Julie & CJ
When we were imagining our wedding photos, we wanted the soul. We wanted the action. We wanted the fringes and the reality and the weird pants creases and the inevitable mess that someone's hair is after 2.5 hours of sweating through your undershirt. But we also wanted to look like goddamn beauty queens and have something that made our parents happy. Enter Mike on camera and Matty on video. They understood the assignment (or maybe wrote the syllabus), and they embodied our wedding vibe so seamlessly that they were guests of honor by the end of the weekend. They drew out the introverts, they amplified the extroverts, they were everywhere they needed to be. Both of our moms still wax poetically about them. And honestly, we'd still love to have a cocktail with them any time. You don't need us to tell you about how good their work is - you can see their portfolio, and it's obvious. But what made this team so special for us is how likeable, how warm, how conscious, and how incredibly additive they were to our weekend and to the feeling in the room. If we ever get around to doing an anniversary party, they're on the guest list.
Testimonials
Chris & Loren
We were looking for non-traditional wedding photos. The moment we set eyes on their portfolio, we knew we had to have CMP at our wedding. Their style was incredible.
On our wedding day, Michael took control and made everything light, fun and easy. From First Look all the way through family portraits, Michael quickly changed shots and scenes, re-arranged and mixed family, bridesmaids and groomsmen.
But, the party pics is where he truly shined. Michael captured a stunning array of wedding guests partying and posing. He got so many moments that we never knew were happening, and it was so much fun seeing them months after our wedding.
The pictures Michael took that day surpassed what we could’ve hoped for. We were truly stunned at some of the shots that he was able to capture and we couldn’t be more thrilled with what Chellise Michael Photography delivered.
If I wasn’t clear enough in the previous paragraphs, allow me to do so now. If you have the opportunity to book them - DO IT
Anna & Ed
these were the things that were important to us in choosing our photographer: the photographer's personality (will we be able to connect, will she/he care about us as human beings? do we VIBE together), the overall mood of the photographer's work (our wedding was in Winter, in Brooklyn NY), the photographer's style/vision/values (prioritizing authentic, candid, REAL moments with REAL people with REAL feelings), and of course professionalism. My husband and I decided to research some Brooklyn/NY-based photographers independently, and we were going to share our top 3 picks and compare/discuss them before making our decisions. I am not lying when I say that Chellise Michael Photography was both of our top pics, and we fell in love once we spoke with her.
Out of the photographers we contacted, she was the only one who not only requested but required that we, as a couple, get on a Zoom call to meet and get to know each other. Many other photographers were "fine" with a phone call, but not Chellise. We loved our conversation with her and truly appreciated that she wanted and needed to take the time to understand who we were as individuals, as a couple, and, of course, our story. Even throughout our portrait session. She made sure that my super-camera-shy husband felt comfortable and natural and had a way of warming us up to the camera.
One of the things we loved about Chellise is her absolute confidence in her work. Throughout the entire process, she was honest and transparent about expectations and organized and punctual with her communication.
Chellise will forever have a special place in our hearts, and we're so lucky to have worked with her.
Hannah & Eric
I cannot speak highly enough of the team at Chellise Michael Photography. They are geniuses at what they do, and we can't be happier with the end results. My only regret is not also hiring them to capture our rehearsal dinner the night before.
Chellise is the perfect combo of no-nonsense and warmth. I've never experienced, and don't think I ever will again, a more efficient family/group photo session. She kept us on schedule while also making sure we were feeling comfortable and having fun. Being in front of the camera all day is a pretty foreign feeling to most, but we felt at ease the entire day, which we attribute to the home portrait session included in the package.
Matty captured our night beautifully - he was such a pleasure to work with and we are so grateful that (1) we decided to have a videographer and (2) that it was Matty.
The passion for their work shows through in all that they do and everyone who has seen our pictures and videos have been absolutely blown away.
