About
Chellise and Michael are photographers residing in the Hudson Valley hills, 60 miles north of New York City.
Unposed, undone, and with vibrant honesty, their images warrant déjà vu, telling wedding stories in an honest, observational documentary manner, choosing presence over perfection and people over pinterest.
We’ve been traveling all over this big, beautiful Earth to photograph weddings for 15 years, and year after year, we choose to push beyond our comfort zones, guided by a ferocious curiosity, trusting our intuition, and staying grounded.
Revered by our colleagues and clients as anti-cliche wedding photographers because of our innate rebellion against mainstream wedding imagery (insert wedding dress hanging in a window), and for taking creative risks. This rebelliousness is rooted in our questioning of contrived perfection and wedding trends that inundate social media.
We choose this path in photography because weddings allow us to intimately bear witness to incredibly raw, human moments and to connect with people, which has brought us some of our most cherished, lifelong friendships. As photographers, it’s an absolute honor and deeply rewarding to know that the photos we take will be smiled upon for decades to come & cherished by generations beyond us.
With Gratitude,
Chellise & Mike
Our Process
We’ve been doing this long enough to know that when our couples look back at their photographs, they won’t get the nostalgic, fuzzy feels from a contrived, fake moment or a mimicked trend. It’s the genuine moments between their loved ones that will transport them back to how it felt that day. To us, this is what photographs are for, and as photographers, we feel an obligation to bottle this up for you in the most truthful way possible.
We approach weddings in a documentary manner, with a soft spot for portraiture and a rowdy dance party. We use both analog film and digital cameras in our processes. More on our film-specifics here for you analog lovers.
At weddings, we balance between being an observer and being immersed, depending on the crowd. We adhere to the dress code, allowing our intuition and curiosity to guide the way while collecting fragments and responding to the energy of everyone and everything around us - continually shape-shifting from fly on the wall to social butterfly floating in the mix.
What we hope is that you feel fully present on your wedding day, sipping great champagne, hugging your people, dancing your heart out, and soaking up every minute while we take care of documenting everyone’s memories… including the fuzzy ones.
Our Gift To You
Being photographed is awkward, we are fully aware. But being photographed by someone you know isn’t as bad, and is even better by someone who will guide you, which is why we gift an engagement session to you before your wedding. We do these sessions at your home because your home tells us so much about what you’re like, your taste in art and design, and it’s where you’ll feel most at ease. The purpose of this session is to go a little deeper beyond the surface of wedding talk and eventually, take some pictures until (perhaps by way of mezcal) you become a little more accepting of the camera and walk away feeling like it wasn’t so bad.
We take a limited selection of weddings per year. Reach out here to inquire.
Michael
Chellise
Amber - Studio Manager
Client Experience
Before booking us, we have a virtual meeting with both of you.
To hold your date, we require a retainer and a signed contract.
Once booked, you will be given a link to schedule an engagement shoot at your place, shot entirely on analog film and likely accompanied by a snack plate and margaritas. This session is gifted to all of our couples, so there’s no way you’re getting out of it.
You get your film scans from the engagement shoot and are relieved (phew), you love them. They don't feel cheesy, you look hot, and your mom loves them too.
Two months before your wedding, we schedule a meeting with you and your planner to review logistics.
After the wedding…
Within three weeks, you will receive a carefully curated selection of images taken throughout the day. This holds you two over while we get going on the whole enchilada that's in the queue with all the other enchiladas.
Within 2-3 months, all final photographs will be delivered to you. Your private gallery will thrive in the picture cloud for one year with access to our print shop.
LOVE FOR ALL regardless of ethnicity, age, race, class, gender identity, disability, body shape or size, culture, or religion.