If you are looking for a gallery full of emotionless, static, staring-at-the-camera images, I’m probably not the right photographer for you.
Now that I got that out of the way…
HEY THERE, I’M CARRIE!
I firmly believe that MOMENTS > POSES, and that is how I approach all of my photoshoots and weddings.
I love life, and I love celebrating all stages and phases of life - from the day-to-day (and sometimes seemingly monotonous) routines to the once-in-a-lifetime events of large magnitudes. Other photographers often tell me that I should specialize in only one thing, because (they claim) doing so would be better for my business - but I politely thank them for their input and keep on doing my thing. Because, even though I choose to photograph many different genres, they all have a common thread - I am photographing celebrations of life. I am so thankful to be the person my clients choose to capture these moments for them, and I can't imagine doing anything else. Nothing gives me more joy than when a former wedding client reaches out and asks me to photograph their maternity or family portraits - or their headshots for a new career adventure they are embarking upon!
I’m a photographer, a mom, a wife, a snowboarder, a surfer, a roller coaster enthusiast, a college instructor, and a former mechanical engineer. I also earned my Ph.D. in Education (but you don’t have to call me Dr.)! I have an extremely short attention span, am addicted to wearing beanies, and am fueled by chai tea. I'm socially awkward most of the time I'm in public, and I make weird faces when I concentrate to take photos. I dress for comfort and for rolling around on the ground, standing in creeks, and climbing into trees to capture the best angles for my photographs — but I do clean up (reasonably) well on wedding days!
I'm real. I love clients who are real. I want my photos to reflect our real-ness. I believe in doing things because you want to, and because your heart and soul are telling you to, not because society or tradition says you should. That being said, I do appreciate traditions and the importance of celebrating family togetherness. I don't shoot images to get them published on blogs or to win awards; I create portraits so that my incredible clients can relive smiles, laughs, and tears for as long as they live - and then to be passed down for generations of others to enjoy. (Don't get me wrong, my work is blog-worthy and award-worthy — getting published is just not a top priority of mine.) I love that life is unscripted, and I love capturing that for my clients. I want to provide you with beautiful, emotion-filled images for your walls, so that on tough days (you know the ones I’m talking about - when there’s a misunderstanding with your spouse or your kids, your dog chews up your favorite pair of shoes, or you have a bad day at work) you look lovingly upon our images we created together and remember what is REALLY important in life.
I’ve lived in Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, and Japan. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit several countries over the years, including Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Haiti, Czech Republic, Italy, Panama, Bulgaria, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany - and I’ve snowboarded in many of them! I’ve created amazing photographs in all of those places, capturing images and freezing memories for a lifetime. What I’ve found, though, is that nothing gives me more joy than using my talent, empathy, ADHD, and artistic “eye” to capture fleeting moments for others. Please reach out to me if you think we might make a great team!
People often ask me what's in my bag. Here you go!
Camera Bodies:
Canon EOS R3
Canon EOS R5 (x2)
Lenses:
Canon RF 15-35mm 2.8
Canon RF 28-70mm 2.0
Canon RF 35mm 1.8 Macro
Canon RF 50mm 1.2
Canon RF 85mm 1.2
Canon RF 70-200mm 2.8
Canon RF 100-500mm 4.5-7.1
Canon EF 100mm 2.8L Macro
Lighting:
Godox V860iii (x3)
Godox AD200 (x5)
Godox AD600
MagMod Flash Diffusers and Light Modifiers
Studio: Einstein E640 Studio Flash Units (x4)
Studio: Miscellaneous Paul C. Buff Light Modifiers