Virginia Wedding Photographers | Williamsburg | Hampton | Virginia Beach » engagement

Hampton Roads Wedding Photographers | Megan and Matt | Michael and Carina Photography

michaelandcarina — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 04:13:00 +0000

their Williamsburg engagement session.

Megan and Matt.

He knew she was the one from the first time he laid eyes on her.

From that first moment, as we learned from Matt’s best man, he changed.

Megan is one of those people that just has a contagious smile (which after meeting her parents, we totally see where she gets it from).

She’s a nurse, dedicated to making a difference in the world.

She certainly made a difference to Matt.

For their wedding, Matt actually built their own arbor with the help of his groomsmen.

They made their Virginia Beach wedding all about the things they loved most:

God, family, friends, music and good food (so much pizza!).

As we arrived at Megan’s house, it was an on-again-off-again downpour. It was looking as if it might stay that way all day.

For the detail shots outside, our (fantastic, awesome, wonderful) assistant Anthony Le held our reflector over us and the details to protect them from the rain.

It was looking as if their whole wedding might take place under a tent…

But right as we arrived at the Lynnhaven House, the weather cleared up, and Megan and Matt got the outdoor ceremony they dreamed of in the soft light of an overcast sky.

The wedding went late into the night, and was filled with so much dancing.

The last song was so epic. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played, and the whole crowd joined in the dancing. Everyone joined in the song; we had goosebumps.

Seriously – we’ve heard this song at weddings before. Now when we hear it, we’ll always remember Megan and Matt’s wedding.

The energy in the air was amazing!

The couple was whisked away through rows of sparklers to prepare for their Northern California honeymoon.

Megan and Matt, we were so honored to photograph your wedding!

We’re addicted to details, especially when they’re this lovely.

Seriously… these folks just look two good on film. I love getting results like this back from the lab.

“Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’
Streetlights, people
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’
Streetlights, people…”

Vendor Credits:

Dress: Maya Couture

From the Hearth Pizza

Photography by us & assisted by Anthony Le

Coordinated by Mira Bryan

More vendor credits coming soon…

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Hampton Roads Photographers | Michael and Carina Photography | Cherie’s Family on Film

michaelandcarina — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 05:36:45 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we received the sweetest inquiry based on a referral. We usually pass on family sessions to our friends, but this one was different.

Cherie, a fellow photographer, a mother, a fashion-lover, a soldier, and a New Yorker, had fallen in love with our work.

Together with her partner David, they have a little boy.

David’s a sailor too. But unlike Cherie, he’s stationed in Florida. They don’t see each other that often… something we are all too familiar with.

How could we say no?

This couple: beautiful.

This family: gorgeous.

We could tell that they knew how to treasure the moments they had together.

These were taken in Newport News, Virginia, not far from Cherie’s Hampton home. It was an honor to be able to preserve some of those precious moments on film, which Richard Photo Lab turned over in record time.

David and Cherie…… we fell in love with your family.

film: fuji400h / developed by Richard Photo Lab

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Virginia Wedding Photographers | Kelsi + Michael | Smithfield, Virginia

michaelandcarina — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 13:11:30 +0000

It’s an extraordinary thing when two soulmates find each other, fall in love, and become a new family.
Kelsi and Michael are soulmates who are taking extraordinary to a new level…
Next year, they’re bringing two families together to make a whole new one…
It was perfectly fitting that they brought their children along on the Smithfield e-session to help announce their engagement to the world!
This Chesapeake couple is getting married next April… and we couldn’t be more excited for them.
It’s not only two people coming together… it’s two families coming together…
And it’s going to be amazing.
Kelsi and Michael, thank you so much for inviting us to document your big day AND for making it an “unplugged” wedding!!

film: fuji400h / developed by Richard Photo Lab

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Virginia Wedding + Engagement Photographers | Ebony + Jesse

michaelandcarina — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 11:36:37 +0000

They’ve been together for 10 years… and they’ve been through a lot together.

Ebony and Jesse are finally tying the knot!

Their still looking for their wedding venue but they decided to have their engagement session before.

You could see the love in his eyes as he held her.

How she smiled when he told her about when he first fell in love with her.

These high school sweethearts from Hampton are going to have a beautiful wedding.

film: portra 400

developed by Richard Photo Lab

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Virginia Wedding and Engagement Photographers | Matt + Megan | Michael and Carina Photography

michaelandcarina — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 13:45:22 +0000

This couple… is just too gorgeous.

Megan and Matt have been together for a year, and it was love at first sight.

He’s a paramedic and a fireman – she’s a nurse.

When he proposed, he made the day “all about her.” Matt also had his best friend make these wood signs for them to announce their big day!

We met in Williamsburg for their engagement session and even though the infamous Hampton Roads bridge-tunnel delayed them, it worked out perfectly as the light got even better..

They’re getting married outdoors at the Lynnhaven House in Virginia Beach this October!

