Ellen Sent on 07/13/2019

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I can't stop looking at my photos

I love our photos so much. Carl worked so hard the entire wedding, running around, standing on chairs, being everywhere. He got so many amazing candids of us and our friends and family. He also captured the funniest moments. My only problem is that I don't have wall space for all 250+ photos.

We also found him easy to work with - responsive to emails, seemed to get us. He was the perfect photographer for our wedding.

Nicole Sent on 10/08/2017

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Our experience with Carl was amazing! He is a true artist and not just a wedding photographer. We received our pictures and they are stunning. We were astounded at the variety of photographs he was able to capture. He was everywhere. We were trying to figure out how he got around so quickly to take all the photos. Black and white and candid photos are timeless and elegant. Carl delivered on this concept 100%. Thank you, Carl!

User2993781 Sent on 03/06/2017

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Carl photographed our wedding at the Brown Palace in Denver. We were initially drawn to Carl because of the amazing portfolio he has on his website. We loved his modern and unique style, and his keen eye and ability to capture the most incredible moments. Carl did just that for us on our wedding day. Our photographs are amazing. We continue to look over them and say "how did he get that shot?!?", but he did. All the moments that we talked about the days to follow, he caught on camera with his distinctive viewpoint and style. He also did it in a completely inconspicuous and unobtrusive way.

We were told when we got engaged that there are only a few things you should really invest in, one being your wedding photographer. Carl is an investment well made. The album he created for us post-wedding was also perfect--modern and beautiful. I can't recommend Carl highly enough. He is an astute documentarian, and he will give you the most awesome wedding photographs. You won't be sorry.

Yoshimi Sent on 03/09/2017

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If you are looking for beautiful photos that will capture both the essence and emotions of the day in equal servings, giving permanent life to those oh-so-fleeting life's-best moments, then you can do no better than Carl Bower.

We were lucky enough to have Carl photograph our wedding in Vail, Colorado. While it was a spectacular backdrop, it was the unique and intimate moments that Carl captured in our photos that show the true beauty of the day. He exceeded even our high-expectations in the final collection of photos, in which he was able to capture the intimacy of the day, not just between us but among all of our guests. Very simply, we loved each and every single photo.

He is an incredibly talented photographer whose professionalism, work ethic, experience, and eye for detail are all represented in his work. We could not be happier to have these photos serve as our daily reminder of the warmth and love of our special day.

Allison Sent on 03/30/2017

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Carl is a natural at capturing those priceless moments that mean so very much. If you want a truly beautiful and deeply meaningful wedding book...Carl is your guy. His pictures tell a beautiful story that will enable you to live your wedding day over and over again. We have received so many compliments on our wedding photos...people are truly taken away by the shots he was able to capture. We feel so blessed to have found Carl...and recommend him wholeheartedly!

Eric Sent on 03/12/2017

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Make no mistake, Carl is a professional, and he takes his work seriously -- and in turn he took our wedding seriously. Yet he complements this professionalism with an engaging personality and dry humor that made us enjoy all of our interactions with him. Prior to hiring him to shoot our wedding in Longmont, CO, we met with him to talk about how the ceremony and reception would work, and what we wanted from a photographer. He made it clear that he had a particular photographic style where he would try to stay "out of the way" as much as possible. He was willing to take a few staged photographs, but his goal was to spend the vast majority of time taking candid photographs of people's experiences during the wedding -- this was exactly what we wanted.

The photographs turned out amazing. When our pictures arrived a couple weeks after our wedding, we were blown away at how he managed to capture both obvious and subtle important moments at our wedding. With all the events of the day flying by so quickly, some moments I had already forgotten that I had -- laughing with my groomsmen, waiting to start the ceremony with my mother, father, and sister -- came to life through his work. And many parts of the wedding I couldn't see on the big day -- my future wife getting ready, my aunts and uncles joking around -- I got to experience through his work.

Three years after our wedding, we still get comments from friends and family about how much they like our photos. There are a number of photos in the album that, each time I see them, I still find myself saying "wow, that really captures *us*", referring to how it reveals the personalities of my wife and I, as well as how we feel about one another. I couldn't ask for anything more from our wedding photos.

I could not be happier with our decision to hire Carl as our wedding photographer, and recommend him unequivocally to anyone looking for a photojournalistic-style wedding photographer.

