Meet Michelle Gunn

Wedding Photographer

By ProDPI

June 3^rd, 2024

Meet Michelle

Michelle Gunn is married to her amazing wife, Kimberly, and they have a 10-month-old daughter, Madeleine. Never wanting to forget a memory, Michelle has always loved photographs for transporting her back to moments of travel and friendship.

At 16, Michelle came out to her family and became very active in the LGBTQIA+ community, always advocating for their rights. When gay marriage became federally recognized, she had no idea that just three years later, she would be photographing queer weddings as a career.

When not photographing weddings, Michelle loves spending time in nature and with her family. Living close to Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks makes it easy for her to escape to towering trees, fresh air, and cascading waterfalls.

“I truly love working with my couples to make sure their wedding day is everything they’ve dreamed of. Queer weddings have a unique magic that is simply unparalleled.”

“As a young girl, I would spend hours flipping through old photo albums.”

Start in Photography

Michelle has always been captivated by photographs. She spent hours flipping through old photo albums as a young girl. In high school, she was thrilled to receive her first point-and-shoot camera, and thanks to a yearbook class, she got her hands on a DSLR and fell in love with photography.

She never imagined turning this passion into a business until 2018, when she and her wife got engaged. As a queer couple, they wanted wedding vendors who truly supported the LGBTQIA+ community. Finding none in their area, Michelle knew she had to step up and fill that role. She booked her first wedding in 2018 and can't imagine doing anything else.

Finding Inspiration

This might sound cheesy, but for Michelle, love inspires her. She truly loves working with her couples to ensure their wedding day is everything they've dreamed of. Queer weddings have a unique magic that is simply unparalleled.

When Michelle was 16 and came out to her family, she wasn't immediately accepted for her queerness. She distinctly remembers her mom telling her she would never attend her wedding. Ten years later, her mom was there, making a beautiful toast to Michelle and her wife on their wedding day.

Queer weddings are filled with both biological and chosen family, creating an atmosphere of genuine love and acceptance. Michelle feels incredibly honored to support her couples on their special day, capturing all the moments that make it perfectly imperfect.

“My style leans towards bright, true to life, and joyful. I am always drawn to light and laughter and that is reflected in my photographic style.”

Advice to Beginners

Michelle advises trying everything and finding what brings you the most joy. She never thought she would be a wedding photographer, but it brings her joy like no other kind of photography. She emphasizes being honest with yourself if you want to be a business owner, noting that photographing is only about 5% of the actual work you do as a photography business.

Michelle recommends not getting wrapped up in spending a lot of money on education. A wealth of free content on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook is just as good as paid education. If you want to invest in education, she suggests researching local photographers who offer mentorships.