Shelley captured our day absolutely perfectly! her photos are already filling our home! She made us feel so comfortable the entire day and had a way of capturing moments without us even knowing there was a camera. I could not say enough wonderful things about her. We were out of town and did not meet until the day of our wedding, but she kept in close contact with us every step of the way with touch points to make sure she had everything organized for the day of and what all we wanted photographed. She kept us on schedule the day off, but was so flexible and accommodating to anything we may have wanted. so thankful for you Shelley! We are so thankful for you!
Elise C. Married on 05/27/2023
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Calming presence & beautiful photos
Shelley was a delight to work with and was (thank the lord) incredibly flexible for our Memorial Day Weekend 2023 wedding in coastal North Carolina. We experienced unseasonably strong storms that weekend that led us to push our wedding back by one day to keep our guests and vendors safe, and she rolled through the chaos right along with us. Our photos were beautiful and her partner even added some drone footage which are now some of our favorite photos from the weekend. I wholeheartedly recommend booking Shelley for her calm and professional demeanor and stunning photos. Rain or shine (or 40+ mph monsoon), she’s got you 😊
Adrienne J. Married on 05/13/2023
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The best photographer.
We could not have asked for a better photographer. We knew from the second that we started wedding planning that choosing the perfect photographer was going to the most important decision we could make. Shelley did not disappoint. From the second we hired her she worked to ensure that the logistics aligned with the best photos and seemed to capture all of the many moments effortlessly. Moreover, Shelley and her team captured exactly what we had hoped - the many moments of the day that are often not caught in posed pictures, the happiness that saturates every moment of the event, and the many, many details. Our wedding day was one of our happiest days yet and her work has ensured we will never forget it. You will not regret hiring her for any event.
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Caroline J. Married on 09/18/2022
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Amazing work from an amazing person
Shelley is an amazing photographer that provided the best service possible! She made us very comfortable and really led the way whenever we got confused with the wedding details. For my wedding I went with an all-inclusive venue, but I didn't go with their photographer. I could have saved some money by going through them, but I knew for awhile I wanted Shelley to capture our moments. It was well worth it! Definitely my favorite person from out of all of my wedding vendors.
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Oh wow, Caroline, you've touched my heart! I am so honored to have been able to capture your beautiful day and share in the memories with you and Kyung! Thank you so so much for all of your kind words. So happy to have had the chance to get to know you guys and wishing you endless years of happiness together! xoxo
Sarah R. Married on 06/11/2022
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Beautiful Photos, Beautiful Human!
Working with Shelley was a dream. My husband and I were so nervous before our engagement shoot, but Shelley made us so comfortable right away. She took us to absolutely beautiful locations and made the entire process so much fun! We left our engagement shoot feeling like celebrities.
At the wedding she was incredibly professional. She did exactly what she said she wanted to do, she became a part of the event, blending in, weaving in and out of groups and getting incredible candid shots. When I saw the photos I was shocked by the amazing angles she was getting "I didn't even notice she was there" was said more than once. She has a knack for knowing where to look and when, finding those small special moments.
I am so thankful that we will have these photos to treasure forever.
Thank you so much Shelley!!
+ 10photos
Chandler E. Married on 10/02/2021
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Stop your search - you've found the best photographer!
I could go on and on about how amazing it is to work with Shelley! She took two people who do not like having their photo taken into the most relaxed, photogenic pair. We could not believe our eyes when she shared the sneak peek photos - they were GORGEOUS! Her aesthetic is unmatched and the photos capture the aura of the day. She has an amazing ability to capture the most genuine, candid photos and there was not a single moment when things felt forced or posed. Every expectation was exceeded in every way!!! Thank you so much, Shelley!
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Wow! Thank you so so much Chandler!!! It is always my goal not only to make sure that people feel beautiful, but to also make sure that people have fun and enjoy genuine, natural moments on the wedding day. I am just so happy to know that it was all the above for you! ~Shelley
Leanna M. Married on 09/25/2021
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Amazing to work with!
Shelley was amazing! Prior to the event date she sent over a helpful timeline to let us know when the best time would be to take pictures based on the sunset. Throughout the day, we never felt pestered to go take pictures. She was great at capturing natural and candid moments, but would offer helpful tips for posing to make the pictures look great. She was so much fun too! I think at one point in the night she joined in on the dance circle we had going! She also was very quick at getting us previews. I think we had them less than a week after the wedding and they blew us away!! The photos are absolutely stunning!!
