a girl and her dog relaxing looking out a window

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Oh, Enzo | A Love Letter to my Dog

February 6, 2020

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They say that what you do on the first day of the Lunar New Year will set the tone for the rest of the year. If that’s the case, I think I kicked it off right by combining my love for my family with my crush on filmmaking. Thanks to the first of many workshops this year, I’m pushing myself to create more personal projects and to step on the other side of the camera.

With that said, here’s my first film of 2020. It’s a love letter to our dog to thank him for never giving up on us. I was at first a little embarrassed to share this because it’s deeply sentimental and it gushes about that one member of our family that smells like Doritos (the nacho cheese variety if you’re wondering). He’s become such an integral part of our lives and I can’t imagine ever being without him.

May we all nurture our souls in the new year and thank the ones we love. Gung hay fat choy!

About Me

Real people are my favorite.

It's why I appointed myself the family documentarian early on, carefully recording life unfolding, and learning along the way how much I love visual storytelling. I picked up my first professional camera when my child was born, knowing those early years were dawning and full of change — and I never looked back. I can't imagine doing anything else.

I'm a maximalist in every sense: all-in on a project or power napping, rarely anything in between. A little weird and impressively clumsy, with absolutely zero shame dancing in public. I live in Alameda (aka the Midwest of the Bay Area) with my husband, my teen, and a menagerie of animals. Fair warning: I bring my outdated 90s dance moves to every session.

My upbringing taught me to find beauty where others see ordinary. Motherhood only deepened that instinct, and I've been known to cry at the drop of a hat. Kleenex is a standing item on my packing list for newborn sessions.

I'm awkward at small talk and large groups are where I go quiet — which is exactly why you'll never find me working weddings or large events, and why you will find me completely at home in yours. I work best in the intimate, the real, and the messy.

I invest deeply in the people I work with and pour my whole heart into every session. Walking away with friendships after a session is always a major bonus — and it's the reason I love my job as much as I do.

WORK WITH ME

©Carmen dunham Photography 2026

branding by Bella Maven 

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