Michael Murphy IV Photography

Michael Murphy is just the absolute best! Probably our favorite vendor/hire of the wedding weekend. Such a great guy/team to work with from the get go of engagement photos. He made us so comfortable, and the process was extremely fun! Mike knows all the best spots to go to for pictures in Northern Michigan. Wedding pictures so far are just stunning, I couldn't ask for anything better. He is amazing at capturing 'the big moments' 'the emotional moments' 'the fun moments' - he knows how to photograph a wedding! A number of our guests commented on this teams professionalism, and are also thrilled with how pictures turned out. Mike is your guy for wedding photography in N. Michigan!

We feel honored to have had Michael Murphy as our photographer - he truly is a pro behind the camera! The groom, who very much dislikes his photo being taken, put his number one wedding priority as hiring a photographer he felt comfortable with, and Mike fit this perfectly. He got to know us as a couple and molded our photography timeline around our priorities (seeing all of our guests and enjoying the party!). We cannot wait to see the finished product, and know they will be exactly how we envisioned!

AMAZING!! Mike did our engagement pictures in Charlevoix and we loved them (and him) so much we knew it would be worth it to bring him to Detroit for our wedding. He stuck with us through a postponement and not only did we get the pictures quickly, but they are phenomenal. We can’t stop looking at them. He got a great mixture of candid and staged photos and captured all of the most important moments of the day. Plus he’s just a cool guy. Highly highly recommend.

Look no further! This is the wedding photographer you have to have! We looked at so many wedding photographers for our wedding. When we came across Mike's photos, we knew he was the one we had to have at our wedding. Mike did both our engagement and our wedding, and the photos are absolutely gorgeous! We received a preview within a few days of both our engagement session and our wedding. On our wedding day, Mike and Nate both made us feel incredibly comfortable and kept us laughing constantly. They blended in with the family and the party, just as if they were a close friend. They were able to capture the most beautiful candid moments, and to this day, the photos make me cry. We had so many amazing compliments on our wedding photography, and I could not agree more! I would happily pay double the price if I did it again. If I could give Mike 10 stars, I would. Now we have to find another reason for him to take pictures for us!

Amazing!! Mike completely exceeded all expectations. Great to work with, amazing results. Couldn't recommend a better photographer.

Tl;dr: Mike is warm, friendly, and personable, puts subjects at ease, is creative, captures a good mix of posed and natural images, excels at capturing candids, directs subjects well when needed. Maintains a fun and engaging presence on social media. Invoicing is as stated on website, prompt, and professional. Mike prepares a “sneak peak” within a few days and delivers completed digital images within 90 days. *** We hired Mike to shoot our engagement (August 14 2012) at our family cottage in Boyne Falls and wedding (October 13 2012) in Mackinaw City and again to shoot family portraits on September 10 2019 in Boyne Falls. We live in Chicago, and got married in Mackinaw City in 2012. When planning our wedding, we searched for photographers based on reviewing their work online, comparing prices, and talking via email. Mike was easy to communicate with and we liked his work. We were not planning on engagement photos, but after talking with Mike, we decided to do an engagement session two months ahead of our wedding. Aside from getting the pictures themselves, which we love, the engagement session served as a “trial run” of sorts for our wedding day photos. It allowed us to get comfortable posing - harder than it sounds if you’re not used to being photographed professionally - and allowed us to get to know Mike and how he works. On our wedding day, Mike shot with one assistant. Mike shot candids during the service and reception, and shot our posed photos (bride and groom, wedding party, family, etc) between the service and reception. Mike and his assistant were professional, unobtrusive, and got excellent photos. Invoicing and paying Mike was straightforward and professional. Digital images were delivered promptly on the timeline promised. We love our wedding photos and have several prints in our home. Since getting married, we have added two kids to the family, and in September 2019 we were in Northern Michigan and hired Mike to shoot family portraits. Mike once again came to our family cottage in Boyne Falls. Mike greeted us as old friends and immediately established an easy warmth with us and our kids that made the session very fun and comfortable; our 2.5 year old son especially loved Mike. Mike even got in the lake with us to get some really fun action shots of the family on the dock and in the water. Booking the session with Mike via email was easy, and Mike was even willing to communicate via email and text leading up to the shoot and be flexible on time to work around the weather. Mike has a strong presence on Instagram. We have enjoyed following Mike in the years since our wedding and that social media connection is part of the reason we hired him again for family portraits. Mike posted pictures and Stories with us tagged (as he does for most clients), which we really enjoyed. We found Mike to be professional, friendly, and a pleasure to spend time with. His images are excellent. If you have any questions about our experience with Mike, please leave a comment on the review.

