hi, i'm chelle!

I'm an easy going person, who likes to enjoy the small things in life. I try to live modestly and gratefully, and want to experience life in the best way... by photographing people and their love stories.

Besides photography I love my adorable cats, my elderly goldfish (who is nearly 15 years old), collecting house plants (I have over 60 plants!), a good Netflix binge, and making friends with complete strangers!


halifax wedding photographer

a little more about me...

I have a fine art degree from NSCAD University with a major in photography, and a minor in art history.

I'm a maker... a creator. Art has always been my main passion in life, even from a young age you would find me with a pencil and some paper, painting rocks, making my own toys and stuffies, or using my point and shoot camera. It's all I ever wanted to do and now I feel so grateful and lucky that I'm able to create for a living!

I'm a nature lover and absolutely adore animals. Snuggling my cats is one of my favourite activities.

Things I also love:

  • travelling the world
  • sleeping in and eating breakfast for dinner
  • all-you-can-eat sushi dates
  • house plants

I'm a real day-dreamer, and have always been bursting with creativity. Art and photography are my life and my passions.

If I had a free weekend: I'd be road trippin'! I'd hop in the car with a backpack and my camera and just drive. It wouldn’t matter where, just so long as there were some good snacks, and an adventure.

halifax wedding photographer
halifax wedding photographer

THE WEDDING

DREAM TEAM


cherakee

@cherakeephotography


Cherakee joins the team just for weddings, and I honestly don’t know what I'd do without her! We've been shooting weddings together since the beginning... since 2010!

We have the same training, and the same eye and are basically interchangeable on your wedding day.


When she's not shooting with me, she can be found at her computer, experimenting with photoshop, making master pieces like a painter with a canvas!


Cher has a fine arts degree from NSCAD, and is basically a creative genius. her use of colour and texture in her work is like no other!


Cher loves a good cup of coffee (even late at night), lemon meringue pie, and anything involving cheese. She gets way too excited over light fixtures, area rugs, glass jars, and pyrite.


If Cherakee had a free weekend: She’d spend it with her family – her darling daughter, Frania, who is a real firecracker and a real talented musician already, and dashing chef husband, Tim.


assistant/drone pilot


At your wedding you'll also have a third person! I know it is a little out of the ordinary but over the years we have found that having a third person helps us be the best and most attentive photographers possible! Always present, so no moments are missed.


This third person will be our driver, helper, your stuff holder, food go-getter, as well as a drone pilot! That means, if weather permits, you'll receive a handful of beautiful arial photographs in your wedding album!


FAQ

how long have you been shooting?

i hate to say this, because it seems so cliche, but literally ever since i can remember, i had a camera in my hand! my first camera was a Kodak 110 film camera that my grandma gave me for my birthday when i was 5 or 6, and i took photos of EVERYTHING (my stuffed animals, mostly.)

growing up, my mom was a bit of an amateur photographer, and always had a camera pointed at my sister and i. when i got older, she loaned me her Canon AE-1 for art school, which i still use and cherish to this day.

i've been shooting people, families and weddings since 2010!

what inspires you?

you do! your love for each other. your personalities and the way you smile at each other. capturing the smallest details that no one else notices. symmetry, straight lines, getting the perfect catchlight in your eye, and the gratification that comes from knowing the next photo could be the best one I’ve ever taken.

do you have an assistant?

I do! For weddings I have my co-shooter Cherakee. We've been shooting weddings together since the beginning. Our first wedding together was in 2010!

For most other shoots, I try to bring along someone to help out, hold all of my stuff, or your purse, or dog, or baby!

what kind of gear do you use?

i’m a strong believer in the saying “the best camera is the one you have with you", The gear you have doesn’t necessarily make or break you. with that said, i also believe in providing my clients with the best possible photograph so i upgrade my gear every 2 or 3 years to the latest technology.

how far in advance should i book you for my wedding?

portrait shoots are easy to book whenever! usually people book about 2 weeks in advance, but the summer and fall months do tend to book quickly so if you're interested, book as soon as you can!

for weddings i generally book between 12-16 months out. contact me as soon as you can to make sure your date is still available! there are certain dates every year that tend to be the most popular (long weekends in May, August, September, and October go first.) even though those dates go fast, it never hurts to email and ask, even if your wedding is only a month away!

how and when do i pay?

i like to keep things simple, and since portrait shoots tend to get shuffled around on my calendar if there's bad weather, i've found it's easiest for everyone to forget the deposit. i just ask that payment is received in full on the day of the shoot!

for weddings, a $700 (plus tax) deposit is required upon booking and signing of the contract, to ensure that your date is saved. this deposit is non refundable. the remaining amount can be paid in increments leading up to your big day if you want, but full payment needs to be received a week prior to your wedding day.

i accept cash, cheques and email money transfers.

Follow me on Instagram

@chellewoottenphoto