Chellise Michael Photography

We had Chellise do our wedding photos at the Standard Hotel and on the Highline in NYC during mini hurricane Joaquin. The conditions (both weather and guests) were stormy at best but Chellise handled it like a pro. She maneuvered seamlessly between my demanding family, and tenuous weather while capturing beautiful real moments. Chellise has an artists’ eye; capturing moments that I think only she sees. She made us look like our true selves, only maybe, definitely cooler. We couldn’t love our photographs and our photographer more. Definitely check her out; or you probably will end up with photo envy. Thank you Chellise!

We are absolutely obsessed with our wedding photos taken by Falcon of CMP. It was such a pleasure working with this studio from start to finish. Falcon was so calming and fun to work with and really went the extra mile on every level– she worked so hard and did amazing work. Chellise and her team were so responsive, flexible and helpful with the whole process and they were all so kind and awesome to speak with.
We truly appreciated the detail, thought and beautiful take on their realistic and artistic vision towards wedding photos. We are in love with CMP xoxoxooxoxoxo

If not their artsy flourish, if not their magic relationship with light, if not their willingness to listen, if not their reliable nature, then you would be remiss not to employ Chellise Michael for just their extreme talent alone. These two truly felt like a part of the party. And they understood how I wanted to file these moments away. Their photos captured the essence of what it means to bring unlikely groups of people together in celebration. The images are human, and electric, and really, truly just happiness in pixels. Bring them in and don’t look back.

Can’t find more talented, cool photographers out there. You can stop your search now. After scouring the internetz for weeks trying to find the right team, my wife found Chellise Micael on Instagram and the rest is history. We were looking for something out of the ordinary and an artist that could really capture the beauty in a single moment. These two nailed it. Not to mention they are also lovely humans to hang with and will bring a spirit of cool and excitement to your wedding. Micheal even sang «Queen to Be» from Coming to America as a special gift to us at the end of the night. These two are crazy talented and worth every penny. Do yourself a favor and hire these two. Memories captured for a lifetime.

To Chellise and Michael… I feel like we have been friends in another life and were finally brought together at our wedding. Your energy was amazing, it feels like you brought extra magic to our special celebration.
Some backstory: my wife tasked me with finding our wedding photographer, we had visited about 10 venues and each venue had given us a list of recommended vendors. After visiting all the photographer websites on those lists, and going through all the wedding photographers on NYMag’s wedding directory, I was a bit overwhelmed with wedding photography.
After viewing dozens of sites, I became concerned that our wedding photos would be generic, which is something I wanted to avoid. While going through wedding portfolio blogs, I noticed that most photographers tended to have a template for their work, with each wedding looking more or less the same, and many of the shots looked posed and rehearsed.
Chellise and Michael’s site was noticeably different than the rest, in terms of design and content. I felt an immediate connection to their photos. Every wedding or photoshoot they did was completely different, all their photos were about capturing people, emotion, and the priceless moments that you can cherish for the rest of your life. Not only that, the photo style was remarkable, the quality was the perfect approach to our wedding aesthetic. I also loved that none of their photos were watermarked, nothing, they were real photos, they were making art. I really appreciated those small details and knew these were the photographers I wanted to hire. I spent the whole day at work going through the 20 pages on their blog, looking at every shoot, I was enthralled.
I had already sent a few emails to different vendors that were on the maybe list and Chellise was the first to write back. Some vendors took over a week to reply, communication is important and that is another place where they excel. We spoke on the phone and decided to book them immediately, we didn’t want to risk losing the date.
Now that we were booked, we were also entitled to an engagement shoot, it was their idea to meet before the wedding and spend a few hours together, that way we are more comfortable at the party and the photos are more natural. Fast forward a few months, we met at Mother’s Ruin on Spring Street and got some cocktails and beers. We chatted for a bit, got to know each other, and then started walking around the Lower East Side while they took photos of us. They have a great eye for detail, noticing things we didn’t even see. They have great chemistry together and really bring a good time, our photos turned out fantastic, we were so happy! After seeing the photo album from that day, we knew our wedding photos were going to be incredible.
As our wedding approached, Chellise was in close contact, we exchanged emails discussing our wedding schedule and picked a time for them to arrive at our hotel so they can begin the personal photography of our wedding. What I really liked was how they were with us from just chilling in our room, to getting ready, hanging with family before, the first look, the ceremony, the dinner, and the party. They were there, snapping photos, but they were also invisible, in the sense that they were not annoying or having everyone stop to do a photo. They went with the flow, capturing candid photos, while also creating a well curated timeline of our wedding. It was very special.
I also really appreciated the detail they captured at our venue. On top of all our people photos, they also documented our wedding venue so perfectly, every time we look at the photos we are immediately transported back to that environment. Their photos capture all your senses and will leave you with a strong memory of your special day.
Chelsea and Michael are the best, I would highly recommend contacting them immediately for your wedding. They are truly awesome. They also have a cat named Unicorn. You can’t beat that.

Chellise is so cool, she and Michael brought a Brooklyn vibe to the Gramercy Park Hotel wedding last weekend. Definitely will be recommending her to future friends/​family/​clients that are looking to capture their individual personalities!