We also booked her for our engagement shoot that we did in the mountains of North Carolina. That day was super foggy with not much visibility, but she worked her magic and got some incredibly moody, romantic shots of us.
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Oh Leanna, thank you so so very much for your glowing review! I'm so glad that you have enjoyed your photos and I'm so happy to hear that you were happy to enjoy the day fully as I captured it for you. And yes- I most definitely could not resist joining in on that dance circle as I was taking pictures and listening to your epic band! :)
Katie Married on 06/26/2021
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Most amazing photographer
Shelley is the most amazing photographer - from her beautiful aesthetic depicted in her photographs to her kind and calming personality. She made us feeling confident and beautiful throughout our wedding day! We even had the opportunity to do a day -after photo shoot without the nerves and stress of the day (these were my absolute favorites). I can’t say enough incredible things about Shelley! She will travel long and far for your destination wedding. I’m so honored and grateful that she was our photographer! Each photograph is authentic, natural, genuine and beautiful. Shelley truly captured the essence of the day in each of our photographs. We will cherish our photos forever.
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Thank you so so much Katie for your sweet and lovely review!!! It was truly a joy being able to travel up to Delaware to capture your wedding and experience the magic of your beautiful day on the beach. :)
Ashley H. Married on 05/08/2021
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This is the photographer you NEED for your wedding.
Looking back on my wedding day, Shelley exceeded every expectation I ever had for my photographer. She was kind, fun, and super comfortable to be around. My pictures are AMAZING. In every way, I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
+ 2photos
Madison K. Married on 04/10/2021
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Shelley is Queen
I can't say enough wonderful things about Shelley! She made me so comfortable and made me feel so beautiful in our shots. She really captured the essence of the day wonderfully and picked great locations for our photos. We are so happy with our photos and she gave us so many options to look through and cherish for years to come! I am so grateful that such a wonderful photographer and person was a part of this momentous occasion!
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Wow! Thank you so much Maddie! I am so happy for you and Sam and so grateful to have been able to capture these beautiful memories for you two!
Vinny W. Married on 04/01/2021
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Worth every penny!
My wife Alex and I both work in the hospitality industry and did not want an extravagant wedding with big expenses, big band and big stress. We’ve seen it all and decided that the most important thing was for us to be together and to share our love with some of our closest family and friends. However, we also decided the one exception to all of this would be to find a great photographer – we found just that and more with Michelle Elyse Photography!
From our first e-mail communication to our first meeting in person, Shelley was professional, warm and most importantly, comforting to the bride. She is clearly experienced and knows exactly how to create a fun environment that brings out the smiles in all of us! When our time with her was up, Alex and I both decided that she was a fantastic choice and certainly worth every penny. This was made even more apparent when we received our sneak peaks shortly after our big day. I’ll let her portfolio speak for itself, but rest assured you will absolutely love your photos!
My wife and I are confident that we will gaze upon these photos year after year and relive all of the special memories. We’re so glad we chose Michelle Elyse Photography and can’t recommend her enough. Thanks again Shelley!
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Thank you so much Vinny! It was so wonderful to meet you and Alex and to be able to capture this sweet celebration for you all!
Olani M. Married on 10/24/2020
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Nothing but wonderful things to say about Shelley!
Shelley is absolutely amazing to work with! We searched through tons and tons of photographers before we reached out to book with Shelley. We decided that our photographer would be one of our "splurge" items, and it was worth every single penny!!
We had an engagement shoot with Shelley in October 2019 in the Appalachian mountains...with two dogs, and the pictures turned out amazing. She later shot our wedding in October 2020, and once again, just stunning pictures! She scouted out shooting locations and was able to capture those gorgeous golden hour photos each time she photographed us.
Shelley is a great communicator, so kind, and laid back...just what you want out of a person who will be spending your entire wedding day with you. We never felt awkward during our engagement/wedding shoot-- she helped us out with some posing, but always kept things light and made it fun. I have nothing but great things to say about her talent and how she runs her business! We've had endless amounts of people reach out to us wanting to know who our photographer was. We will cherish these photographs forever!
Marissa G. Married on 09/19/2020
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Love love love our wedding photos!