Annie & Cate
It's taken a few days to collect ourselves from how absolutely wonderful these photos are! They are exactly what we wanted - but you've also exceeded our wildest dreams of what we'd dreamed about. It was such a pleasure to have you there for our wedding day and we both really appreciated how comfortable and loved you made both of us feel. You really captured our most honest (and most beautiful) selves!
It's been so wonderful getting to share this day with our family and friends through your lens. You really captured the joy, excitement, and love we were both feeling and everyone we have shared them with has expressed to us how clearly these photos are the epitome of who we are! Thank you for knowing and understanding us so clearly, even from the small amount of time we got to spend together.
Thank you thank you thank you. We can not wait to love and appreciate your photos for decades to come. You are incredible and we are truly forever grateful!
Alex & Jess
After looking at the team's online photos, we had a feeling that CMP was going to be a good fit. As soon as we hopped on our initial Zoom call, we were sold. Chellise and Michael had an incredible warmth and familiarity to them that were such a big draw in booking them as our wedding photographers. We ended up hiring Michael (though you can't go wrong with anyone on the team), who was extremely flexible in re-scheduling the included engagement shoot. Neither my wife or I are huge on being a focal point, and so we were nervous to do the engagement shoot. Mike ended up putting us right at ease and popping out some great, laid-back shots. Cut to the wedding - you GOTTA get the film package. The shots have such an incredible warmth to them. The photos don't feel staged or stiff - they transport us right back to some of our favorite moments. Aside from getting just a dope set of pictures, Mike was a blast to hang out with. We have heard from countless friends and family about what a presence he had. If he didn't have a camera strapped to him, you would have just thought he was a guest himself. I think this trait really put all our guests at ease and made for much better photos. We can't imagine the wedding without Mike there to document it!
Zane & Aly
Michael - these are totally unprecedented, flabbergasting, utterly unhinged levels of good. Aly and I couldn't stop smiling going through all of them together - you've made us love photos where we might not usually love ourselves, just because of vibes and the joy you brought to it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Several of these are gonna have beloved places in our home and offices. Truly cannot wait to shoot our wedding together - this has made us so excited!
Allison & Jimmy
Are you kidding with these!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? We just threw them in the slideshow mode with our wedding playlist in the background and it was like a time machine. We can’t say enough
how absolutely incredible it was to share our weekend with you guys. The photos are beyond and your friendship is priceless!
Char & Jason
It was a pleasure working with Chellise and Amber – what a dream team!! We could not have asked for a more wonderful experience for our wedding weekend.
Chellise is a true gem. She is incredibly chill, uber-talented behind a camera lens, and knows how to capture the absolute rawness of a moment, which is so special and priceless. Working with her made us feel so comfortable and confident that we made an excellent decision to have her document our wedding weekend. Our photos are spectacular, and we are blown away by how everything turned out.
Chellise – we cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us!! The GOAT!
Nate & Heather
OMG!!!!!!!!!! what. I have lost my mind. Like we knew they were going to be amazing but EXCUSE ME holy shit. Already we are so so happy. Ahhhhhh. Your selfie! The filmies! The pics of our people!!! THANK YOU!!! It was a dream to have you part of our day.
Laura & Josh
Chellise,
We have been basking in the glow of your talent, support, and friendship since the wee hours of last Saturday. When we received this sneak peek of sneak peeks while knee-deep in a raw bar on the other side of the world, we nearly lost our minds at the table. WOW. We are so lucky to have had such an incredible artist who captured the spirit, energy, and love of the day. And we even made a friend out of it.
The disco balls! The martini glass on the linen! Our grandmas! The big ass tree and us looking like smoldering beauties! The look on all our guests faces of pure fun! You captured it all. And we are so grateful we were able to share in it with you. Thank you. Thank you all the way from the other side of the world to the depths of our hearts. And thank you for working so hard, on your feet for hours, so that we can admire these photos for years to come.
There is no one else we would rather have spent such a magical time with. Thank you for being there capturing every special moment. You. Are. The. Best. Period.
