chris van winkle photography

th them, our family and friends who were in attendance had many compliments. They were so much fun and easy going that it made for natural photos filled with life, love, and genuine happiness. Book Chris VanWinkle, if you have ever trusted and relied on a review.... let it be this one. You will not regret it, that I can promise!

o feel more beautiful in the photos he took. He truly captured our personalities and happiness on our wedding day. Highly recommend!

back within 3 weeks!!!!!!!! Even after the wedding, he has been extremely accommodating promptly responding to all the annoying questions I have had for him. I have no regrets and would recommend him to any one! If you are having your wedding at Castle Farms, he knows the property like the back of his hand and will get you AMAZING pictures! Thanks Chris!

was quick to reply and answered all of our questions; and because he is based in Charlevoix, he had lots of suggestions for other vendors for our wedding. When we booked our engagement photo session with Chris, he immediately suggested a ton of great locations near where we were staying. Chris was so helpful in every step of the process. We had so much fun doing our engagement photos with him. He works fast but in the most efficient way possible. He took our pictures on Sunday afternoon. By Monday morning, Chris sent us all of the photos! In planning a wedding, I am shocked by how long it takes some vendors to reply to e-mails. You never have to worry about this with Chris. He replies right away! Often within minutes. We are so excited to be using Chris as our photographer for our wedding next year! I feel like there is a load of stress taken off my plate because I know that with Chris Van Winkle, we will be in good hands! Thank you Chris!

y were absolutely beautiful. Thanks Chris!

e was absolutely perfect!

us. He made planning a Northern Michigan wedding from across the country seem like it was no big deal. Chris was always prompt at answering questions even with a 3hr. time difference. Chris and LeAnn were amazing the day of our wedding. You knew they were around, but it didn't feel like they were, which is what we wanted. Our pictures turned out perfect, and we'd HIGHLY recommend Chris to anyone! He provided us our slideshow with music of our choice, website and flashdrive - as written in the contract. Just book with Chris - you won't be disappointed!!

ay of Chris came right in and was super personable and relate-able. Made me feel very comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera. Unfortunately I didnt have the greatest of venue coordinators but thankfully I had Chris. When they werent helping to make my day run smoothly Chris stepped in and made everything PERFECT! I highly recommend if you want someone who is going to go above and beyond for you and your day and also take INCREDIBLE photos go with Chris Van Winkle! He not only did an amazing job at our wedding but the next day did a trash the dress video shoot with a drone that we will cherish forever!! ALL HIS IDEA!! My husband and I enjoyed him so much we talk about meeting up with him next time we are in Northern Michigan! You will not be let down if you choose him as your photographer!

. He is laid back and a total surfer dude, but incredibly professional. The day of our wedding Chris also was gracious enough to drop his assistant at our cottage to ride over in our boat across lake charlevoix to our venue. Everyone felt so comfortable the whole day. We LOVE our pictures. They came out perfect. And Chris was able to send them to us within a few weeks. We would deffintly work with Chris again for future shoots

me to choose a photographer that knew my venue well to make the most of our time together as well as deliver a quality end product. Chris offered guidance as to how best to facilitate our evening to spend the most time with our guests as well as get great shots. He blended right in with us and our guests and made everyone feel comfortable. This friendly confident style made a positive impact on all of us. I have received so many positive comments on Chris from our guests. Chris delivers a quality portfolio without arrogance. He provides a service and treats you with respect and importance. If you are looking for a partner who will make your wedding day easy and worry free, Chris Van Winkle is a wonderful choice. Thank you Chris!

hris made everything work and made a dreary rainy day turn into some of the best pictures that we absolutely love. He was so easy to work with, extremely efficient, incredibly nice and his talent really shows through on every picture. Flash forward to our wedding this July at the Shanahan Barn in Charlevoix, MI and Chris and his team captured every single aspect. Even our guests were talking about how amazing and talented they were. From our first look near lake Michigan, to a beautiful ceremony, family photos and awesome candids of our guests. We honestly could not be happier. We have so many amazing photos to choose from we will never be able to decide which ones to print.

he planning process and we had our photos just two weeks after the wedding. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding photographer.

menal job of capturing our wedding day! Memories to last a lifetime.

