About us

Thanks for visiting our site! We are Mike and Nat and along with our love for photography we treasure the opportunity to capture moments in people’s lives. As a recently wed (wooohooo!) couple we know exactly how important it is to choose the best vendors for your wedding day. We hold a promise to capture photographs in the most amazing way you’ve ever seen to each of our couples.

We know that after only a few years some of the only memories left from a wedding day are ones which were caught on camera. We are blessed to be invited to document the beginning of each family and to create our art.

A bit about Mike

I am not sure when it was exactly that I fell in love with the art of photography but one of my most enjoyable first experiences was when I traveled through Europe on a two-months backpacking trip following college. There was something about capturing moments and expressing myself through this medium that pulled me strongly towards studying it and, subsequently, choosing to become a professional photographer in the coming years. And yet it wasn’t until I shot my first wedding that I caught a glimpse of my life’s true calling.

You may have heard that to study photography is to study light. While true, I would add that to photograph people is to be interested and willing to study people. The connections, emotions, and significance of a wedding day are what drew me in from the start and it’s these elements that continue to fuel my inspiration at each event I am honored to capture. After all, if it wasn’t for the relationships that we each have in our lives, what would be left?

I love what I do for a living because it’s a true a reflection of who I am and what matters to me as a person. Now, enough of these sappy thoughts already – it’s back to being a manly man for me :)

Totally crazy about: Friends, music, nature, exploring the world, traveling, my family, and of course, photography!

Something people might not know: I loved playing guitar for about 5 years before I realized it’s probably not my true calling. I still love to appreciate music and listen to a variety of genres all the time.

An amazing experience: After finishing UC Davis I left to go backpack through Europe for 2 months. One of the many highlights was running with the bulls in Spain as we were there right at the time of the famous annual Pamplona Bull-running festival. It was equal parts excitement and being scared at the same time. Such an adrenalin rush! On the morning of the run just about the only thing keeping me calm was a lady in her 60′s who was participating in this event for her 30th time! It turned out just fine, but next time I am there I might just watch it from the side, along with thousands of others versus actually participating :)

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A bit about Nat

Nat’s passion for photography comes from a love of capturing an ordinary scene in unexpected ways and a desire to express herself artistically with each photograph. Her favorite part of a wedding day is the creative portrait session we have with each of our couples but she also has a true passion for all things ‘detail’. From stunning shoes to creative shots of the dress, flowers, table decor and more, every detail encountered is captured in a unique and original way.

“During weddings, I absolutely love how much thought goes into every single little detail and I love to be able to capture it in the best possible creative way. I am also totally addicted to the emotions on wedding days. The moments will go from happiness and laughter to tears and sadness and because I’m trying to catch the emotions in the subjects I also end up experiencing it all. It’s not uncommon for me to start tearing up behind the camera while shooting.”

Totally crazy about: Warm weather, sandy beaches, being with friends and family, traveling to new places, and kick-ass photos! :)

Something people might not know: When I was in middle school I completely fell in love with tropical plants. I learned how to grow them and kept about a hundred different plants in my room. It became very time consuming, and while I still like them a lot, I keep quite a bit less than 100 now :)

Love to munch on: Hi, my name is Nat and I’m a Chocoholic. That’s right, I looooove dark chocolate and can have it anytime of the day. Did you know that the Aztecs called it the “Food of Gods”?

Guilty pleasure: I love to read blogs and I have about 50 favorite ones at this point. I think it’s called “blogstalking” :) Can you blame me when so many amazing and inspiring artists?

An amazing experience: The most amazing experience that comes to mind is the birth of my niece Dasha. Although I’m far away from her and my sister I feel that I’m very emotionally involved in her life. It still amazes me how the baby appeared seemingly out of nowhere and immediately took a giant part in the hearts of my family. Thinking of her makes me very emotional every time.

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We love to travel and here are some of the places we enjoyed the most: Costa Rica, Greece, Spain, Israel, and Thailand! You can see some of our travel galleries here: Choco Studio Travel Photos

Some of the countries we hope to see soon: Brazil, Argentina, and pretty much any place tropical :) We also want to see Alaska and the famed coast of Oregon.

Our engagement photo by Stefan Patashvili

You can view more of our wedding portfolio at chocostudio.com, call or contact us through the web form, and check out our Facebook page and join: