KIND WORDS FROM CHAFFINS COUPLES
THE CHAFFINS PHOTOGRAPHY
reviews
reviews
reviews
“What a gift it was to have Sammie and Micah as our adventure guides/photographers for our engagement AND ceremony. As soon as we reached out, they were incredibly excited and supportive of our vision and essential to helping us with our timeline for the big day. Truly went above and beyond any expectation for photographers, as they were actively involved and reassuring with planning and execution. I remember vividly how open and willing they were as we shared our hearts of envisioning our intimate ceremony at the Central Coast and what it would mean to us. I have never experienced such an intentional photo shoot as Sammie and Micah asked questions and prompts that felt very natural and kept us in the present moment. Let alone made us laugh with their fun and energetic personalities. They had a perfect balance of point & shoot and candid & authentically us photos.
After reflecting on our photo gallery but more importantly the moments it held, I remember saying out loud “these are the pictures we will show our grandkids one day.” Timeless. When we shared with our family members, they were blown away by how incredible the photos were. More importantly, we gained wonderful friends who made it so easy to be ourselves and helped make this dream a reality for us. They helped to alleviate any unnecessary stress and reassured us leading up and throughout the day, which every couple should experience.
We will look back at our day with a full heart and teary eyes because they set the tone to create a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere.
I don’t say this often but run, don’t walk, to have the opportunity to collaborate with The Chaffins.”
- Alexis and Sean
“these are the pictures we will show our grandkids one day."
“Brooke and mine's experience with Sammie and Micah was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We bounced back and forth between the idea of a traditional, medium sized, wedding for a few months. But after meeting with Sammie and Micah for our engagement photos, we got to feel how personal and intimate mine and Brooke’s moments could be with each other.
We decided to ask Sammie and Micah to be our photographers for our wedding which we decided would be an elopement style wedding on the coast. Having a smaller wedding in the way we did really made us feel free of any hassle or stress that comes with trying to plan a larger wedding.
On the actual day of our wedding, Sammie and Micah captured mine and Brooke’s first moments as husband and wife, and choosing the elopement style wedding allowed us to play and laugh and enjoy an entire day of being husband and wife. There were no “traditional” greetings or small talks with what could’ve been 200 guests. Which in all reality, in some ways can take away from enjoying to the fullest the vows and promises your spouse and you have just said to one another. Instead our day was full of personal memories my wife and I got to share in a special way.
Sammie and Micah as a team of photographers isn’t intimidating, intrusive or overbearing. They’re patient and opportunistic and extremely skilled in the way that they can gently encourage spouses to play and be joyful and forget everything else in the world, like it is just the two of you. Their skill with capturing beautiful and sweet moments that’ll last forever is truly unparalleled.”
- Brooke and Aaron
"truly a once in a lifetime experience."
“I've known Sammie and Micah for a few years! I truly was always in awe of the photography they posted on instagram. After my husband and I got engaged, we decided we were going to elope. Trust me when I said I had NO PLAN or even an idea of what type of photographs we wanted, let alone, where we wanted to even elope!
I reached out to Sammie and Micah to see if they would be able to help us...they were truly amazing! The amount of resources, research, and patience they had to navigate our likes and dislikes to find the perfect location and photography style. Sammie even went as far as sending me links to wedding dresses to help me search for an elopement dress and confirming our elopement location!!
They went above and beyond, and we are forever grateful. Not only with how the photos came out (which were gorgeous!), but making the whole experience memorable (and honestly, fun! and this is coming from two people who don't take pictures and are very unphotogenic). Sammie and Micah are two of the most genuine people you will ever meet, who also are incredibly talented.”
- Kristian and Josiah
"They went above and beyond, and we are forever grateful."
“Have you ever met people that you just know are genuinely good hearted people with the best intentions and their presence puts you at complete ease? That’s Sammie and Micah. We’ve worked with other good photographers before but truly, working with Sammie and Micah is incomparable.