!!

rior to our June wedding. This honestly was one of the best decisions we made during the planning process and would highly recommend it. This allowed us to get to know Chris and better understand the process of our day from his perspective. This also gave us an opportunity to explain what we were looking for. Chris is a great listener, very creative and efficient. He was able to capture us in a number of amazing locations in a short period of time. Leading up to our day he was super responsive to all of our emails and questions. On our wedding day he was a calm voice during the craziness. We'd bring something to his attention and his response was always "Don't worry. I got it". Those are amazing words to hear on your wedding day. What really sets Chris apart is his ability to capture the emotion of the day. We could not be happier with our photos and our experience with Chris. He's good people and we HIGHLY recommend him.

o I knew I would need someone that was able to capture our moments without too much direction or he would check out. Chris was it! He would check in as we got closer to the big date and made paying for extra hours super easy. Fast forward to the Big Day. What an amazing person and photographer he is!! Due to the commonality of wedding glitches ours had some too- however Chris rolled with the punches and made it memorable. "Let's do a 'where's the rings at' photo because someday you'll laugh at this!" And now that is one of my favorite shots. I felt like I had known Chris for my whole life because of his general awareness and ability to make each moment special. The photographer on your wedding day is the person you spend the most time with outside of your new spouse and he definitely was a great choice for us. My sister and parents made a comment that it was like a news press conference and Dan and I were the speakers. So many wonderful photographs from multiple locations to choose from now that our day is over. My favorite is from our first look and it was us standing on the beach at Lake Michigan next to a grouping of birch trees and Dan and I are looking at one another- you can see the excitement, jitters and the years of love all in that one shot. Thank you Chris!! And you as a newly engaged couple, if you're getting married in Northern Michigan, stop your research now and contact this guy!! With a hug and a large amount of gratitude, thank you Chris! -The Farleys

r themselves! Chris and LeAnn captured perfect moments of our entire wedding day ! We love our first look photos, special moments of the ceremony and day, great family pictures, and candids of our guests. Chris is wonderful to work with and we highly recommend him. He kept everyone calm and comfortable on what could be a stressful day, helped us have fun and capture the best memories. Thank you!

l shots and take fun shots at a local brewery and as we walked to our reception. My mom is a huge critic of photographs and has ripped siblings' wedding photos to shred to so I was worried when I sent her the link to our album. I loved the photos but there's no pleasing mom. Turns out, she called and raved about them. If you want outstanding photos with a laid back and fun (yet still incredibly professional) photography team, Chris and LeAnn are no brainers. Bonus: Chris got our wedding photos back to us early!

ions by getting all of them back to us not even a week and a half after the wedding! He was able to capture every special moment, and got amazing candid photos of practically every single person, couple, and group in attendance! We were blown away by the number and quality of close up, memorable, candid shots he got throughout the entire day. Most photographers might throw out all of those silly pictures, but Chris and LeAnn were able to beautiful capture every silly, fun, and sometimes embarrassing moment and those turned out to be everyone’s favorite pictures. Chris and LeAnn are amazing to work with. They seemed to be everywhere they needed to be but went seemingly unnoticed. They made the entire day effortlessly seamless. We never felt obstructed by them - where some photographers may interrupt to pose you, or stop you and make you reenact something so they could get a better shot - in fact it was the opposite. Chris and LeAnn were able to capture every beautiful moment and then some, at times without us even knowing they were there! They were a huge help in getting us where we needed to be on schedule and were such a joy to have around on our wedding day. Through their experience they were also very helpful at guiding us through all aspects of the day. They also know some pretty great spots around town for pictures. I would 100% recommend Chris as your wedding photographer!

lly was priced well for what we needed. Thanks for the great work Chris

about Chris and his work!

r wedding photos and we appreciate the variety of both candid and formal photos. Thanks Chris and LeAnn for capturing our day so perfectly!

in the Woods in Indian River and Perry Hotel in Petoskey. He captured perfectly the church and it’s natural surroundings. He knew all the great spots around the town!! All the photos came out Beautifully!, And everyone enjoyed our photo slideshow which was very elegant, creative and well-done! Chris is very easy to work with, nice person. He is very professional, responded very promptly to all the emails, very helpful with suggestions and the entire planning process…. He made things less stressful. I felt very confident with Chris. I highly recommend Chris and his team!

and was also very reasonably priced. Would certainly recommend his services!

ing how much FUN they are. The photographs they took were absolutely amazing and everyone was so impressed. Upon initial contact Chris was very responsive and helpful with any questions we had. He was able to build upon our ideas of what kind of pictures we would like taken. It was the perfect photographer for the perfect day. Highly recommended.

ots, and even facilitated a lot of fun on the day of the wedding.

