About
I’m a photographer with a passion for capturing authentic moments, but I’m also a lover of Dr. Pepper, thrifting, and deep dives into the mysteries of black holes. 🌌 Before finding my calling behind the camera, I served in the Air Force for 7 years, doing aircraft maintenance—where I learned the value of precision, dedication, and the beauty of even the smallest details.
Whether I’m documenting a family’s story, capturing a couple’s love, or creating timeless portraits, my goal is always to bring out the real, raw emotion in every shot. When I’m not behind the lens, you’ll find me hunting for treasures at local thrift stores or reading about the wonders of the universe.
I believe that every photo tells a story, and I’m here to help you tell yours. Let’s create something unforgettable!
Hey Loves, I’m chelsea
Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,
Why I Teach Photography
and it’s become more than just a career—it’s a passion and a way to connect with the world. Teaching photography allows me to share that passion with others and help them discover the art of capturing moments in a way that feels authentic, powerful, and meaningful.
I believe everyone has a unique perspective, and photography is a beautiful way to express that vision. Whether you're just starting out or looking to elevate your skills, I’m here to guide you through the process, share the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way, and help you gain the confidence to create stunning images.
Photography isn’t just about knowing your camera—it’s about seeing the world in a new way, finding beauty in the ordinary, and telling stories that matter. I teach because I want to inspire others to fall in love with photography, just as I have. Let’s explore, learn, and create together!
Read my latest blog!
Read 'Shoot like a Storyteller'!
trends for 2025
Top 6 wedding
Planning a small wedding tends to be less stressful, allowing couples to focus more on the fun and meaningful aspects of the event. With fewer guests, expenses for catering, venue, and other services are often more manageable.
More people are looking for authenticity, and a smaller, more meaningful wedding reflects those values. With a focus on what truly matters, small weddings are a way to foster more personal moments without the expectations of grandeur.
Couples are opting for small weddings to prioritize quality over quantity. With fewer guests, the couple can engage more intimately with each person, creating a deeper and more memorable experience.
Intimate, Micro Weddings
Eco-friendly options like zero-waste decor, digital invitations, and locally sourced food and flowers will continue to be a major trend.
Sustainable Weddings
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Couples are increasingly viewing their wedding as a personal reflection of their style and identity. Bold colors allow them to make a statement and create a wedding experience that feels more authentic and true to who they are. While past trends favored neutral and pastel shades, today's couples are eager to infuse their personalities into their celebrations, and using vivid colors is an easy way to do that.
Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest have influenced wedding trends significantly, with bright and bold color palettes standing out in photos. Couples are inspired by eye-catching, shareable images, and they want their weddings to stand out in the same way. As influencers, brands, and even celebrities embrace color in their weddings, it’s inspiring couples to do the same and infuse a sense of playfulness and creativity into their celebrations.
Bold and Bright Color Palettes
Virtual guestbooks, live-streaming ceremonies, and even AI-generated wedding music are becoming more common in modern weddings.
Tech Integration
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From photo booths to live bands with audience participation or even virtual reality experiences, couples are embracing creative entertainment options.
Interactive Entertainment
The popularity of unconventional wedding venues continues. Think art galleries, warehouses, botanical gardens, and even at-home celebrations.
Non-traditional Venues
Personalization is key. Couples are incorporating their hobbies, favorite foods, or travels into the celebration, from custom cocktails to experiential favors.
Customizable Experiences
In an era where people often look back to simpler times, the Vintage and Retro aesthetic taps into deep feelings of nostalgia. Many couples today are inspired by the past, yearning to bring elements of bygone eras into their weddings as a way to connect with history, family traditions, and even their own childhood memories. Whether it's a 1920s Gatsby-inspired wedding or a 1970s boho vibe, vintage and retro styles allow couples to celebrate the past in a modern context.
The beauty of vintage and retro weddings is that they don’t feel like they will go out of style. Trends in fashion and wedding design come and go, but the elegance of a vintage aesthetic or the boldness of a retro theme can transcend time. Whether it’s the glamour of an old Hollywood wedding or the understated charm of a 1940s farmhouse affair, these themes feel timeless.
Vintage and Retro
Aesthetic
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Including wellness activities like yoga or meditation sessions before the big day, or offering wellness-focused favors like CBD products and relaxation kits.
Bridal Fashion Evolution
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Weddings are no longer seen as one-size-fits-all occasions, and brides are increasingly using their big day to express their unique identities. Traditional white gowns, while still beloved by many, can feel limiting for some brides who want to wear something that truly reflects their personality and style. Non-traditional dresses, jumpsuits, and colorful gowns offer the freedom to break away from convention and choose a look that feels more "them."