From the communication before, during, and after the shoot to the direction and encouragement the day of, 10 out of 10. And the turnaround time in which our gallery was delivered is a true testament to their work ethic and their accountability.
I recommend them to anyone and everyone. They are professional, kind, personable and simply lovely people to work with.”
- Adriana and Koen
"working with Sammie and Micah is incomparable."
“My husband and I had a much shorter timeline for getting married than most, and we thought that finding a great photographer that we loved would be a challenge. Through our premarital counseling class we met Sammie and Micah, and after announcing our engagement, we took a look at their Instagram to get an idea of their photography style. As soon as we saw their aesthetic, we KNEW they were the ones! Their work was exactly what we were looking for, and working with them was THE BEST experience. Finding them was truly a blessing from God.
Sammie and Micah are extremely talented photographers (their work speaks for itself!) but they also make sure to go out of their way to make the process comfortable and so fun! They met us for coffee as we discussed our vision, and they think of every detail.
We booked our engagement session with them at Taft Point and had an incredible experience. They handled all the details like permits and passes. We enjoyed every bit of riding into the park with them, hiking up the trail, and could not get over our golden hour photos taken at Taft Point. They made us feel like models (my jaw dropped when I got the sneak peaks 😍 I couldn’t believe that was us!)
They are professional beyond words, and go above and beyond. They are incredibly thorough on your wedding day and in the planning beforehand to make sure they get all of the shots you request. On our wedding day, they captured all of our special moments in gorgeous photos, and even fanned down guests to make sure they were cool in the heat! We cannot recommend a more talented, fun, and hard-working duo to capture such important memories. They put so many special touches into the work they do, which really adds to the whole experience. We can truly say that through working with them we made two new friends, and have already recommended them to other friends who are getting married. They are the best!”
- Heather and Ben
"We cannot recommend a more talented, fun, and hard-working duo to capture such important memories."
"Weddings are never without their stresses and endless lists of things to go through in wanting everything to go "right." Especially in the in-between moments where memories will be captured forever. On mine and my husbands' wedding day, Sammie and Micah were a part of it in such an intimate way as not only our best friends, but as the professional photographers that they are.
Even as our minds were trying to make sure everything ran smoothly, when we were in front of the cameras, we were able to really slow down and be present. Not only were our photos gorgeous, but they were truly a reflection of who we are and how we felt on that special day. It wasn't just about an aesthetic we were trying to achieve, but it was the purest form of the beginning of our lives together marked by that day.
I think you won't find anyone else who will be able to make you feel comfortable by just being yourself on the other side of a camera like Sammie and Micah. They want what you want out of your adventure in this life. And I think considering how unique a wedding day will be forever etched into your memory, why not have photographers who love people, marriage, and capturing everything it represents on a day when all you want is to live it out with those you care about most. Sammie and Micah will take care of you in ways you wouldn't think a photographer would, but they will. They love what they do, but they love those who they do it for even more so. Life is unpredictable and sometimes needs a little bit of a filter, but on one of the happiest days of your life, Sammie and Micah will live out all the good and bad every step of the way alongside you.”
- Alejandra and Elijah
"we were able to really slow down and be present."
“Sammie and Micah were awesome! They were incredibly organized and professional. During both the ceremony and reception we hardly noticed that they were there, which was a good thing. The family/group photo session immediately after the ceremony was quick and painless. They were very smart to ask a few weeks before the wedding for a list of all the photos that we wanted to take with family members. That way there was a clear itinerary of who/what/where everyone needed to be to make everything run smoothly.
The prompts were surprisingly helpful. Admittedly, it can also be difficult for me to be romantic. Sammie and Micah were great about giving Abbie and I questions to ask each other, and then giving us some private time/space to talk to each other, while they took photos from a distance.
The photos turned out much better than I had expected. I knew they were going to be good by looking at their portfolio, but they really turned out amazing. They made the Yosemite landscape in October really shine. Some of the photos look like they came right out of Sleepy Hollow and I loved that. The photos also captured all our humor and emotion before, during, and after the wedding.