Michael Murphy was a friendly, personable photographer who did an incredible job capturing our wedding day! We looked at his portfolio and loved his photography style, then had an introductory call with him to share more about the wedding details before officially booking him. After that, he kept in touch regularly to make sure he was aware of the logistics, theme, and general feel for our wedding. Before the day, Mike scouted the area for some good photography locations, and on the wedding day, he took us to a spot that perfectly captured Fall in Northern Michigan. Mike was a phenomenal photographer and a genuinely friendly person, and if we were to do this over again, we would choose MMIV Photography in a heartbeat!

I can't say enough - I could go on, and on, and on. Mike made jokes with us the entire time, and when we got our photos, we realized that he'd been capturing the love and humor that defines our relationship. He sent a special engraved USB with a wooden Christmas ornament of our wedding photo, plus a hand-written note and a package of 70 exceptional prints. If I could get married again just to have him as a photographer, I think I'd do it! Mike, thank you, thank you, thank you for what you did for us!!

He was SOOOOO amazing to work with. He was very organized prior to the big day. We LOVED our engagement pics. We felt so comfortable working with him. We pretty much just wanted to hang out and get a beer with him we had so much fun shooting. He did such a great job on the big day, making sure we got all the pics we needed. We didn't do a first look, so our picture timing was limited to cocktail hour. However, Michael grabbed us during dinner to get some sunset photos and they were our ABSOLUTE favorite. He is SO talented and really has a knack for capturing special moments. We were so excited when we got our pics. So perfect. Cannot recommend him enough!

Mike did an amazing job with our photos! We love them so much. On top of that, Mike is just a pleasant person to be around. He was calm and had a plan, and we very much appreciated that. Our wedding was in Birmingham, MI and we did pre-ceremony photos in downtown Detroit. Despite coming from Charlevoix, Mike knew his way around and had great ideas for photo locations. We are so happy with our photos and the entire experience with Mike. Thank you for giving us photos we will cherish forever!

Seriously, what's not to love about Michael! His colorful, love filled photos may be the first impression you have of him, but you quickly learn that he is one of the most genuine and kind people you could possibly have on your vendor team for your wedding day. As a wedding planner, I was able to work with Michael at two weddings this summer, and each time he was such a memorable and fun part of the whole day. He was so flexible and accommodating, whether it was working with the couples to nail down a shot list, scout photo opp locations, come up with a rainy day plan, and flawlessly manage a huge and super wild/fun wedding party. His formal photos are full of life, his portraits are super romantic, and his candids are insightful and one of a kind. It was so great to see a few sneak peeks of the weddings the next day, and I am sure excited newlyweds appreciate this so so much. Michael exudes warmth, confidence, and energy, and is definitely one of the first vendors you should call and lock in for your Northern Michigan wedding!

I cannot imagine working with anyone but Mike. He is the nicest guy in planet earth, and made us and lol of our family members feel so comfortable all day. Also, he sent us preview photos from our wedding, the next morning, and they’re all gorgeous. Mike is the best! Book him now.

We knew right away that Michael Murphy was who we wanted as our wedding photographer. We saw his work from past events and were immediately attracted to his style and artistry. We were planning our Northern Michigan wedding long distance from New York City and Michael's flexible and passionate personality made us feel at ease with any requests for our wedding day. On the day of the wedding Michael and his assistant arrived early to scope out the venue. They blended in seamlessly throughout the day capturing precious and intimate moments of us and our guests. Michael continued to wow us with his attention to detail upon receiving his creative Northern Michigan themed wedding photo package- a wooden case for our USB (containing our photos), chocolate covered cherries, and printed samples of our photos. We cannot say enough about Michael Murphy and his glorious work.

Mike is an old high school buddy of my husband's and I am so glad we selected him as our photographer, not only does he do absolutely amazing work he is amazing to work with. He immediately makes you feel comfortable and explains what he is trying to capture. We have only gotten our sneak peek photos back at this point, but they are truly beautiful and he captured the most wonderful moments from our wedding.

We just got our photos and WOW. I knew that Mike was good (that’s why we hired him) - but when I saw the photos they exceeded my expectations. He really knows what he’s doing! Even the wacky locations or poses that we thought would look odd- turned out to be our favorite photos! Our family and friends keep commenting on how much they love them! Mike is creative, talented, and a pleasure to work with. I definitely recommended him!

Mike's pictures are easily the best wedding pictures I have ever seen. Vibrant, colorful and fun! My favorite part of taking pictures with him other than the locations was how fun and easy going it was. My family also commented on how attentive he was to capturing things at the reception. Five stars all around!