Shelley is an excellent wedding photographer. She was very flexible with our elopement during COVID. Our wedding photos were magical and whimsical. They look like they were in a fairy tale and in a magazine. I’m truly obsessed with the quality and beauty of our photos. Shelley is also really easy to work with and has a strong attention for details. She gave us a huge variety of photos and edited about 450. I was truly impressed and I highly recommend her for your wedding.
+ 4photos
Alex Married on 11/02/2019
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Absolutely Flawless
Shelley is a magician. From the moment I saw her pictures on Instagram, I knew that I needed her to photograph our engagement and wedding pictures. The engagement photos captured every little bit of our relationship. My favorite part is that most of the pictures taken are candid’s, so you’re not posed in every picture. Shelley is so amazing that we even hired her separately for a family photoshoot that came out better than we could ever imagine. I’ve only received my sneak peaks and I’m DYING to see what incredible moments Shelley captured throughout our wedding!
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
Aweee thank you so much Alex! It has been SUCH a pleasure being able to enjoy these memories with you guys!
Leigh R. Married on 07/09/2019
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Best of the best!
Shelley is a dream to work with! The photos of my wedding are above and beyond what I expected, every moment was captured beautifully and she did an incredible job at helping us feel natural and relaxed in order to capture such beautiful shots. She is very personable and makes you feel at ease. Her talent speaks for itself through her portfolio. Truly could not be more impressed with the editing and eye she has for capturing the beauty of the landscape in photos. We all looked incredible! Would 100% recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer, and will definitely hire her again in the future for family photos!
Molly Married on 06/29/2019
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Cherished forever
I first found Shelley through the internet and her photos jumped out at me as beautiful and really capturing the fun and natural beauty of the day and place. We weren’t able to meet Shelley person until the day before our wedding, and though I was afraid it was going to be awkward, Shelley made us feel comfortable and confident. She caught so much joy on our wedding day and so many special and fleeting moments. I love to look back at our sunset couple’s photos and how much fun we are having. They capture us perfectly, and Shelley had a unique way of making us feel like we could just be ourselves and not worry about them being there taking photos. These are truly moments and images that we will treasure forever.
Michelle Elyse Photography's reply:
It is music to my ears to know that you re-live all the fun you were having and feeling 100% as yourselves as you look back on your couples photos! Thank you so very much Molly for your sweet review!!!
Lindsey Married on 06/22/2019
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Best Photographer EVER
I cannot speak highly enough about Shelley. She was absolutely amazing. Firstly, she was so personable and kind. Even when I was running around like a crazy person before my wedding, she managed to keep everyone in the right places and get great shots. She took amazing photos of our guests and managed to get pictures of everyone there. Her photos of our wedding party and the locations she chose were amazing. She communicated well and sent us our photos in a timely manner. She had such a positive attitude and you can tell she truly loves her job.
Katelyn A. Married on 05/25/2019
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Amazing wedding photographer!!!!!!
We had the best experience with Shelley. She did both our engagement and wedding photos. They turned out incredible. She was flexible with our schedule, incredibly professional, and captured the best moments of our wedding and engagement. I would never hire anyone but Shelley in the future! She’s truly incredible.
Kerry Married on 05/18/2019
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Shelley has an impeccable eye for capturing moments in their purest form.
Shelley is an incredible photographer, and her work speaks for itself. What her photos can’t tell you is that Shelley is professional and kind. For our wedding, we really wanted to capture the candid moments, and Shelley did a perfect job of balancing our desire for true candids with the expertise to know we would want some posed photos. Shelley and her partner (we hired a second shooter) also worked tirelessly to capture hundreds of breathtaking photos in what felt like 100 degree, heavy, NC heat. Even when I was cranky - and there were a few of those moments given the heat - Shelley stayed upbeat, keeping our wedding party and family on task and moving through the photos.
I would recommend Shelley to anyone getting married, especially if you are getting married outdoors. She really has an eye for capturing moments in their most pure form. When I look back on photos from our wedding, I am continuously amazed by the genuine moments she was able to freeze into photos. Shelley’s photography is worth every penny and more, and we could not be more grateful to her for so beautifully capturing our big day. Thank you, Shelley!!!
