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Family Photos

Wright-Dowd Family DITL

May 24, 2016

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A picture is worth a thousand words, and for me, it’s that and many times more. I simply love capturing the honest moments in everyday life and letting them speak their unique, rich stories. It’s what I’m most passionate about and it’s the reason why I became a documentary photographer.

Over the holidays, I was especially honored to be invited to the home of this very dear family for a Day in the Life session. I think back on the upsets and hurdles they endured on their journey of starting a family. It wasn’t until after many heartbreaks did fate finally bring them to that eventful day in Savannah where Chris and Dan met Noah for the first time. Up until the day of our shoot, I’d never seen how contagious love can be. He just brings out the best in everyone. He can even win over the most curmudgeonly of hearts. His sly smile and laughter are infectious. This little boy wonder just makes the world right again and I will be forever grateful.

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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 Fair warning: I bring my outdated 90s dance moves to every session.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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