User1206411 Sent on 06/18/2013

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I cannot speak highly enough about Carl. I'm a photographer myself (not even near his caliber but a photographer nonetheless) and therefore was very critical about this aspect of our big day. After an insane amount of researching, I stumbled across Carl's website when searching for documentary wedding photographers and his work is incredible. It's crisp and candid and catches the moments that years down the road you will treasure even more. He's hilarious when doing the group photos especially when guests are nearby. He understands these are important to the couple but also knows that the meat of the images are the ones when no one is watching and are the ones that 10 years down the road when the shot of the newlyweds standing in a field embracing is no longer posted on the wall above their bed will still be just as cherished as the first day you viewed them, therefore he keeps the posed photos short and sweet. This is also nice because it shortens the time between the ceremony and reception that the guests have to mill around. I definitely recommend working with Carl if his style suits yours!

Cristi Sent on 03/20/2017

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We knew we wanted our wedding photographer to be a photojournalist and Carl's work immediately caught our attention. Based on what we saw of his portfolio, we expected beautiful, nuanced black and white photographs that capture the small moments at our big event. That was exactly what we got from Carl's photographs.

We were married outdoors in the mountains and had dinner and dancing indoors in low light. The photographs from both settings are absolutely gorgeous. Carl managed to perfectly capture what we love about the woods and the Colorado sky and also deliver a series of funny, late-night dance party pictures of our friends and family. We will cherish these photos forever. Carl's style and vision to us seems stark and bold but also warm, emotional without being overly sentimental.

Perhaps most importantly, Carl is a pleasure to work with. He was easy to reach and coordinate with, kind, and unassuming. My husband and I were in awe that he managed to make such intimate, personal photographs while being virtually unseen to us during our wedding day.

Chesney Sent on 08/15/2012

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I almost didn't hire a photographer for my wedding. Why devote so much of your budget to professional pictures when friends and family will surely give you dozens of shots? Two months after the big day, I can say that photography is the most important aspect of your wedding, as long as you hire the right person.

Carl represents what wedding photography should be. Too often, I look through friends' albums and find photos of typical wedding moments, along with hundreds of posed photos that in no way represent the couple I know. Carl is the answer to this.. taking candid shots while letting the ceremony and reception takes its natural course. The photos he gave me were honest and sometimes irreverent, but still optimistic.. focusing on moments of true intimacy. I was also grateful that he zeroed in on my family and friends.. an event of that magnitude should focus on more than the bride and groom.

I have nothing but good things to say about how Carl runs his business. I didn't email him much after the contract was signed, but when I decided I wanted the photos taken in color (rather than black and white) he happily obliged. Both of my parents called me to tell me how nice he'd been with helping them order prints.

I suppose rating a photographer's "value" is a personal thing. I've looked at my wedding photos hundreds of time since I got married, and will cherish them for the rest of my life. They are both technically-superior and artistic. The perspectives are astute, but don't feel forced. Most importantly, they captured the essence of everyone who's important to me, on the most important day of my life. I would say that's good value.

Elisabeth Sent on 03/14/2017

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Carl is an outstanding photographer. The intimate, revealing moments which will never be experienced again were captured in unique and unexpected ways. We chose Carl because of his ability to capture original, priceless moments, and for his ability to highlight the emotions that were expressed between people. He is a true artist and is clearly incredibly passionate about his work which shines through in the photographs. To this day his photographs still make me laugh, cry, and fill me with joy; I am able to re-live my wedding over and over again through the story he told so creatively.

My husband absolutely hates getting his picture taken and becomes incredibly awkward when asked to pose, so I knew I wanted a photographer who could capture spontaneous moments and who did not ask us to pose in cheesy, boring, false ways. It is very easy for a photographer to ask a couple to pose by looking into each other's eye and smiling. If I asked my husband to do this, he would have frozen. Instead, Carl was able to capture the instances when my husband looked lovingly at me, or when my best friend gave me a look that only she can give, or when my 4 year-old nephew was inspecting my wedding dress. Moments to me which are so incredibly honest and tell the true story of our wedding day. The pictures he produced transported me back in time so that I am able to re-live not only the experience but the feelings I was having at each particular moment. That is what I hoped to get from a wedding photographer - the ability to capture pure, unadulterated, genuine emotion, and that is what Carl delivered, and then some.