Our expectation was exceeded by how organized Sammie and Micah were. Additionally, they have a unique system of getting to know a couple and figuring out how to draw out the best in both of them to create great photos.
This is a message to the grooms: If you are like me, where just the idea of dealing with "wedding photographers" and the process of getting photographed seems like a huge pain in the ass, I can assure you that Sammie and Micah will surprise you. I am a skeptical dude in general and I had my doubts when my wife approached me about hiring professional photographers. I originally would have been happy with just Cousin Jim-Bob handling it with a Polaroid. But trust me, as I have learned, you do not want to cheap out on bad photos. Your wife will resent you for it and you will be pleasantly surprised with how much fun you have with Samme and Micah. Our photos turned out incredible and I am 110% glad we went with the Chaffins!”
- Abbie + Jeff
"I am 110% glad we went with
the Chaffins!”
“Sammie and Micah captured moments leading up to our wedding as well as our wedding day beautifully! We chose Sammie and Micah to take our engagement photos and wedding photos! Sammie helped direct us at first until we were comfortable in front of the lens. Sammie gave us prompts to help bring out mine and my husband's connection in the photos.
Sammie and Micah encourage their couples to be authentic! This was so special and really helped build memories while capturing them at the same time. One thing that will always stand out to me was Sammie reminding me and my husband to take in a deep breath and look around and to remember the exact feelings we had during our engagement shoot.
Me and my husband felt so comfortable and completely trusted Sammie and Micah to capture our big day. They met with us multiple times to note down any specifications and really made us feel at ease leading up to our big day. Sammie and Micah are the perfect team and will make sure to capture the perfect shot. I will always cherish the memories Sammie and Micah captured!”
- Matty and Bryce
"I will always cherish the memories Sammie and Micah captured!”
"I am 110% glad we went with the Chaffins!”
“Our experience with Sammie and Micah was fun and intentional. From the beginning, they were respectful and attentive to our thoughts and feelings.
Their prompts were unique and allowed us to be more present on our special day. You can tell that they absolutely enjoy what they do and they care deeply about the couples they interact with.
If you want professional and detailed photographers who are dedicated to having couples enjoy their day, Sammie and Micah are for you!”
- Jackie + Wil
"Their prompts allowed us to be more present on our special day."
"Sammie was incredible! She was so flexible when we needed to find a new location, she had great suggestions and the location we ended up using was gorgeous! She did such a lovely job taking the time to connect with us, and taking notes on what to capture.
My fiancé isn't comfortable in front of a camera, but Sammie used some interactive word games and movement prompts that made him feel right at home. We actually forgot she was there for a minute!
We were able to have this intimate space to express our love and she captured it so beautifully.
I lost sleep because I couldn't stop staring at our highlight previews! My fiancé loves them as well, and says he would gladly do another session with Sammie any day! We fully recommend her!"
- Amelia and Mateo
"My fiancé isn't comfortable in front of a camera, but the interactive prompts made him feel right at home."
“I am SO GLAD my friend recommended Sammie and Micah to me. I was super nervous going into it, both my fiancé and I feel so awkward in front of a camera.
But Sammie has been an absolute boss in every way. Right from our first communications over email she was professional, but also extremely friendly! She was so intentional about getting to actually know us, so we could feel more comfortable when it came time for photos.
And even when it came to actually posing for the photos, they had so many clever tricks that helped us relax, be real, and even forget that the camera was even there. We both had SO MUCH FUN.
And then the photos- OH MY GOSH THE PHOTOS. They are stunning! She is a fantastic editor! Plus, I was in a bit of a hurry after the engagement shoot to see a couple, so I could use one for our save-the-dates. She got me plenty to choose from so quickly! Sammie and Micah are awesome, my fiancé and I both love them, and we are so excited for them to shoot our wedding!”
- Maddie and Tom
