I am an emotional and sentimental person, so when I am at weddings, it fuels my internal flame. Being able to see couples interact with their genetic or chosen family is such an amazing opportunity that I always get so excited about.
The wedding industry was not something I was expecting to be a part of. Like most photographers, I photographed my first wedding when a friend asked me to. I was completely scared not because I haven't done it before but because I was capturing such a timeless moment that I didn't want to screw it up. The minute I showed up I felt a surge of excitement and passion I didn't know I had. Since then, it was all I wanted to do. The thrill and exhilaration I have when creating, designing, and photographing weddings goes beyond my wildest dreams.
Influenced by both my heritage and family, I focused my career path in the art field and graduated with a BA from UC Berkeley in Art History. Post-graduation I worked in museums, art galleries, and e-commerce sites which helped round me out both in my art education but also, business experience. The itch for photography stuck with me since my adolescence and one day I took the scary, yet thrilling jump into becoming a photographer full time.
Art has taught me to be open-minded to the world around me but also think deeper about how to celebrate and cherish those intimate moments that oftentimes feel fleeting.
Moments that make me the happiest are seeing the pure joy and fun couples have with each other and their loved ones on the big day. Not everyone is cut out for this industry and I am so incredibly lucky that I get to be a part of it and everyone's stories.
When I am not photographing fun couples & designing amazing weddings, you can usually find me hanging out with my Wheaten Terrier, Watson, traveling to new countries, or collecting art.
Without a ton of time to plan, she helped us think about the kind of photos we'd want, including which family pics to capture, how to pose, and how to loosen up to get even better pictures! Her pre-wedding survey was incredibly thorough and had many questions I would never have thought of, but which ensured our pictures turned out perfect. On the day of, Michelle was more than prepared, knowing names of family members and having a game plan in her head of what order she'd photograph in, in which parts of City Hall. She even brought props with her to capture pictures of our rings in gorgeous matching boxes! I was shook. Every aspect of working with her was easy breezy, from planning, to day-of, to payment, to receiving our photos later.
She has a great personality and is very easy going. During the planning process, she was organized and professional which made it easy for me. Planning a wedding is so overwhelming and there were details that I had not even thought about if it wasn’t for Michelle and I so appreciate her process for that reason. She was well organized and thoughtful about the photography schedule. I also appreciate that she wanted to see the venue and get a feel for the space. She is a true artist. Oh and I will never forget her little gifts that she sends! Thank you Michelle!
We chose Michelle after she offered to personally meet with us to discuss our vision and make sure we would feel comfortable working with her. Not only is Michelle's work beautiful and accurately captures us as a couple (but only our good sides), she is a joy to work with. I can sometime be uncomfortable in front of a camera but Michelle had lots of prompts and other ways to make taking staged photos feel (and look) natural. Michelle is a complete professional. She always had a great attitude, worked well with our families, and made sure we got the pictures we want to remember our special day. If you're lucky enough to get married when Michelle has availability, you should book her immediately. This is one choice that you won't have to think twice about.
We met with several photographers but knew the moment we met with Michelle that she was the one we wanted to capture our big day. She’s nothing short of professional while also being authentic and making both my fiancé and I feel super comfortable in front of the camera. We couldn’t recommend her more highly!!
AMAZING!! loved that we could customize a package and an engagement shoot was included. We got married during COVID and she was so flexible and helpful through our many venue changes and spoke with me multiple times to help me make all the decisions. She was fabulous on the day of and we were so happy to share our day with her. And the photos turned out stunning, absolutely great quality, colors, and shots overall. Would highly recommend her!!
She was wonderful in every way - we simply could not be more grateful. From start to finish she was responsive, kind, patient, reasonable, and immensely talented. She is the kind of photographer you can only hope to find as a bride - someone who makes you feel comfortable and beautiful, who is respectful of time and space, all while being extremely calm and patient. Most importantly, she is wildly talented as a photographer. We truly loved every single photo she took and continue to get compliments about the quality of the work. We would recommend Michelle to everyone we know and love; she is incredible.
Michelle was spectacular. Not only were her pictures of the day absolutely phenomenal (beautiful, perfectly captured all moments, incredible lighting), but a consummate professional throughout the entire experience. She was very organized, kept us all on time, and ensured we got all the right pictures. Could not recommend her enough!