Carl was also able to tell a beautiful story through his pictures. He was able to capture both the breadth and the depth of the wedding. He managed to include pictures of everyone who was important to me: good friends, cousins I hadn't seen in years, and my nephew who means so much to me and who refuses to have his picture taken.

G Sent on 10/26/2010

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easy to work with

Brandon Sent on 10/14/2010

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Dear Carl,

The wedding photos are phenomenal! It is absolutely extraordinary to look at the collection of photos you sent us and see hundreds of shots that are magazine ready/worthy! Our parents took a look at them and can’t quite figure out which photos they will NOT order!

Thanks for doing an incredible job in capturing our day in film. We are so glad that we entrusted the responsibility to you. These photos have a quality that surpasses video. One image can invoke the emotion, cue the sounds and context of that moment in the past. The black and white photos look timeless. The color photos are a harmonious explosion of colors. I know we were standing outside, but they look like they were taken in the tranquility found indoors – with an amazing back drop!

We have no idea how you even captured half of the photos. The angles, the closeness, the distance, the perspectives are astounding – especially, when we didn’t even see you do it! You have an uncanny sense of anticipation. How you managed to capture the exact moment when I gave a thumbs up to a friend while walking down the isle or when the ring bearer decided to slide down the stairs is remarkable. Thank You! We hope you will consider being our photographer for our next major celebration!

Sincerely,

Ericka & Brandon

Kim Sent on 01/14/2009

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Carl photograph's were amazing. He did a fantastic job at catching "the moment". You barely notice Carl is there and he's unobtrusive.

Kathleen Sent on 01/15/2008

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I loved working with Carl and will enjoy his photographs for years to come!

Todd Sent on 01/27/2008

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We have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with Carl. We have found him to be very responsive and easy to work with. Perhaps even more important, we are thrilled with the pictures that he took at our wedding. He truly has an amazing ability to capture unique moments in his photographs. He is a photo-journalist so he avoids being noticed. In fact, he is so adept at blending in, we dont remember seeing him much. Of course, after seeing the photos from our wedding, he clearly was working hard throughout. We can also attest that the sample photos from his website are an accurate representation of what ones wedding photos will look like if you love his portfolio, youll love your wedding pictures. While Carl is at his best when taking candid photos, he will also take a limited number of group posed pictures if you request them. He is amazingly efficient when taking posed pictures, which is great because that way, you arent away from your guests for very long. All-in-all, we would highly recommend Carl.

Leaksmy Sent on 01/12/2008

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My fiance and I chose Carl Bower after a lot of research and discussion about what we wanted in our wedding photographs. Carl came through spectacularly; we could not be more thrilled with our wedding photographs. He truly captured the personalities of all involved, tender moments that others would surely have missed, and details that combined to create the beauty of the big day. I can't tell you how many people have said how stunned they were at how timeless and amazing our photos were.

He was even helpful in unexpected ways--like helping me with a difficult bustle when I could not get it to work. He was reliable, courteous, and very innocuous at the wedding. (There were a lot of priceless moments he captured that had us wondering where on earth he hid himself to get them. But thank goodness he did!) He is a friendly and good-humored person--yet always professional. He takes his craft very seriously, and it absolutely shows in the end result.

Carl's work is documentary in form; he was happy to take a number of posed shots (which he executed beautifully), but the reason to hire him is to get distinctive, gorgeous, candid, photojournalism-style photographs of your big day.

We have also ordered keepsake prints from Carl as holiday gifts, and his service has been outstanding.

Carl Bower is one of the very top wedding photographers in DC, and you will have to book him well in advance. But if you can get him, you will be truly wowed by the photographs of your wedding.

Alysa Sent on 08/07/2007

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Our photographs were absolutely stunning. Carl really is amazingly talented, and was just able to capture the exact mood and feeling of the wedding and celebration to the point where even now, months after the wedding, when I look at the photos, I just get teary or laugh. We went with straight black and white photos, no posed pictures, and just let him do his thing, and were thrilled with the results. Plus, he was so easy and warm to work with -- very unintrusive so that it was easy to forget there was a photographer at the wedding. As a result, we had great shots of us (bride and groom), and our friends and family in a relaxed, natural, so interesting state. I could not have been happier with his work, and felt so happy (and lucky!) that we went with Carl for our wedding photographer.

