Michael & Carina Photography Reviews
Reviews
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![Andrea]()
Andrea Sent on 12/15/2022Best decision we made!!
Hiring Michael was the hands-down best decision we made for our wedding. Our photos are beyond anything we could have ever imagined - they are compositionally beautiful, stylistically editorial, natural, and emotive. Michael and his team were somehow able to shoot the most romantic portraits of me and my husband, while also capturing the fun, upbeat vibe of our reception. He can truly do it all. We feel so lucky that the memories from our day were captured by someone as talented of an artist as Michael.
We were initially drawn to Michael's style, the warm and editorial look of his real film photography being a rarity in today's digital world. After an initial consultation call in which he sought to truly understand our story and relationship, he accommodated our request to travel to Baltimore for our engagement shoot during the height of the Fall 2021 wedding season. When we were running a bit late to our engagement shoot, Michael began to shoot our venue and scoped out good spots for portraits. Despite his packed schedule, he worked with us throughout the months leading up to our wedding to determine a perfect timeline that would capture all the moments we hoped for. On the day of our wedding, he showed up with his team purposefully early just to be able to shoot our details and flat lays without feeling rushed. Throughout the day Michael was a true professional - he brought an incredibly calm presence to the process and was efficient in making sure we got all of our requested portraits and family portraits, despite having to travel to different venues to do so. He knew exactly how to pose us to make our photos look natural while keeping us comfortable. Though he had never shot at our wedding venue before, he immediately identified the most beautiful backdrops. Michael also was extremely respectful of our religious traditions and did an exceptional job capturing them throughout our day. Throughout the entirety of our wedding, he was present but exceptionally non-intrusive, staying until the very end of our reception. This and more is what led him to take the most stunning photos of our wedding from start to finish. We know we're biased, but we truly think they are the most beautiful wedding photos we've ever seen. We couldn't be happier.
Michael had an extremely difficult year in 2022, which he was always communicative about. Well in advance of our wedding day, he was upfront about the fact that his previous business partner would be unable to attend our wedding and made all the arrangements for an alternate second shooter so we had no worries going into the day of our wedding. Following the wedding he kept in close contact with us, sending us previews, and letting us know when we could expect our photos. Life happens, and we appreciated the candor with which Michael approached this difficult time for him. None of this had any influence on his ability to beautifully capture our day, and if anything led us to appreciate him and how hard he works even more than before.
We'd recommend Michael to anyone a million times over! Thank you for everything ❤️ -
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![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 05/09/2022Heirloom worthy wedding photos
We could not have been more blown away by Michael and Carina. From the moment I first saw their work, I fell in love with their beautiful and timeless film photography. I knew I wanted our wedding captured on real film and no one else out there compares to their level of artistry in this medium. I just had to have Michael and Carina photograph my wedding. On our wedding day they captured all of our special moments with such detail and care and it became so evident that these two are absolute pros in the field. They worked so seamlessly as a team and were truly the anchors of our whole day. Even our whole bridal party was blown away by how good they were and so many of them went out of their way to tell my now husband and I how impressed they were. When our album arrived I was so nervous about how I would look because I wasn't feeling great about my wedding make up day-of, but as soon as I opened the album I was overflowing with joy! I couldn't stop smiling, nor could I peel myself away from looking at every single gorgeous photo! Michael and Carina are true artists. They have such an incredible talent in capturing beautiful moments, details, and people in such a stunning yet natural way. My husband and I are so overjoyed that we have our wedding captured on beautiful film which will become heirlooms we can keep and cherish forever. We are ever grateful to Michael and Carina who went above and beyond and produced the absolute dreamiest film photos of our wedding day. -
![Kalina]()
Kalina Sent on 11/15/2021Incredible photographers - worth it!
Michael and Carina are truly incredible at what they do. We immediately fell in love with their photos and they were so responsive to all of our questions before we made our decision. They were able to maximize our time for photos during our wedding, as we decided not to do a first look, but they still were able to capture everything we wanted while letting us enjoy our day. Their professionalism and artistry was truly magical! -
![Hailey]()
Hailey Sent on 10/10/2021Timeless and personal film photography!
My now husband and I had originally picked a different wedding photographer for our August wedding (we didn't know about Michael and Carina at the time), and after being unhappy with our engagement photos we did some digging to find a photographer that better suited us. Do you know how people say everything happens for a reason? Us finding Michael and Carina is the perfect example of that.
We decided to do a second round of engagement photos, this time with Michael and Carina, so we could get to know them prior to our wedding, and we were blown away. First of all, their chemistry together is insane and they way they directed us was so helpful. The photos were stunning and captured us so well, and got us very excited to have them capture our wedding weekend. My husband is Indian so we had a three day event: a Hawaiian-themed rehearsal dinner/Pitti celebration on Friday, a Jewish wedding on Saturday, and an Indian wedding on Sunday. Needless to say there was a lot for M&C to capture!
Prior to our wedding weekend we had a call with them to walk through the timeline, all the special details that we wanted captured, and to discuss important shots. It meant a lot that they spent so much time preparing and gave me one less thing to stress about.
On the actual wedding weekend I was so so happy with how awesome M&C were (not that I expected anything less). Carina made me feel SO beautiful the entire time and always was there to touch up my lip gloss, fix my hair, etc. She's an actual angel and is just as beautiful inside as she is out. Michael was so calm cool and collected which in turn made me feel calm during a packed three days of weddings. He was so complimentary of the events which made us so proud of what we put together.
Their photo turnaround was so fast and we couldn't be happier with what they captured. I really think film photography is worth every penny as it's so timeless, and I can't wait to frame these all over our house. Our gallery is the perfect mix of candid moments and magazine-worthy shots and our family and friends are swooning over them. I truly was sad to say goodbye to M&C at the end of our wedding weekend, and hope we have future moments they can capture for us! -
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![Caroline]()
Caroline Sent on 09/30/2021The Absolute Best Around - Of All Time!!
We hired Michael & Carina for our August 2021 wedding in Lexington, VA. We knew from the instant that we spoke with the two of them on the phone when we were inquiring with several photographers that Michael & Carina were special and they were the ones we wanted to work with. We absolutely loved working with the two of them. They are such a fun, unique, and truly dynamic duo. They both are so good at their craft but they have their own photography style so when coupled together the photos are just breathtaking. They are SO FUN to work with and they really feed off of each other. They are super interesting, have great stories, but are also really interested in getting to know their clients. They were super flexible and helpful and accomodating. I mean, they go above and beyond for their clients. When they are shooting, they are IN THE ZONE and they are simultaneously getting amazing photos, running a marathon, doing parkour, carrying 50 lbs. of equipment, and making you feel like the most important, beautiful person/couple in the world. They are seriously impressive. We first shot with them for our engagement photos in May and we just had so much fun with them we were instantly put at ease and we were so excited to see them again on our wedding day. They brought an assistant to help them on the day of our wedding who was really friendly and helpful. (Side Note: you spend equal or more time with your photographer and videographer than you do with anyone else on your wedding day so it is SUPER important that you like them and feel 100% comfortable with them!). Michael & Carina both have a good sense of humor and made things fun and light-hearted and were great "hype men" to make us feel extra good about ourselves! I really just cannot say enough amazing things about these two humans. Our wedding party and families also really liked working with them and have said a million times over how amazing they were to work with and how excited everyone is to see the photos. We highly recommend Michael & Carina!! -
![Kirsten]()
Kirsten Sent on 07/04/2019Michael and Carina are the ultimate dream team!
Michael and Carina were an absolute dream to work with for my wedding! I hired them for my engagement shoot, boudoir, and wedding - and for each event they were incredible. The pictures we've received thus far are absolutely magical. They are so talented and I am so grateful to have their pictures to last forever.
The two of them working as a team is truly inspiring. From the beginning, they made an effort to get to know us as a couple and were determined to photograph us to showcase our relationship in the best way possible. For our wedding day, our wedding portraits and wedding party pictures were at 2pm on June 28- so it was very hot. Michael and Carina did everything they possibly could to make us feel comfortable and relaxed. They were never phased by the heat and managed my large wedding party with ease. They were extremely professional throughout the entire event. My favorite part about having them as our photographer, was the way they encouraged and built confidence in us. They are so complimentary and encouraging throughout pictures- even my bridal party referred to them as 'the ultimate hype team' to have them cheering us on throughout pictures. I appreciate the amazing pictures they take, but I appreciate the way they treated us even more. I would recommend Michael & Carina for ANY photos you need 10/10 times!! -
![Cat]()
Cat Sent on 12/15/2018Absolute Artists!
Michael and Carina are not only some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, they take their craft seriously and are extremely professional. In addition to the digital medium, they also use 35mm film to capture the warm quality "old school" film brings to a photograph. They are artists. Considering that photographs are what remain long after the wedding ends, it's important to have someone who knows what they are doing and does it extremely well. I am not a fan of getting my photo taken, but they made it painless! They are a true class act! If Michael and Carina are available on the day of your wedding, HIRE THEM!!! You will be happy you did! -
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![Claire]()
Claire Sent on 11/14/2018Wedding Photography Dream TEAM!!!
