Hello

self-portrait, 2023

I’m Carly.

I am the best, bravest, most compassionate version of myself with a camera in hand.

My goal is to make photographs that make people see how beautiful they are just being themselves. My approach is highly personal and, I'm told, unconventional. I hope that shows through in my work.

When not shooting, I spend my days with a snow-loving dog named Sprocket and a partner named Rob, who loves broccoli and, thankfully, me. I'm a film aficionado, which is just a pretentious way of saying I heart movies. I love clever words and a balanced chai. I am outrageously proud of my friends and my sock collection.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and, upon securing a dog sitter, am available for weddings worldwide.

Yan Palmer, 2023

The weddings featured on this website date back to 2011. They are organized by location, not because my ego wants you to see that I’ve been around. On the contrary, I hope that you’ll see that my love of beauty, stories, and, above all, humans transcends time and place.

While a journalist by education and formal training, I am a self taught photographer,

which is not to discount the countless mentors I have learned from across the 15 years I’ve been a student of photography. I now know approximately .001% of all there is to know about the medium, and I’m excited to spend the next 15 years trying to double that knowledge.

The truth is, it doesn’t take very long to learn how to use a camera. It’s simple math plus muscle memory acquired over time, and I have only ever been interested in gear insofar as it allows me to shoot how I want to shoot. To me, the lifelong work of photography, what I spend most of my time on, is studying light and subject. I am eternally curious about the inner landscapes of and relationships between people.

Kindnesses...

  • She has this vision that amazes me. She has the ability to capture moments and emotions in photos like I've never seen. She also has an uncanny ability to just "get" people within minutes of meeting them. She becomes friends with her clients and gets to know them, which I think is so important. She is creative, fun, incredibly professional, and just an all-around wonderful person. She spent the ENTIRE day with us, capturing thousands of photos, and she just fit right in.” -Michaela P.

  • …photographer was first based only on seeing her portfolio, but after meeting her and after our engagement session we realized her true value as a photographer is her! Carly's talent goes so much beyond the incredible images she creates. Her genuine interest in wanting to know us and our story is what made our photographs amazing, because it came through in our images. Our wedding ceremony was just my husband and I atop a mountain, Carly was there to make sure through our pictures our families felt like they were there too (and therefore couldn't be too disappointed they were not :-). Carly is warm, genuine, curious, creative, generous with her time, and will capture every bit of what makes you and your wedding unique. Thanks to Carly we have tangible documents of our feelings and memories of our wedding day...so much more than ‘pictures.’ Have I gushed too much?” -Melanie V.

  • …from our wedding it would be Carly. I did a ton of research of wedding photographers and Carly's vision and style was exactly what we wanted. After our engagement session my now-husband and I were in total agreement about how amazing she was! She got two people who were not used to having cameras in their face from awkward to comfortable. On our wedding day, Carly was incredibly professional and friendly. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so dedicated to her craft! Carly was on the ground taking photos more than once, and once was outside in the snow! Carly is the kind of person that if she wasn't photographing your wedding day, you'd want her dancing by your side with a glass of champagne instead. I cannot recommend her services highly enough!” -Christina B.