Michael & Carina Photography Reviews
Reviews
4.7 out of 5 rating
4.7 out of 5 rating
53 Reviews
94% recommend it
Awards
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![Andrea]()
Andrea F. 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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![Kalina]()
Kalina E. 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! -
![Caroline]()
Caroline S. 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!! -
![Hailey]()
Hailey F. 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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![Jessica]()
Jessica P. 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.Michael & Carina Photography's reply:
Hi Jessica, I have no words for how honored my team and I are by your feedback. Thank you a million times for inviting us to document your event! Wishing you all the best as your love grows over the coming years -
![Kirsten]()
Kirsten O. 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 H. 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!Michael & Carina Photography's reply:
Claire, Tommy, we can't put into words just how much your review means to us.
Thank you. It was such a joy to document such a special day in your lives!
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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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User2708081 Sent on 08/01/2016Michael and Carina were such a dream to work with! Photography was incredibly important to my husband and I, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Michael and Carina are genuinely kind and thoughtful, and they made us feel like much more than just another client. From the very beginning Michael and Carina were always available to talk, and toward the end they sent us things like questionnaires and sample timelines to help us get prepared. They are very professional and very attentive to details. My husband and I can be goofy and awkward, yet Michael and Carina were able to make us feel incredibly comfortable and natural in our engagement session. They gave direction to make beautiful shots, but they also captured so many naturally beautiful moments. We also had a lot of fun, which made us even more excited for our wedding day. Our photos were absolutely stunning, romantic, and timeless! They captured our day perfectly, and we received our photos in less than a month – which was quicker than many of our friends who had digital photographers! There is nothing better than having your love and wedding captured by a husband and wife team living their own beautiful love story! My husband and I absolutely love our photos, and I cannot stop looking through them! -
User2664564 Sent on 06/28/2016Michael and Carina were seriously the highlight of our engagement and wedding! My husband and I loved working with them - they are kind, flexible, professional, effective, and have the most stunning taste. Our photos were always delivered early, and were exceptionally beautiful. Michael and Carina are able to masterfully balance giving direction and capturing natural moments. They really focus on taking high-quality shots that are sweet, timeless, and emotional. Everyone recommended investing in photography, and we are so deeply thankful to have had Michael and Carina record our big day with such style, elegance, and grace. Thank you so so much, we will cherish these photos forever!
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