Who am I... Hello! I'm a mom to one amazingly adorable daughter (so far). Her arrival sparked a new desire to discover my inner-photographer! I love being able to capture precious moments, not only in my own life but also in the lives of family and friends. I have also been labeled as a {mama}razzi or {mom}tographer!
christine M chalko photography... why the M?? Well, the obvious is that my middle name is Michelle. Why make the M the signature logo letter when, perhaps, C would have been the more obvious choice, given my first and last name?! I have always kind of disliked the letter C. It's not symmetrical. It doesn't have any ends that lend itself well to fun curly-q's. I have always been a fan of M's for this reason, ha!
My inspiration... my latest obsession is with blogs. Particularly, photography blogs. And even more particularly, the blogs that are written by {mama}razzi and {mom}tographers like me! I love blogs that depict the daily lives of fellow photographers, especially when it involves their children. I look at these blogs for inspiration for my own work and to pick up a few pointers here and there. I love that there are so many photographers out there who are willing to share their dirty little secrets and show the good with the bad. Let's face it, being a photographer is not all fun and games! Some of the best shots are taken during a sudden downpour outside...during a kid's epic meltdown...after a woman playfully pushes her fiancé into the nearby creek that was the background for some "picture perfect" engagement shots.
Photography and me... Photography is about life and capturing its moments. I don't have some fancy studio where I can shuffle my clients through one by one to get the perfect, staged shots. Though sometimes I think that may be the easier way (the light is easily manipulated, the angles are always the same), I find the "real life" aspect of photographs much more appealing. I enjoy meeting clients at their own houses or their favorite locations...somewhere that means something to them and contains objects that they are familiar with to create the backdrops of my photographs. Given the vast number of variables that come in to play when being a lifestyle photographer, I love challenging myself to make the best of any given situation (whether it be the lighting, the frigid cold outside, the heat!).