Heather Sent on 01/14/2008

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The photographs Carl took were amazing. I wish I could write as well as he photographs. Suffice it to say that each picture captured a moment, an expression, a feeling from our guests so that every time I look through them I relive that day.

Carl's style is photojournalistic/documentary with little time spent organizing and grouping people for posed color photographs. We did a few, but those are not the ones I wanted to frame. If you are looking to spend a lot of time on traditional posed pictures, then I would not recommend having Carl shoot your wedding.

Carl does a wonderful job blending into the crowd and capturing moments which may have been otherwise missed had his presence been known. It's almost uncanny how the personalities of our guests shine in each of the images. Most of all, I see the joy, exuberance and love everyone shared on that day. My husband and I are so pleased. Thanks, Carl!

Andrea Sent on 01/24/2008

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Carl Bower was truly an amazing photographer! He has a documentary approach and style, but was very accomodating to our special requests. We immediately felt like we could trust him to capture our ceremony and reception. He was super responsive to communication and was meticulously prepared for the big day. Thanks to him, we will remember the emotion of the day with his myriad portraits of our friends and family. He captured our wedding day with shots that we didn't even know could be possible. My husband described Carl as having an "intimacy radar." He somehow got close to people, capturing beautiful moments of laughter, subtle glances, and familial relationships. His pictures seemed to come from the inside of the various social groupings--it was so cool because other photographers we interviewed seemed to to have an "outside looking in" perspective. Yet, Carl was totally unobtrusive--a "phantom" photographer with his finger on the pulse of every corner of the room! Carl provided us with a great selection of images; each one brimmed with composition and superb artistic technique. I can't recommend him enough! Having a photographer like Carl Bower is the best investment you can make in your wedding day. Cake gets eaten and flowers wilt. But Carl's images will always be there to remind us of what made that day special--the sheer joy of sharing that once-in-a-lifetime day with our loved ones.

Catherine Sent on 01/14/2008

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As soon as I saw Carl's work, I knew he was precicely the photographer I was looking for. I didn't want staged photos or formal portraits - I wanted the story of my wedding day to be captured in images. And that's exactly what we got from Carl. He captured the essence of the people I love and the joy of that day. And it wasn't just in a series of snapshot - each photo is a beautifully composed work of art. I feel so lucky to have had Carl shoot our wedding and can't recommend him highly enough.

Vanessa Sent on 12/13/2010

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There are not enough good things that I could say about Carl and his work. From the moment I saw his images, I feel in love with his work and his eye. Carl's images are about the moment. He is present and so his images are real. Alive. Once we met, his calm demeanor was comforting and day of, he iwas on fire. On the floor, in between folks, behind folks. Everywhere but in shadows. He captured all the best moments and in such a poetic way. He was accommodating, professional and artistic. We splurged, but it was well worth it.

Annika Sent on 03/07/2017

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We have timeless memories of our wedding thanks to Carl and his talent. His photos truly tell a story and capture the emotion of the moment behind each photo. The commentary from others who have seen the collection has been overwhelming, and in each case my sentiments were echoed exponentially. "Striking" and "special" can easily be used to describe his work, and yet such words still fall a bit short of an accurate description. He will exceed your expectations.

Terra Sent on 03/06/2017

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We checked out a handful of different photographers, and Carl's style really caught our eye. His photos are truly beautiful. Working with Carl was a pleasure. He had an obvious passion for making a work of art out of our special day, and he did it by waiting for moments to emerge, un-staged, that really captured the essence of our friends and family. We (and our guests) loved our photos.

Chris Sent on 03/08/2017

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Carl takes his work seriously and is seriously good. He's an artist and you will get quality work! I have been in the wedding business for 20 years and Carl stands out. He shot my daughter's wedding and was very impressive.

Monica Sent on 01/15/2008

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We LOVE Carl!!! We had only interviewed one other photographer when we found Carl. His price was above what we had budgeted, but it was well worth it. Carl is a photojournalist, so you have to love that style of photography to work with him. He has great vision and an amazing eye for catching unbelievable moments. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful wedding memories. HIGHLY Recommended.

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