of having Calvin as our elopement photographer in June of 2025. I had searched all over for a photographer who didn't simply take posed photos and apply an instagram filter, but rather created art with their images. Calvin was a very obvious choice. He came off as friendly and hardworking immediately, and accommodated all our needs to the very last minute. He planned a very detailed, fun-packed itinerary from before dawn until after dusk in and around Mt. Rainier, and went out of his way to include a location that held sentimental value for me. He was so fun and down-to-earth, and it felt like my husband and I were off on a wild, beautiful adventure and our friend Calvin was just along for the ride. He EXCELS at candid photos, and thus we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves while he documented the full story, including the silly moments along the way, like when I had to tuck my dress into my leggings so that we could hike to the lookout before sunset, or when we chugged energy drinks to stay awake. He captured the moments that mean the most to me in a way that is far more beautiful than anything I could have hoped for. Thank you Calvin!!!
Belinda & Charli
When I first came across Calvin’s website, I was immediately drawn in by his photographs. They had this romantic, cinematic storytelling feel, almost like scenes from a movie, set in beautiful scenic locations. Many were taken during sunrise or sunset, where the soft golden tones made everything look so ethereal.
When my partner and I began searching for a photographer, we honestly felt overwhelmed. We reached out to a few others and exchanged countless emails, but Calvin stood out as he was the only one who offered to hop on a video call. That simple step made everything so much easier. It gave us the chance not only to share our ideas, but also to connect with him on a personal level.
By the time our big day arrived, it didn’t feel like Calvin was just our photographer, it felt like he was a friend we’d known for years. His passion was obvious from the moment he showed up. Checking the light in every corner, gathering our most meaningful mementos to photograph, and asking how we wanted our story told. We decided on a candid approach, and it was hands-down the best decision. The photos are raw, genuine, and emotional. We went about the day simply being ourselves, and now we have these beautiful memories frozen in time to relive again and again.
Calvin also has an amazing eye for locations. He not only captured the most epic landscapes, but also went above and beyond when things didn’t go exactly as planned. Originally, we were set on Latourell Falls for our ceremony, but the area was crowded that day. Calvin gently suggested another spot that would feel more intimate. We trusted him completely, and it turned out to be the best surprise of the entire day. The location was stunning, better than we could have imagined, and made the ceremony even more special.
What stood out most, though, was how stress-free and fun Calvin made everything. His easygoing, down-to-earth nature put us completely at ease. And while he might come across as a little shy and quiet at first, he’s incredibly adventurous and open to any ideas. To this day, whenever we talk about our adventure elopement, we always say how lucky we were to have found him.
I truly believe Calvin is the perfect fit for bold, adventurous couples who want photographs that don’t just document their day, but bring them back to the exact emotions and memories. Captured candidly, authentically, and beautifully through his eyes.
Hannah & Simon
My husband and I originally planned to have a large wedding next year but last minute decided to just have a small (20 people) low-key beach wedding.
With everything being quite last minute, we didn't plan on having a photographer at all but while doom scrolling on instagram on night I came across one of Calvin's ad's. I went to check his profile and really fell in love with his previous work (and our mutual love for Japan). It fit both my husband and I's style perfectly (not overly saturated or exposed like many of the basic photographers in Hawai'i).
I decided to reach out just to see what the process might be like to hire him. During our first call Calvin provided us with a ton of information on locations and best lighting and it really showed how passionate he was about photography. I think pretty quickly into the call we knew that he was someone we'd definitely get along with. He was also just great with responding to our messages in a timely manner throughout the whole process.
Going into the experience, my husband and I were both were pretty relaxed. I think we just knew that Calvin would do a great job because we felt so comfortable around him. He honestly blended in so well with everyone that we hardly noticed him at all throughout the day.
With all the chaos of the wedding day it's hard to know how the photos will ultimately turn out but as soon as we saw the edited photos we couldn't stop looking at them! They captured the day so well and were more beautiful than we could've ever imagined.
We're honestly so grateful to have gotten the chance to work with Calvin on our special day and can't thank him more for doing such an amazing job.
Highly recommend you reach out to him for your proposal/wedding/elopement photos!
I'm currently living in the beautiful PNW, specifically Seattle, Washington. This is where I grew up and have been living for most of my childhood.
I'm open to traveling anywhere worldwide, and I only charge for travel in unique scenarios such as helicopters, hot air balloons, all-inclusive resorts, etc.
You'll get sneak peeks within the first two weeks of your big day. My turnaround time for full galleries is about 6-10 weeks.
I never put a limit on the amount of pictures that I deliver. My goal in photography is to always be intentional with my storytelling. Every shot is intentional.
But as a ball park, a full micro-wedding/elopement day tends to have at least 300 photos.
My photography is primarily candid. I capture pure, organic moments and expressions. There are times when we will pose for some epic portrait shots, but a majority of it will be documentary-style.
What I notice is that my lighting approach is different from many of my photography peers in the sense that I have a strong preference for using ambient/natural light. I rarely use. flash because I love the natural feel. Flash photography and natural light photography are two completely different looks, and since I prefer the ambient look, I prefer to stay consistent. I use flash when it is impossible to find natural light.
My favorite time to shoot is during sunset and I plan around this time. Harsh midday light and Golden hour light yields a different look, and, again, I want to stay consistent with my photos so I try as best as I can to produce the most photos at that time of the day.
I'm a huge fan of Sony cameras. Sony has always been what I use since the beginning of my photography journey, and I don't think I can live without Sony.
I use the Sony A7RV as my main and the Sony A7RIV as backup. I have the sharpest Sony lenses (G-Master series) because I believe in investing in image quality for my couples.
In terms of storage, I have the most robust Sandisk Tough SD cards when I shoot, and I use Solid-state drives to offload my photos to a safe place after the shoot. I basically have backups of backups and two of everything so that there's no room for disaster.
Nope, Adventure elopements to me aren’t always about hiking. Your elopement day CAN be a hike but it can also be a relaxing day at the beach.
If hiking is what you enjoy, I'll be ready to take it on. However, if it’s not something you love, I can certainly help find easy access locations for you and your family.
If you’re looking to hike, I recommend no more than 2-3 miles each way since hiking for an elopement experience is different from hiking for fun as you’ll be carrying gears and outfits you’d typically not have.
I encourage you to express yourself and pose however you feel most comfortable. From time to time, I'll suggest poses that I feel work well in certain scenarios. What's most important is that you feel relaxed and confident. When we achieve that, I'm sure we'll create something amazing :)
The main difference between an elopement and a small wedding is in the guest list, specifically the amount of guests invited.
Since I offer one custom package, I don’t charge extra for small weddings that have more guests. I understand the importance of having all of the most important people in your lives there.
Therefore, I use elopements and intimate weddings interchangeably.
However, with elopements that use public space (National Parks, State Parks, etc…), there are often restrictions from the governing office. In order to follow the rules and preserve the intimate setting of this intentional experience, I recommend to have guest size of 30 or less. I understand that sometimes, you might want to have more than 30 guests. If that’s the case, let me know and I can guide you on finding a venue that can accommodate all your loved ones.
My colors are light and never overly saturated, staying true to color. I work with both warm and cool tones, depending on the weather and mood of the day. I want you to look back at your photos and remember exactly how you felt in that moment—that's what a timeless photo means to me.
© 2025 calvin nguyen photography • All Rights Reserved • Brand + Website by Alisabeth Designs • BACK TO TOP