I am so lucky I got to have Michael and Carina photograph our dream wedding. They went above and beyond starting with the initial emailing, sending a gorgeous gift package, and just were on top of communication and listening to exactly what we wanted. On the day of they made it super comfortable for us to be ourselves and the outcome as incredible. We are so happy with our photos that we can look back on forever thanks to these two!!! We are forever grateful! -
Kate Sent on 06/06/2018There are no words to describe what a phenomenal job M&C did for our wedding, but I am going to try. From the very beginning, they made us feel so comfortable in front of their cameras. Their photos are elegant and timeless. They take natural light and turn it into magic! We loved that they use only film and don't shoot with digital photography. They were such a pleasure to work with. Stop reading this review and book them right now!!
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![Lexi]()
Lexi Sent on 11/12/2015Michael & Carina were amazing. We FaceTimed since we were too far away for in person meetings, they listened to our story and what we wanted and made us feel like they got it. Unlike other photographers we met with, they were ontop of everything -having forms and examples and calling on time. If anything, they were more ontop of the details then we were! They even helped me create our day of itinerary. They came early, brought props just in case (linen to lay things on, a super beautiful hanger since I managed to forget one and had my dress on a cheapo plastic one, etc) and were so very nice to have around. Our family and friends loved them, and Im fairly certain our 4 year old son has a huge crush on Ms Carina as he was following her around with flowers the entire day. They captured so many moments I had missed and some I thought nobody had gotten (my son embracing me out of nowhere in a brief moment of downtime, him swinging on a wooden swing or petting the venue's resident housecat, etc!) There are simply no pictures I do not like. My only complaint is that we're having a ridiculously hard time trying to pick pictures for our album since we love every single one. Ive been told this is very unusual and most of my married bridesmaids said they are jealous and did not love their pictures nearly as much as they love ours. Some of the images captured could really be ads in a magazine or posters, they are that gorgeous. They also shot 99% of the wedding on FILM! Yes, FILM, like the roll up kind you have to develop, which makes it all the more amazing that they came back with so many beautiful images. We would highly recommend Michael & Carina (and their lovely assistant Isabel) for their professionalism, warmth, quick turnaround and final product. We will enjoy these images for the rest of our lives, and really feel that they captured the love, fun and excitement of our day perfectly down to every single detail. -
![Kelly]()
Kelly Sent on 10/20/2015Michael and Carina are not only talented but genuinely wonderful people. It was an absolute pleasure working with them and we were honored to have them capture our wedding day. We knew, no matter what happened on our day, they would tell the best version of our story and we would have beautiful photography to look back on for the rest of our lives. They delivered that and so much more. From the very beginning, Michael and Carina were incredibly kind and made us feel instantly comfortable at our engagement shoot. It was relaxing for Gary and I because, they are very professional and, take the time to map out the day, and collaborated with us to make sure we got exactly what we were looking for. When it came time for our wedding day, they didn't waste a moment getting right to work, thinking through every detail possible to shoot (which is challenging especially on film). I could not believe how many photos they shared with us from our wedding day and how every single photo was beautiful and captivating. We cannot recommend working with them enough. Michael and Carina are true artists and they have an amazing ability to capture each unique love story they shoot. They went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and comfortable. We are so grateful to have met them and love having their beautiful work to look back on to remember our wedding day. -
![Dave and Brenna]()
Brenna Sent on 07/17/2015I cannot even begin to describe the joy of our experience with Michael and Carina. From the beginning, when we had our first meeting, they were so kind and warm and friendly. My husband and I met with sixteen wedding photographers before meeting with them, and no one made us feel as excited about photography as they did. We were set on hiring a film photographer, so imagine our excitement when we found two(!) Considering the fact that we would spend more time with our photographers than with anyone else on our wedding day, we wanted to be sure that we liked whoever would be capturing this huge event in our lives. These two are a delight to work with. My husband hates having his photo taken, and even he enjoyed both our engagement and our wedding day photo sessions; they created such a fun, comfortable environment that it really just felt like we were hanging out with friends. They give easy-to-follow direction, are punctual, incredibly detailed and organized (pre-wedding questionnaire covering all necessary details), respect wedding guests and are unobtrusive (although our friends and family loved them, so they could have jumped in anywhere). We conducted meetings via Skype, since we live too far for in-person meetings, and they were always very flexible with our schedules. All of these things would have made our choice a good one, but then their work is just absolutely incredible. Unspeakably stunning. I have received literally hundreds of compliments on our engagement and wedding photos, and we just couldn't be happier with our decision to work with these two. There is no one else I would have wanted to capture the happiest day in our lives. -
![sassycleo]()
Alicia Sent on 10/17/2013have spent the last two years planning my wedding. I came across Michael and Carina through an ad they had placed online. They were brand new to the area and I was hoping I wasn't making a mistake in contracting them to do our engagement session and wedding photos.