Megan & Matt, we’re so honored to be documenting your love story! See you soon!

a mix of film and digital / film developed by Richard Photo Lab

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Becky and Josh Engagement | Virginia Wedding Photographers | Fine Art Film | Michael and Carina Photography

michaelandcarina — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 22:51:51 +0000

Josh and Becky’s love story is what every girl dreams about. Josh should definitely get a “Prince Charming” award! They have been friends for years. They just know they are meant for each other. They are best friends.
Becky even met with us before Josh had asked the big question; she just knew he was going to ask. It took him a little while to propose because he had her engagement ring custom designed for her. COMMON!
Josh and Becky love the outdoors, so Josh asked her to marry him on top of a mountain…this love is so genuine, so honest, we just couldn’t stop snapping pictures of their cuteness
We get so excited when we meet couples that are SO excited about spending the rest of their lives together. We can only imagine how big their smiles will be on their wedding day next June…

Shot on both digital and medium format film. Fuji 400H, developed by Richard Photo Lab.

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Williamsburg Wedding Photographers | Christopher Wren Wedding | Emily + Chris

michaelandcarina — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 06:03:47 +0000

Simple… fun… easygoing… beautiful

These are perfect words to describe Chris and Emily’s wedding which took place at the Christopher Wren Building on the historic College of William and Mary Campus last week. Emily’s parents work for the college so it was a natural first choice.

Emily grew up in Williamsburg, but she and her now-husband Chris live in New York City. Chris and his closest friends and family joined Emily’s in Virginia last week to celebrate as he and Emily tied the knot at the Chapel. Afterwards, we all headed over to the nearby Williamsburg Manor Bed & Breakfast for a beautiful, easygoing, simple reception.

We were honored to be a part of this beautiful day. Emily’s indoor bridal portraits were taken at the Wren Building and after the wedding we had a fun portrait session in the nearby gardens, which at one point involved crashing a tailgating party! lol

Emily and Chris happen to be lovers of film themselves- they brought a Polaroid camera for guests to have fun with at the reception… we were happy to get our hands on it too!

Thanks so much for inviting us to be a part of your special day, Emily & Chris! It was a night to remember!

We photographed these on digital & film; the film was developed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.

We were assisted by our wonderful friend Anthony Le <3 Thanks, Anthony.

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Virginia Film Photographers | Michael and Carina Photography | Monica Senior Session

michaelandcarina — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:33:05 +0000

A few weeks ago Alicia and Josh, one of the first couples to book us when we moved to America in 2012, (whose wedding we will be photographing in a few weeks), asked us to photograph the senior portraits for Josh’s LOVELY daughter Monica.

This falls into the category of something we don’t often do, except on the rare occassion…

And Alicia and Josh are very special to us for booking with us back when most people thought we were crazy for moving to the US and going full-time photographers at the same time.

Monica is an absolutely beautiful young lady who’s full of big ambitions.

She loves video games (something we have in common), especially The Sims. She doesn’t just like to play them, she finds them inspirational as a creative outlet…

She wants to design them and develop them, too.

Her big dream is to work in California at a video game company.

She was perfect in front of the camera and Alicia did a fantastic job on her makeup, too!

Monica, hope you enjoy your all-film senior session and Alicia and Josh… see you soon at your wedding!

These were photographed on Fuji400h film and developed by Richard Photo Lab.

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Hampton Roads Wedding + Engagement Photographers | Michael and Carina Photography | Julie + Derek

michaelandcarina — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 19:06:05 +0000

We can’t express how much we love it when couples bring their inspiration and creativity to a photoshoot to really make it their own.
It doesn’t have to be that a lot, but just a little something to really make it stand out.
Julie and Derek love all things vintage so they wore some vintage outfits (which, as good as they looked, did not cost a fortune!) as well as some old suitcases for a dramatic touch.
We met in historic Yorktown for an all-fim sunrise session.
They live in Virginia Beach and love healthy eating and staying active.
And they positively adore each other.
Thanks for letting us capture your couple session, guys!
These were all photographed on Fuji400h film and developed by Richard Photo LabRichard Photo Lab.

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Virginia Wedding Photographers | Upcoming Q & A Tuesday | Michael and Carina Photography

michaelandcarina — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:17:54 +0000

(thanks for the pic, Tara!)

Hi guys, just making this blog post a short one but wanted to announce that (if we get enough responses to this) we will be doing Q & A Tuesdays on our blog!

We’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about our editing process, some about film, some about what blogging software we use…

We thought we could condense it all into weekly/bi-weekly blogposts and then we’d have more time to answer them in depth as much as we can!

Also if you have any questions about the fundamentals of photography, don’t hesitate to ask!

If you have a question you’d like to ask us, send it to info@www.michaelandcarina.com or message our Facebook page and we’ll select several questions each week to answer.

This is still in it’s baby-steps but we’ll see how it works and we’re excited to discuss anything that has to do with photography, especially wedding photography!

Michael and Carina