Chellise Michael’s wedding photos makes you feel like you were there — they capture the whole story and mood of the day. They shoot through an artistic lens, and are a pleasure to work with too!

I met with a couple of photographers before my fiancé and I met with Sarah and Daniel from Chellise Michael. After our initial conversation with Sarah and Daniel we knew right away they were the photographers for us. Sarah and Daniel are the calmest, friendliest, and all around easiest people you could have taking pictures at your wedding. They are also some OF THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND. Seriously — I can’t even begin to tell you how many compliments we’ve gotten on our photos. They captured the big moments in an incredibly natural, beautiful, and spontaneous way which is exactly what we wanted. The whole team at Chellise Michael is amazing — quick to respond to an e-​mail, super friendly and just genuinely nice and you definitely want nice people to be part of your wedding. I can’t recommend Sarah, Daniel and Chellise Michael enough. We could not be any happier!

Just updating the review after we got our wedding pics back… they were amazing! Chellise & Mike captured the day in a fun, beautiful, and creative way! Looking at the photos made me re-​live the day and made me want to throw another big love themed party. We will be forever thankful that we chose Chellise & Mike to fix our memories into tangible form!

As a graphic designer, the most important thing to me about my wedding was the photography. I honestly don’t remember how I came across their website, but I immediately fell in love with their style. Then I watched their «hello» section video and stopped looking.
The engagement shoot was a wonderful chance to get to know them and for them to warm us up in front of the camera — which neither my husband or I are comfortable in front of. They were easy to get a hold of before the big day and extremely helpful with questions and concerns.
The day itself was chaotic, but I felt like Chellise and Michael were there leading us through it all unscathed. They kept a calm around us and we just had fun with the day. They were extremely professional and it was an added bonus that on top of that, I actually felt like they enjoyed the day more so than they were there just doing their job.
Chellise and Michael exceeded every expectation I had for the day and the photos. I can’t recommend them enough.

The proof is in the pictures. Not all photographers are created equally. Chellise and her team have magic eyes. What they do is get to know their clients and then put their magic eyes in service of making their clients photo dreams come true. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chellise for photos of myself and my team. I recommended her to a wedding planner and his brides and grooms love her. The planner used Chellise for an inspiration shoot that won awards and recognition. She catches moments. She surveys her surroundings… taking in the backdrops, lighting, and whatever else catches her magic eye and then the fun begins. You will love your time with her and any one of her fantastic team members. I urge anyone reading this to look at her website photos. Her pictures are worth MORE than a mere thousand words. Browse through them and you will see what I mean.

Mike Busse is a damn genius. My fiancée and I don’t live in NYC. We don’t live in Jersey, or even anywhere on the Atlantic seaboard. We live in Chicago. We were in Manhattan for ONE DAY, and I was determined to take our engagement pictures on the Brooklyn Bridge. There were some crazy thunderstorms passing through all day, but we somehow convinced Mike to stick with us and see what things looked like at our appointed meeting time. The Gods were kind to us, and the rain *just* started to let up as we left the café where we met up. Then Mike proceeded to take some of the most beautiful photos either of us have ever seen. We picked him b/​c of the gorgeous job he did with rainy day photos on their website, but we never could have predicted the kind of spur-​of-​the-​moment, fantastic instincts he’d demonstrate. He is a true artist, never predictable, extremely personable, and actually cares about his subjects – wants to get to know you before he starts taking your picture. Just a genuine and wonderful person who we really enjoyed hanging out with; he makes you feel like you’re just taking a walk with a friend who happens to have a camera. And a really freaking good eye. We are so grateful to have found him – and are positive that his wife must be equally amazing.

As a wedding and event planner, I work with a lot of photographers. Chellise Michael is one of the best! She is talented, reliable and really fun to be around. She has a beautiful eye for detail and really knows how to capture the emotion and atmosphere of an event. You will definitely be left with gorgeous memories if you hire Chellise.

My wife and I are so so happy we picked Chellise Michael for our wedding photos. Upon getting to meet Chellise and our photographers, Sarah Kuszelewicz and Daniel Orren, we knew we were in great hands; both Daniel and Sarah know their stuff, are über friendly and chill and just overall great people. We were in a weird scenario where we ended up getting our engagement pictures done in Queens and our wedding took place in the Providence, RI area and they did not miss a beat. Our engagement shoot, which is part of the package, was actually a lot of fun! Daniel, Sarah, my wife and I just took a stroll around Astoria Park with our puppy and took a bunch of really fun shots. Daniel and Sarah weren’t pushy or demanding, it really turned into a fun walk with some buds and our puppy. Come the day of the wedding, Daniel and Sarah were on time and ready to go the morning of. Daniel and Sarah blended in perfectly with our small wedding party; during the ceremony, they weren’t pushy or anything and definitely a calming influence among everything else going on. Come the reception, they both just hung in the background and worked on getting good shots of all the festivities going on. One part of the reception we loved is we decided to opt for Polaroids, which was fun since we could see some pictures on the spot! Plus it was great to actually take home over 100 photos from the day with us to share with our families until we get the finished and edited pictures.
But my wife and I cannot say enough about Daniel and Sarah; they’re both a pleasure to deal with and between our engagement pics and the wedding day, nothing was forced or faked, we just genuinely hit it off with them and they did a terrific job!
Can’t wait to see the edited pics!