Casey Married on 05/11/2019
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Gorgeous photos, great direction, professional and friendly
What drew me to Shelley were her outdoor shots in her portfolio (I mean, wow) coupled with her ability to capture the emotion of the day without photos being too staged. That’s a tough combo to find! It took us a long time to find the right venue (14th time is a charm!) and it was important to me that our photos would be able to capture it. Shelley was my #1 choice for photographer and I am so so happy she was available- I was SO nervous she’d already be booked. I know i made the right choice with her as a vendor because she overdelivered with minimal input from me. She gave me a recommendation for timelines based on sunset times/ typical weather patterns and also reassured me that we’d still be flexible. When it rained on our big day I wasn’t even upset because I knew she’d be able to work with it. She killed it with subpar/ changing weather and wasn't afraid to get a little rained on or dirty. Shelley is so easy to work with, responsive, and basically one of those people whose presence just puts you at ease. I froze up/ was anxious during an engagement shoot with a less experienced photographer which was obvious in the resulting photos. Because of that experience I really appreciated Shelley’s gentle direction and tweaks she’d make and prompts she gave us for more natural photos. She’s got an inherently laid-back confidence about herself and is someone who you meet and immediately feel like you’re old friends. I can’t say enough about how happy I am with the choice to have Shelley as a vendor!!
Nate W. Married on 12/22/2018
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Top class from start to finish!
Shelley was an incredible professional every step of the way! She was transparent and thorough in the hiring stage, including helping us to really visualize and decide on what sorts of shots we wanted for the wedding. She maintained excellent communication leading up to the wedding, including being extremely gracious and flexible with our really strange and hectic wedding plans. She fit in excellently with our wedding party day-of, striking the perfect balance of discreet professionalism and sincere enthusiasm! Oh, and, of course, she delivered a fantastic set of photos, ensuring that we will always have excellent reminders of that special day. Her gallery speaks for itself in this regard. Highly recommended on all counts!
Samantha K. Married on 11/03/2018
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P e r f e c t
I can't speak highly enough about Shelley! After chatting with Shelley once, I knew I needed her photographing our wedding weekend. Shelley is kind, caring, thoughtful and unbelievably talented. Shelley came all the way from North Carolina to New York to photograph our wedding. She is reasonably priced and worth every penny and more. Our wedding day was extremely chaotic and Shelley was the calming force behind it all + we have the most incredible, stunning and in the moment wedding photos I couldn't have ever dreamed of. Our wedding was less than four months ago and we already have our photo album ordered through Shelley. She created the most amazing curation that represented our experience in the best way possible and so fast! I HIGHLY recommend Shelley for anyone, anywhere and any occasion!!!
Ruthanne Married on 09/22/2018
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Shelley was wonderful! She put us totally at ease and was super flexible with scheduling our engagement and wedding weekend photo shoots. She is exceptionally talented and friendly and we would highly recommend her!
Ray Married on 04/14/2018
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Working with Shelley felt like working with a close friend, if that close friend was an incredibly talented and competent photographer. My wife discovered her through a friend’s photos and thereafter kept going back to her portfolio - even before the wedding we couldn’t imagine the day through anyone else’s lens (or eye!). Her wedding photos are both expansive in the magnificence of the natural scenes she selects as well as intimate in the quiet emotions she is able to capture. Her style in editing is subtle - she does not overwhelm you by oversaturating everything in happy pastels; rather, her finished products draw the viewer into the details of the portrait through the skillful use of a slight grayscale, and make the richness of the colors all the more apparent through her use of contrast. Shelley is uncannily skillful at catching the best light and her subjects within it. She somehow manages to snap poignant little moments while everyone in the wedding is running around - she is a great observer. We also were impressed by the dedication and creativity with which she approached location scouting… she definitely won’t just park your wedding party in front of the nearest acceptable looking background! The images that we got and the fun we had getting them were all because of Shelley’s adventurous spirit and ability to put people at ease. Her communication in leading up to the event was detail oriented and especially helpful in terms of planning our timeline; it was clear that she is incredibly experienced. She was excellent at crowd management of a large wedding party, and was able to efficiently use dedicated portrait time by giving clear instructions and prompting spontaneous looking arrangements. We also highly recommend adding an additional session, whether as an engagement shoot or a day-after shoot. It is such a privilege to have her work to look back on for years to come!
Jill Married on 08/16/2017
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Hartman Outdoor Photography was the best decision my husband and I made! Shelley is beyond accommodating, flexible, professional, warm, and prompt. There is not a single photo that my husband and I are not in love with; every photo more beautiful than the next. We can not be more pleased with the quality of Shelley's work - we relive our wedding day each time we look at the pictures. Thank you Shelley - we look forward to working with you in the future!