hout the planning process. The day of the wedding, where do I began?!? Chris and LeAnn were professional, kind, creative, funny, intuitive and most of all...put all of us at ease. Dan and I never worried, never doubted. Chris and LeAnn were incredibly creative with our day, never over posed and just captured our day as it was...perfect. We had so much fun (soo much!) with the two of them that day, like they were one of our friends...yet always remained patient and professional. Our wedding was at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey and he knew of all the right places to go. Our pictures and slideshow were perfect. I can not recommend Chris VanWinkle Photography enough!!

so considerably laid back, which helped eased the inevitable tensions of the day, while they both also knew when to step up and guide our friends/family into photo-ready positions. I can't say enough about how unbelievably pleased we are with our pictures. I can honestly say there wasn't a bad one in the bunch! Plus, the photo slide-show that Chris made....literally brought me to tears. He did a fantastic job of capturing both the important moments and the casual moments that I might have forgotten otherwise. Chris' initial promptness in responding during our "feeling-out-process" of photographers was also an attribute that seemed rare to come by. His professionalism, creativity, cool demeanor, and overall charming personality are all qualities that have been commented on frequently by family/friends, after having watched him work on our big day. I am SO happy that we found him and I can say with confidence that, through his photos, he captured our beautiful fairy tale like no other photographer would have been able to. Chris is truly the best.

e not disappointed, and in fact, we are absolutely elated! One morning I awoke a bit "blah." When I discovered the wedding slideshow was ready (In addition to hundreds and hundreds of pics), my heart overflowed with joy - it totally made my day. I was amazed by the quality of and honesty in each photo. I have watched multiple times now; the pure joy Chris captured in the faces of both families is just outstanding. He gets the perfect shots - both posed and candid! There are lots of photos - it took me the better part of an hour just to scan them! I have a wall where we have framed pics of our 4 kids and their spouses. It is going to be very hard to choose this youngest daughter's perfect wedding pic because they are all wonderful. I would recommend Chris Van Winkle Photography for any type of memories you need to create. He and his assistant were easy going and fun to be around. They helped make this wedding even more memorable. As an aside, I dislike all pictures of me. I liked every single one he took, so that in itself is very unique. I can hardly wait until he starts photographing our grand-babies. :)

attitude made things nice and relaxed for us. Our pictures turned out so beautiful, we couldn't be any more pleased. Our special day was captured in the perfect way and the editing was wonderful. Chris and LeAnn captured every moment from getting ready all the way through the reception. I would highly recommend them!

us to be ourselves and it really showed in our photos. It was fun to work with him and we would recommend him to anyone that asked! Many of our wedding guests told us what a great guy he was throughout the day. He's quick to respond with any questions or concerns you may have, which is always nice during the wedding planning process. We have beautiful pictures of every little detail of our wedding. Some of which we didn't even get to see the day of our wedding because it flew by so fast! Mike and I are grateful for his patience and good sense of humor. We now have memories to look back on that will last us a lifetime! Thank you Chris!

l job they did. So friendly & professional . I HIGHLY encourage you to hire Chris Van Winkle Photography for your wedding ......thank you so very very much Chris & Leeann 😘

ove the way everything turned out! Chris is very professional, personable, and overall a great person to work with. His style was perfect for our wedding and I would highly suggest him!

d you will quickly see his style is unique yet classic and simple. I thought it was cool, in the midst of wedding day madness chris pulled us aside to drive us around the park and get some pics of just Jess and I. Those pics are the best of the day! And it was really nice to spend some time alone with my bride. Not only did chris and the team crush it on the photos but he put together and really sweet video / silideshow with a personal touch of letting us pick the tunes we wanted to go along with the video. We leaned on chris for his guidance and expertise when it came to the day of the wedding. He made things much easier for us on the day of the event which created a stress free environment for Jess and I. All and all we have nothing but good things to say about chris and his team. So holla at him today and get another thing crossed off wedding to do list

property with us as we dashed around trying to fight the wind and beat the rain. (And let me tell you...those pictures he took with the dramatic skies were beyond incredible...definitely from worthy.) As for during the ceremony...I didn't even know he was there, but he got it from every angle possible. And to top it off, he got the photos back to us super quick, only a couple of weeks after the wedding. We love our photos, and we loved working with Chris. He's definitely a winner! 🙂

ou!!

hough he was my photographer, he was also there to help guide me through some tough scheduling decisions. Something I appreciate about Chris Van Winkle photography is that Chris does not over-edit his photos. I often see wedding photos that have been so edited, it is hard to even see what the individuals in the photos actually look like. I wanted my photos to be natural, and that is what I received. Chris offered guidance while allowing me to direct how I wanted myself and my wedding party to pose. I felt that the two of us worked as a wonderful team, and because of that, there were not pictures that I had hoped to have done that were not done. In the end, Chris felt like an old friend or family member that I had known for a long time. He has this electric personality and makes everyone feel comfortable! If I did my wedding over, I would hire him in a heartbeat!

