Today we’re catching up though!

We are so, so thankful for the opportunity we’ve had to travel.

Carina has always traveled; it’s in her blood. Her parents aren’t super wealthy or anything – they just picked and chose where they spent their money. Some people might spend a lot on the latest electronics and what not, they invested in family excursions from Bulgaria to Mexico.

Our relationship started with letters but inevitably led to a lot of international crossings between America and Europe.

After we moved to Europe in 2008, we decided we were going to follow in the example set by Carina’s parents and live simply so that we could travel.

And we did live simply… we didn’t have tv, or the fastest internet… we biked everywhere we couldn’t get to by train as we didn’t have a car.

But the trade – off…

In 4 years, we visited Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Greece, France, England, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Oh, and the Czech Republic.

Some of those we were able to visit more than once.

We were able to visit Bethlehem at Christmastime, and spent a month in Egypt traveling up and down the Nile.

It was a great adventure for us both. For me, a guy from a small town on Virginia’s coast, to say this was a dream come true is an understatement.

Everywhere I went I also took pictures of my family, of my grandparents… I was doing this for them too. Somehow, they were there with me.

Everyone knows that to travel with your mind open to new cultures, tastes, smells, customs is to broaden your horizons. You become a child again when you step off a plane into a place where you don’t speak the language, and you may as well hang a sign about your neck that says “Tourist.” And sure, there are people who take advantage of that; but for everyone of them, there are even more people who are genuinely kind and excited to have you there as a visitor.

And there’s something else too.

No matter what happens in the future, if we were to lose everything, our car, our apartment (God forbid), nothing can take away the memories & the experiences that we made there – memories made together.

And that’s why we’re thankful for the opportunity to have traveled.

Probably our biggest adventure was our month in Egypt, but our favorite place to have visited was Rome. Rome is a city that seems to always be bathed in perfect light. We went on our “honeymoon” there almost a year after we were married, and went back every year after that we were in Europe.

Our last trip to Rome was last summer- here are a few photos from the Eternal City.

xoxo Michael and Carina

What’s one place that you would definitely like to visit one day? Or what’s the coolest place you’ve been to thus far?

Share in a comment below!

Virginia Wedding Photographers | Destination Wedding Photographers

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I have been looking forward to this time for an entire year. My “little” brother, Jonas, has been a big part of my life ever since I was seven years old. We traveled together, studied together, went through thick and thin… now he is 16 years old and actually taller than me.

It was the hardest thing for me to hug him good-bye in August 2012 when Michael and I moved to the United States after living in Europe for 4 years. I knew I would miss him the most. That’s why as soon as we found a good deal, we got a ticket for Jonas to come visit us this summer. He has been working towards this vacation all year too…he will actually graduate from German high school next summer… *so proud*

After a few more “car adventures” (yeah…that is “positive-talk” for expensive repairs), Michael and I got a rental car to pick up Jonas from Dulles airport. We ate rice cakes on the way – a family tradition And I was so excited to finally see my brother again. I was wondering how he would like our new home, what he would think of our apartment, our job, our new “American way of life”. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to all of it.

Then…Thursday night he finally arrived. First thing we did was buy him some Starbucks. Yup, welcome to America, bro!

We spent all Friday discovering D.C. – the gorgeous marble city that I think is pretty similar to Rome. We saw all the monuments and two museums; the Air and Space Museum and the Natural Science Museum. We loved seeing the dinosaur bones. My brother was blown away; after all he used to be a HUGE dino fan! We also saw the White House, the Capitol,…we walked from place to place – by foot. It was great! At any given opportunity, we hung our feet in the water/pools. My brother was impressed by it all. One of our last stops on our D.C. tour was the Lincoln Memorial. That place is really special to Michael and I. Yes, it has a lot of history etc. but it also has a special meaning for our love story. In August 2007, when I was 17 years old (yikes, just 1 year older than my little brother now!!!), Michael asked me to be his wife on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after a romantic summer day spent in D.C. Being there brought back a lot of memories and I am super excited to have nice pictures of us there now (thank you, Jo! he has become a pro at photography!). It was also really great making new memories there with my brother.  This place will always be special to me.