One of the most important shifts in bridal fashion is the move toward more inclusive sizing. Historically, wedding dresses often came in a narrow range of sizes, which left many brides feeling excluded or pressured to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. However, in 2025, more designers and bridal boutiques are embracing body diversity and offering wedding dresses in a wider range of sizes, from petite to plus-size options.
Wellness and Mindfulness
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Multicultural weddings blending traditions and customs from
both sides of the couple's heritage are more common, creating
rich, diverse experiences.
Cultural Fusion
Couples are finding ways to include their pets in the celebration, whether as ring bearers, flower dogs, or just a part of the photoshoot.
Pet Participation
storyteller
Shoot like a
You’ve likely seen them across just about every photographer’s website: “storyteller,” “storytelling,” “telling your story”—or some variation of the same. Buzzwords often get tossed around until the meaning feels worn out, but if you trace them back to the beginning, there’s a nugget of genuine value. Storytelling is an excellent way to describe what most photographers aim to do: create images that draw you into a scene, introduce characters, and capture not just that moment in time, but also the moments before and those yet to come. These pictures are full of tension and emotion, anticipation and discovery, and they keep you invested.
Does constant repetition dilute the meaning? Hopefully not. Storytelling remains an incredibly powerful concept for photographers—if we actually think about how to use it. So how do you go beyond tossing around a trendy term and actually produce compelling narratives through your photography?
Below are a few tips we’ve stashed away to help tell richer stories through photos. Pick a couple to reflect on before your next wedding, event, or portrait shoot.
Watch Out for Buzzwords
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Make it your mantra.
This simple, three-step principle is a cornerstone of visual storytelling—and once you start looking, you’ll spot it in nearly every movie and TV show you watch (warning: it’s kind of a curse once you notice it). By following a sequence of wide, medium, and close shots, you set up a satisfying story arc that provides context, introduces subjects, and then reveals emotion.
Wide, Medium, Close
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Wide, Medium, Close
Wide Frame (Context)
Think of this as your establishing shot. Let viewers see where everything is happening—a mountain range with a couple walking along it, a sprawling forest, a beach house at sunset. It’s the scene-setter that prepares the audience for what’s next.
Medium Frame (Subject)
Now place your subjects in the context you just established. Who are they? What are they doing? This shot introduces their appearance, their clothing, and their actions.
Close Frame (Emotion)
Move closer to capture emotion, feelings, or details. Round out your story by honing in on something specific: a tear rolling down a cheek, an almost-kiss, a bright smile, or an excited glance. You’ve already shown the backdrop, so you can focus on raw emotion here.
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Wide, Medium, Close
Stringing together only one type of shot won’t effectively tell a story. So give yourself the formula: wide, medium, close. Repeat it. Live by it. You’ll find it’s just as common in good TV shows or movies as it is in well-composed photography.
(Bonus Tip: Think about lens choice for each of these shots, since different focal lengths elicit different feelings of distance and perspective.)
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Include Context
in Single Frames
Beyond the wide-medium-close approach, aim to include context in every frame. Don’t isolate a subject, emotion, or detail with absolutely nothing else around it. Instead, layer elements in your shot. For example:
- Shoot from behind someone’s shoulder so their silhouette frames the main subject.
- Photograph through a doorway and include part of the door in the frame.
- Use foreground elements to anchor the scene.
All these techniques help viewers see the bigger picture while focusing on the primary moment. (Bonus Tip: A wider lens, like a 24mm or 35mm, makes this easier. We shoot 95% of our wedding images with a 35mm for this very reason.)
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Put Yourself in It
Your ability to capture a wedding day’s story depends on where you (literally) stand, what you notice, and how you move. In other words, you have to get involved. Get close to your subjects. Anticipate the action. Be right there when people share emotional moments.
- Don’t hesitate when you sense a tender interaction—get in and capture it.
- Don’t feel awkward standing at the front of the church if that’s where the best shot is.
- Hop onto the dance floor yourself (and maybe show off a move or two!) so you can truly be part of the moment and photograph it authentically.
It takes effort, mobility, and constant awareness, but that’s what real storytelling demands.
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Take These Ideas and Run
“Storytelling” may be a buzzword, but it’s a powerful one when you translate it into practical techniques. Use these approaches—wide, medium, close; layering context; immersing yourself in the moment—to go beyond buzzwords and tell stories that pull viewers in and keep them there.
So go on: take these insights, apply them, and watch your frames come alive with genuine, visual narratives.