y could not be more happy, they turned out so beautiful and all of my family and friends keep commenting on how great they are! I would recommend Chris and LeAnn any day!

e knew where to be when and was able to take the lead when needed. We could not have asked for a better photographer or better wedding photos! Thank you so much Chris and LeAnn!!

r photography needs!

in touch and reached out to us throughout the year in regards to our wedding. He was so personable and very easy to get in touch with. The best decision we made in the wedding planning process was booking them to shoot our wedding photos. They captured our love so beautifully. Not only did my husband and I love the photos, but our family and friends commented on how amazing all our pictures were and how great Chris and LeAnn were. I would recommend them to anyone!!

o decide on our shot list. Chris and LeAnn did a phenomenal job capturing candid moments throughout our wedding day (exactly what I wanted!), and created such a comfortable environment for our family and friends during group shots. We were so impressed by the quick turn around and the quality of our outstanding photo album and slideshow. We have received countless compliments and photo requests from our guests. We truly couldn't be more happy with our experience!

ed all the family pictures as well! I would highly recommend Chris Van Winkle to any bride! Thank you for exceeding my dream of having breath taking pictures on the best day of my life!

passion about what they do. We were blown away by our engagement photos, and the ideas that Chris and LeAnn had with regards to setting, lighting, unique venues, etc. Chris stayed in touch without us throughout the year, and working together on our wedding day was working with more than a vendor. Chris and LeAnn truly value the service they provide, but also the experience their clients go through on their special day. If we wanted it, Chris and LeAnn made it happen. If Chris and LeAnn had an idea (and they did frequently thankfully!), they knew how to communicate those in a way that would make us feel like it was the best decision for what we wanted. Chris and LeAnn both spend a real amount of time getting to know their couples, their interests, and what they are looking for. We watch our slideshow so often it's embarrassing to admit, we just got our flash drive of pictures and are blown away, and we thank our lucky stars every day for what Chris and LeAnn did for us. While we really enjoy our posed and planned pictures, the amount of real and raw candid shots that they were able to get throughout our day are so beautiful to have and relive. Our family and friends have been reaching out to us non-stop raving about our pictures, especially friends who have been married recently and gone through this same experience. We recommend Chris Van Winkle photography for your special day, or any family event. We will have these special moments forever, and Chris and LeAnn deserve all of the credit for that. Thank you Chris and LeAnn!

ith our crazy family and friends with ease. We received SO many amazing photos back. He somehow captured everything from our day. It was so fun to look back and be able to live the whole day over again through our photos and video. We are so excited to cherish our wedding photos for the rest of our lives. Thanks, Chris!

l in the gaps - not true with this team. Literally, the photos place you in the moment. We could not be more appreciative of the talent, kindness, and professionalism. Welcome to our family Chris and LeAnn!

LeAnn, I realized we had nothing to worry! They made my husband feel at ease, and we had an absolute blast taking pictures! We just got the pictures back and are in love with them! The other point that I would like to stress is Chris' professionalism. As a bride planning a wedding from miles away, he made the process so easy. He was always prompt with his responses and available for any questions. Their work is stunning and we truly treasure our photographs. They were able to capture the day and all of its emotions so beautifully. Both my husband and I would recommend Chris Van Winkle Photography to anyone who truly wants to capture the most beautiful moments during their special day! Thanks again guys!

ailable to us sooner than we thought. Chris and LeAnn were so much fun to have around on our day, and they were still 100% professional. Not only did we love their presence; but a lot of our guests also felt comfortable with them. We received MANY compliments on the photographer. They are fun, upbeat, professional, and laid back....it made our day/night go so well. We still keep in touch with chris and look forward to seeing more of his work! Sheldon and I would recommend Chris Van Winkle Photography to anyone, and everyone!!! Thanks Chris and LeAnn for capturing our special moments on our special day

e feel super comfortable and as the ceremony began and my focus shifted to my groom I didn't even notice he was there. However he captured every single detail that I want to remember forever. I have received endless compliments on how amazing my pictures look and I owe that to Chris and his assistant. They were amazing! I will definitely be recommending him to my friends when they become brides.

e and we couldn't have asked for a better experience!

oth engagement and wedding) were back to us quicker than I've ever heard of from other couples. He also created a slideshow of wedding photos played to songs of our choice, which is such a great added touch. We would HIGHLY recommend Chris and LeAnn as photographers for ANY event you may need them for!