The next day (after a few more “car adventures”), we drove through the Virginian countryside towards our new home listening to John Denver and Johnny Cash. We made a few stops on the way, taking pictures by awesome signs and cars, feeding some hungry stray cats and eventually hitting up a superstore. We really wanted Jonas to experience it all

He is having a great time here in America, noticing all the little differences between the two countries, Germany and America. He loves American hospitality, music and BBQ and he is excited to dive even deeper within the next weeks.

I am over the moon. Within these few weeks, I want to show my brother why we love living here and savor every moment together. These memories will last forever. That’s why I am so thankful for these photos…they are much more than travel snapshots…they will remind us of these wonderful times spent together.

Here are some highlights from the past few days…more to come soon!

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Cherie is American but she’s fluent in Japanese, having studied in Japan for the past several years. She still bows her head when you compliment her or when she says thank you, just like they do “over there.”  She resides in Virginia and in addition to improving her Japanese, she is interested in commercial and artistic modeling. Thanks for choosing us to take your portraits, Cherie!

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We recently completed a series of bridal editorial style images which we can’t reveal (completely) until next year.

Tomorrow we are shooting for our ad with Hampton Roads Wedding Planner Magazine! We’re excited to work with some very talented models as well as Kristine French Makeup Artistry and High Voltage Hair at Lee Hall in Yorktown.

We were also recently contacted by a brand new bridal show to be the exclusive wedding photographers there! But more on that later…

Also finished up two weddings way ahead of schedule and preparing for another in a couple of weeks, getting bills paid, meeting with two brides this week – - – one thing we have not done is decorated the house. At all. Our apartment looks like the middle of January although it is the middle of December. Which is kind of sad. And must be remedied. However, we did celebrate our 9 year anniversary this past weekend and pigged out on German Christmas Lebkuchen (gingerbread cookies) – AWESOME. 

Here are some samples of portrait sessions we’ve had in and around the Hampton Roads area over the past couple of months.

Each portrait session with us is unique and strives to capture your character in a stand out image. Contact us at info@www.michaelandcarina.com or at 757-401-2551 if you would like to schedule your portrait session today. We like to shoot on location, but as it is winter, indoor arrangements can be made in Yorktown and Virginia Beach.

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The Williamsburg Winery is just the perfect place for wedding photography year round!

Litron and Rachel at the Winery. Makeup was done by the marvelous Kirstie Fals of Chesapeake, VA. Spring Wiley, also of the 757 area, did a fantastic job on Rachel’s hair.

The cake was designed by our favorite cake artist, Sara at Courthouse Cake Company, LLC. The accessories were provided by the Bridal Boutique of Gloucester and flowers were from Williamsburg Floral.

We shot these wedding portraits using available light. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier couple nor a better team. Thanks a lot to everyone involved!

If you would like to contact us to schedule a wedding photography consultation, just click here!

The post Michael and Carina Photography – Williamsburg Winery Wedding and Portrait Photography appeared first on Virginia Wedding Photographers | Williamsburg | Hampton | Virginia Beach.

We took these with less than of hour of daylight left near Yorktown Battlefield, in only natural light.

If you would like to contact us for portrait photography, just send us a message in our contact form.

The post Williamsburg | Norfolk | Hampton | Fine Art Portrait & Wedding Photography | Michael and Carina Photography appeared first on Virginia Wedding Photographers | Williamsburg | Hampton | Virginia Beach.

Hurricane Sandy finally gave me enough time to put this vacation video together. Very rough cut, (we’re professional photographers who leave professional videography to videographers), but brings back a lot of wonderful memories from our favorite city in the world. It was Carina’s 5th time in Rome, Jonas’ second, and my third, but the first time we’d been there together.

Pizza, monuments, gelato, catacombs, cathedrals, statues, and watermelons. Memories. A lot of memories.

Recorded on 5D Mark IIs & Rebel t2is (550Ds) w/ 100mm 2.8 L, 50mm 1.4 USM, 24-70 2.8 L, Tamron 17-50 2.8 (on the 550Ds). Best viewed in 1080p!

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