Carmen May Photography

YOU CAN END YOUR SEARCH HERE. Convinced the perfect photographer doesn't exist? Carmen May Photography certainly was the one for us, delivering natural and dreamy photos alongside timeless video. Carmen & Chad helped me pull off my dream proposal followed by a fall engagement shoot. I realized Carmen's clients follow her through engagements, weddings, maternity, newborn and baby plans, even when they live a few states away. What inspires such fierce loyalty? THE PHOTOS: The moment I saw our photos, I went, "yes, this is perfect -- this is why I hired Carmen." I loved the composition. Her years of experience really shone through, with her eye for the shot elevating it to another level and creating that MAGICAL quality. People thought our candid photos were posed, it was that good! We got countless compliments, and a line of friends wanting to book her too. THE VIDEOS: Watching Chad's video brought us back to the moment. You know it's gold when you feel the emotion swelling within you! Chad has a knack for getting the right shots synchronized perfectly with music to tell your story — our video gets better every time we watch it. We had highlight & full-length videos. FLEXIBILITY. Carmen helps you to realize YOUR dream. Whether you want guidance at every step, or have a specific vision you're trying to realize. My proposal was complicated — I wanted to sing in a quiet, pretty place with good lighting and acoustics (unusual request!). Carmen patiently noted and remembered every detail. She found the perfect location with more than I asked for (a small pond, trees, bridges). Her knowledge of the mountains is astounding. ADAPTABLE. Carmen & Chad met me for a planning call and in person the day prior. On the day itself, a severe thunderstorm materialized out of nowhere. Thankfully, they moved the proposal up by a few hours. 5 minutes before the proposal, a maintenance truck drove to our exact spot, but they managed to wave the truck off just in time. They did this without tipping my fiancée off, while hiding in plain sight. My fiancée and I couldn't have been more pleased with how the proposal went. FULL-SERVICE. Besides planning, Carmen advised on outfits. She has Pinterest boards to give you inspiration for each season (and even provides clothes for mums!). She has vendors to suggest if needed. For our fall shoot, we followed them around as they brought us to beautiful fall spots off the beaten track, feeling like VIPs. If you want albums, the quality of the sample album we saw was unparalleled. VALUE. Ultimately, you're paying for their artistry in capturing your life moments – pictures you'll want to hang up on your wall and videos you'll want to watch over and over again. They delivered a home run on that front: Carmen & Chad were worth every penny and more. VIBES. Carmen & Chad are absolute gems as people, husband & wife, and parents. I believe that helps them capture others' stories of love, because they *get* it. Finding seasoned people in this industry who retain a sense of wonder is a rarity. They genuinely share in your joy. Communication was easy, with Carmen always quick to reply. I came looking for professionals, and I found them – but we also came away with friends. The only "downside" of choosing them? We're now spoilt for life - they raise the bar for photographers so high! (P.S. I am happy to talk about my experience; ask Carmen to connect you. This review was not solicited nor paid for. I'm just a happy client.)

Carmen is a phenomenal photographer! To start, she traveled all the way to Virginia to take our engagement photos in a place that was meaningful to us. As we continued planning our wedding, we were frequently in contact with each other to plan the details of the wedding day. She helped us make our timeline for the day and answered all of the questions I had. On the wedding day, she was very professional and a calming presence. She helped us with poses and kept everything running smoothly. After the wedding, we received our photos in a timely manner, and we were blown away by how beautiful they were! There was a perfect mix of posed and candid photos. She captured every special detail from our day. I also need to mention how awesome it is to have a husband and wife photographer team for your wedding! Chad created the most amazing highlight video for us. I’m so thankful we have video to look back on. Overall, I would highly recommend Carmen for your wedding photography. She is not only incredibly talented, but also a very kind and thoughtful person. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again in the future.