We sought out Chellise and Michael based on other reviews on this site. We couldn’t have been happier. For example, a few days after our wedding Chellise sent us one photo … in response, my husband said,“wow, they really know what they are doing!” Chellise was a very calming presence during the pre-​wedding chaos and kept us on track to get amazing photos with all of our family (which took some coordinating). I had complete trust in them to get great shots; it was the one thing I didn’t have to worry about. A bonus: they are awesome. Highly recommend.

We sought out Chellise and Michael based on other reviews on this site. We couldn’t have been happier. For example, a few days after our wedding Chellise sent us one photo… and all I can say is, «wow, they really know what they are doing!» Chellise was a very calming presence during the pre-​wedding chaos and kept us on track to get amazing photos with all of our family (which took some coordinating). I had complete trust in them to get great shots; it was the one thing I didn’t have to worry about. A bonus: they are awesome. Highly recommend.

Chellise and Mike (her trusty FiFi and partner in awesomeness) were absolutely wonderful to work with. We found Chellise Michael Photography through a local site shortly after our engagement, and since we knew we wanted to do an e-​shoot, it seemed like serendipity.
We were initially attracted to Chellise’s work for her unique vision. She has a signature way of capturing color and movement. Somewhere between editorial and documentary in style, she inspires these really fashion-​forward, gorgeous shots. It never looks or feels forced or too posed. It’s just as if she captures these ephemeral and sparkly moments, and her subjects just happen to be standing or leaning in a really lovely way. CM’s photographs are fresh and, at times, unexpected and surprising, which makes her and her work simply incredible.
Most importantly, Chellise and Mike are just awesome folks. Their photographs are a direct reflection of them as individual artists and as a couple… vivid and full of vitality. The moment they asked us if we’d ever been to Peking Duck House in Chinatown, we knew we found our match! We shared a chilly and fun few hours shooting around TriBeCa in December, and they graciously endured our wedding on the hottest day of the year in July. We’re still in each other’s phones, and I know I can always check in with Chellise for answers to any random questions, whether personal or professional.
CMP invites a certain intimacy out of couples, and it’s evident that Chellise and Mike make shoots fun and personal above all. Without hesitation, we highly recommend Chellise Michael Photography for their personal professionalism and the quality of their work!

Chellise Michael Photography was introduced to me through DJ Gatsby, whom I booked for my engagement party. I was looking for a photographer to come in and shoot the party and also do a quick engagement shoot with my fiancé and I prior to the party. (We wanted some engagement photos, but wanted to tie it in with the engagement party.)
As I’m planning a destination wedding, and not everyone we know and love can attend, the engagement party was our change to get everyone in the same room to celebrate. We really wanted to capture all the fun moments: Family getting together for the first time in years, various friends meeting for the first time, and my fiancé and I celebrating with our nearest and dearest.
Chellise Michael nailed it! She walked in a complete stranger and left a friend. During the two-​hour engagement shoot she captured who we are. She got us being silly and spontaneous. I never felt uncomfortable or awkward. At the party she got all the fun moments of our friends and family. Seeing the photos brings me right back to the party! And she sent photos within days to us!
Chellise seamlessly interacted with our guests. She captured the moments on film that we’ll have for years to come. I highly recommend her for your parties, engagement shoots, weddings and more!
Check out Chellise Michael Photography for your next party. You won’t be disappointed!

I am a happy, satisfied, enthusiastic, raving-​fanatic, client of Chellise Michael. When we first met with Chellise and Mike months ago, my fiancé and I knew not only were they the perfect individuals to shoot our wedding, but somehow we needed to trick/​force/​cajole them into being friends with us. They are the type of people that are so cool you would feel intimidated save for the fact that they are the nicest, warmest, most fun individuals… who are truly committed to giving you photographic evidence of the most important moments in your life!
Their work speaks for itself — you look at the pictures and think, «I want to BE those beautiful, happy, interesting people!» Trust me, on a good day I am maybe half of one of those things… but just having received my engagement photos from them, I have never felt more beautiful, happy and interesting. From looking at those pictures, there are 22-​year-​olds in my office that are wondering if it’s weird to pre-​book them for an engagement thats likely years off!
Do yourselves a favor and check out their work, meet them in person, and sign on the dotted line for what has been the best wedding decision I’ve made… save for saying «yes» to the most wonderful man I’ve ever known :)

We hired Chellise to shoot original photography of our staff, office and neighborhood, and I have to tell you that we absolutely love the results.
For my personal photos, she made me look like a rockstar! She made Hell’s Kitchen look gritty, yet glamorous, and she made our office look fantastic!
She went the extra mile to do some shoots on very short notice and we really appreciate that level of service and professionalism.
And by the way, she’s super-​fun to work with.
I highly recommend hiring Chellise as your photographer.