re responsive to our requests, while simultaneously making beautiful recommendations and guiding us throughout the day. We couldn't be more thrilled with our photos, and would wholeheartedly recommend Chris and LeAnn for any special occasion.

ll the shots I wanted. They were so easy to work with and made taking pictures fun and non stressful! We had so many compliments on how professional and fun they were from all our guests. When we got our pictures back they were amazing and turned out so perfect!

many complements about them. Our photos turned out beautiful! They captured our day perfectly and I'm blown away by the ones they captured of our guests, the details and scenery. My husband and I are so happy we picked Chris to be our photographer. From start to finish he was great, he went above and beyond to capture our day and nailed it! I cant say enough good things and I just love all our photographs they are all truly breathtaking!

f our wedding ceremony. Even though we have not received our photos yet I would recommend him to everyone!! Our engagement photos turned out wonderful! Chris took us to a lot of hidden gem places in charleviox. We are so happy we got to work with such a spectacular guy!!

ook natural - no fake smiles. Chris and Leann captured the mood of our wedding and we have received SO MANY compliments on the pictures. My husband and I can't decide which ones to frame because there are so many amazing shots to choose from (and I'm pretty picky!). Chris and Leann were also wonderful to work with throughout the process. If you are looking for a wedding photographer, look no further. They are truly amazing!

every capacity. Chris is an open communicator who will listen to your custom needs, and make sure that both you and he understand exactly what you're looking to capture on your special day. Simply put, Chris Van Winkle Photography is the company that you're looking for. We don't have a single regret with regard to any aspect of the quality of service Chris provided- He is prompt, courteous, professional, and delivers on (or before) the deadlines he provides. Go with Chris Van Winkle Photography and you'll have no regrets- Promise!

os that we requested, and he was always very responsive. We had an engagement shoot with Chris as well, which was a great opportunity for him to become familiar with us and our personalities prior to the wedding.

per prompt replying to emails and were very organized and clear with everything leading up to the wedding. On the day of our wedding they were wonderful. They are kind, fun, creative, and professional. They strike a perfect and rare balance of not interfering with special moments of the day, but at the same time being present and tuned in to everything going on. We and our guests loved their presence at our wedding, it added so much to our day. They were very quick at getting our gorgeous photographs back after the wedding. Their work is stunning and we truly treasure our photographs. They were able to capture the day and all of its emotions so beautifully. One of our relatives who lives in South Africa and could not make it to the wedding sent me this message after looking through our wedding album: "Hannah, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful wedding album with us (me). Just wonderful. The photographers captured the sensitivy and all the feelings so well that I felt as if I had been there." We recommend Chris Van Winkle Photography to any and everyone!

ss. He is quick to respond and help with any questions you have about his work or details about the big day. Both LeAnn and Chris were very easy to work with on our wedding day. They made sure to get every photo we requested and included some creative touches of their own that we loved. It was a joy to have them be a part of our day and we are so happy we had them capture it!

hinking back on the wedding day, the thing that amazes me most is that I don't remember them having a huge presence - and I say this as a positive thing. They made sure to get all the family photos and wedding party photos I asked for, but during the ceremony I don't remember seeing them, during the cocktail hour and dancing, I was never distracted, but they got all the pictures! All the moments. Up close and far away. I can't say enough great things about these two. Chris and LeAnn both have the best demeanor and the only picture I didn't get was with the two of them! Book them for your special day and you won't be disappointed.

ade our engagement session very comfortable for the both of us. The day of the wedding was also seamless. Chris and Leann arrived to our location on time and ready to start taking pictures of everything that I had asked for and then some! They both were so much fun and my pictures/slideshow turned out absolutely beautiful. Upon returning from our honeymoon, my husband and I found out we were expecting an addition to our family and asked Chris to add some extra pictures to our slideshow to announce the big news to our family. He did so within the same day he was asked. I could go on and on about how wonderful him and Leann are to work with. We will definitely be using them again for future photos and I would HIGHLY recommend anyone in need of a photographer do the same!

er! He captured all the special moments, both classic and candid shots. Chris' laid-back style and fun, professional attitude made working with him so easy and the photos were absolutely gorgeous! If you're looking for a photographer, you should definitely choose Chris Van Winkle Photography! Thank you so much, Chris!!

ood game and don't deliver, causing your special day to be more stressful than it needs to be...but...Chris is not one of those people. Also...The pictures themselves were amazing. He knows how to capture the smallest details with certain lighting(s). Its quite a site to see to watch him work. I highly recommend Chris and Leann. You won't be disappointed!