A little about me
I do not believe creatives should have to narrow down their niche to just one area - because I love working with different mediums! My name is Chantel and I tell stories through visual communication such as photography + design + fine art.
I am well-known for capturing wedding photos that tug at your heart strings, creating unique senior portraits that help you stand out from your classmates, and you might even catch me on the side lines capturing your favorite sports team!
Graphic design and visual branding are also a huge part of my life. I worked as a full-time designer and branding expert for small businesses, agencies, and universities before I began my own business! Now I love helping small businesses and creatives startup their companies with awesome branding, unique to them!
Fun fact - my first love was oil painting! I have actually had artwork on display in museums and exhibitions throughout the Midwest.
What ever medium I use, my goal is to tell the unique story of YOU. What story do you need help telling?
HEy, I'm Chantel!
Not just a photographer,
Let's tell your
unique story!
a visual storyteller
01 /
WEDDING DAY
the knot
FEATURED
/ 02
03 /
NOMADIC LENS
NIKON , USA
/ 04
corey + COURTNEY
"Chantel was great to work with and she did an amazing job with capturing our special day! She took pictures that we will treasure for years to come."
hank + emily
Chantel is absolutely incredible. Not only do her pictures turn out incredible, but she is a gem to work with. Any type of pictures you need she will come through on past expectations. She did my wedding photos and they are some of the best wedding photos I have ever seen, but I may be a little bias :)
JACOB + EMILY
She is a gem to work with!! Takes the simplest idea and makes it a masterpiece. 20/10 recommend.
NOTHINGS
SWEET
My number one goal while working together is to be 1000% honest with you. I do not take myself too seriously. I want to be able to laugh together and have fun on our shoots or while we are designing your brand. Making you comfortable in front of the camera or to share you vision is my priority. When we choose to be authentic to who we really are - we make images we LOVE because we feel good about ourselves. We create brand guides that are TRUE to your identity, which in turn helps you to create genuine customers!
There is too little time in this lifetime to try being someone you are not - let's EMBRACE the REAL YOU!
"Be authentic from behind your camera lens and your clients will be authentic in front of it."
MY PHILOSOPHY
If we end up working together, you will most likely hear me quote The Office or Friends at least once.
I absolutely love my job, but what I do outside of work makes me relate to you because I am just a goofy, laid back human big chillin' just like you! After the hustle - I enjoy baking bread, re-watching the office, cheering on Notre Dame, playing volleyball, making clay earrings, playing with my doggos, and marathons over the latest binge-worthy shows on Netflix. I finished every episode of Bridgerton in one sitting, and I see that as impressive. We can also bond over a love of Chick-fil-a if you are into that.
“Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”
– Michael Scott
MY FAV THINGS
WHAT INSPIRES ME
For all the cool kids who know what enneagram is - I am a Type 3 wing 2. For those of you who role with Myers Briggs - I am an ENFP. Those of you reading this and think the last two sentences are a foreign language - these are personality test results that help define my personality!
As a type 3 I am inspired to be excellent in everything I do. It can apply to my photography, or making dinner, or playing UNO with my little cousins - THERE IS NO MERCY! I have always had the need to perfect my craft and do the best job I can. I am also a wing 2. This means that I LOVE helping others, and their opinions mean a lot to me.
Hence the phrase, "I need to be the best at loving people!"
It truly is what inspires me to do this job. I am passionate about telling other's stories because I love seeing the smile on their faces when they see their final gallery, or the tears well up because they relive the moments when they look at my photographs.
The REAL and AUTHENTIC emotions from people are what inspire me to keep working at this dream!
"I need to be the best at loving people!"
MY LOVE STORY
I met my husband Reece during our Freshman year of college, though we knew of each other before, we had never officially met. He was on my brother hall and was the only familiar "face from home." We grew up in the same county and it took us moving to college, him dropping out, both of us dating the wrong people, me graduating and planning to move to another state... to us reconnecting years later.
When we reconnected he said "You know... I have had a crush on you since that first year in college. I was in a bad place in life and I knew you deserved better. Now, I know you are what I want, and I would wait forever for you." *or something like that;)*
We dated for 7 months before he asked me to be his wife! We became one at the alter during April of 2020 with only our best friends and family members. Our story has had so many bumps in the road, but it is beautiful. Now I love telling other love stories even more than before! Also I have cried at every wedding since my own - because I truly understand the significance of the BIG day.
A not so glamorous love story... is a testament to true love.
“We take photos to feel like artists on a Tuesday - and storytellers on a Sunday”
TWO SOULS ONE STORY
Whether you are a couple looking for someone to tell your love story, a senior looking to stand out, or a business looking to revamp your brand. Each of you are unique, and I want to help tell your story!