I am so glad that I went with my gut on this and chose them!! Looking back I could not even imagine having anyone else capture our day! They are completely flexible - we had to reschedule our e-session several times due to the weather. My make up artist was horrible and because of their talent we ended up with beautiful pictures. I can't say the outcome would have been the same had we had had a different photographer!
We ran into many bumps and road blocks in planning our wedding and I have to say both Michael and Carina were both very supportive along the way. Finally when we thought all was going to go as planned there was an accident and we had to basically cancel everything! Our wedding of suddenly became everything I didn't want. There were even MAJOR issues on the day of our wedding but I am so grateful to Michael and Carina both as they not only provided our photography but they provided the support I needed to make it through the day with my sanity intact.
I knew the pictures would be pretty good because of the talent these two possess, but with out the normal wedding festivities and decorations I wasn't really sure what we were going to end up with. I have to honestly from my heart say that I was blown away - I cried when I viewed our pictures. We had so much go wrong on that day that it is hard to think back and remember the good. Our photographs have given us those special memories, and for that I can't thank Michael and Carina enough!
Plain and simple - you would be crazy to book with anyone else. I am not a religious person - but I thank God for being given the opportunity of having the two of you in our lives and with us on our special day! -
![Alexa]()
Alexa Sent on 06/29/2023Terrible awful
DO NOT USE HIM FOR YOUR WEDDING HE IS TERRIBLE!!!!! I WISH I COULD LEAVE 0 STARS.
HE IS UNRESPONSIVE AND HAS FAILED TO PRODUCE OUR WEDDING ALBUM. IT IS EXCUSE AFTER EXCUSE BROKEN PROMISE AFTER BROKEN PROMISE.
HE IS A THIEF!!!!! CARINA IS JUST AS MUCH TO BLAME AS HER NAME IS ON THE CONTRACT.
HE HAS STOLEN OUR MONEY AND EVEN AFTER FILING A LAW SUIT AGAINST HIM AND CARINA, HE IS UNRESPONSIVE.
HE IS A THIEF AND THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL PERSON I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED, HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE WAY HE TREATS PEOPLE.
I FEEL TERRIBLE FOR THE BRIDES WHO HAVE HIRED HIM FOR HIS WEDDING WHO HAVE NOT EVEN RECEIVED THEIR PHOTOS OR FOR THE WEDDINGS HE NO-SHOWED. WE CAN NOT LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS. HE IS A THIEF AND A LIAR. -
![Francia]()
Francia Sent on 06/22/2023Do *NOT* hire for your wedding.
TL;DR: Michael did not show up to our wedding on 4/28 after being difficult to reach the week beforehand. He also did not provide a replacement photographer. After the wedding, he refused to refund us the full amount we paid. We ultimately disputed the credit charge and got our money back. 2 months later (to this day), we have not heard from him. Save your time, money, and emotional energy and pick literally anyone else to photograph your wedding.
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The longer backstory: Wedding horror stories happen but I never thought I would be writing one myself. We hired a magnificent and very reputable group of wedding vendors (Michael included, or so we thought). In the last few weeks leading up to the wedding, neither my wedding planner nor I were able to reach Michael through texts/calls/email. 2 days before the wedding, he finally picked up the phone after multiple attempts to reach him and nonchalantly said that he would “be there.” We were all feeling on edge, rightfully so. On the day of the wedding, Michael was supposed to arrive at 12:30 PM and begin shooting at 1:30 PM. By 2:30 PM, he still had not arrived, claiming he was “on the way” from Richmond, despite saying that he had left at 6 AM. He ultimately never showed up to the venue, telling our wedding planner that he was not fit to do so. He never even *offered* to find us a replacement, and did not offer us any apology after leaving us without a photographer several hours into the wedding day. 4 Days later, he left us a voicemail with a series of excuses that were verified as lies from our wedding planner, who was in direct contact with him on the wedding day. He refused to refund us the full amount of our wedding package (~$6k), a direct violation of our signed contract. We resorted to disputing the charges through our credit card company. To this day, almost 2 months later, we have not heard a single word from Michael.
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Luckily, our fantastic wedding planner reached out to her own professional network and was able to find us the most professional, kind, efficient, and talented replacement photographer who has already delivered on so many levels that Michael could not have. We still managed to have our perfect day in spite of the immense hurt, significantly delayed timeline, betrayal of trust, and emotional distress Michael’s absence left on our wedding day. We were patient and sympathetic to many things that happened in Michael’s life leading up to the wedding, but he should have told us that he was unable to deliver at our wedding before it actually occurred. We cannot in good faith recommend this vendor to anyone.
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