mother and daughter comforting each other during a family session with BLM signs behind them

Family Films

Celebrating the Here and Now with Video

July 30, 2020

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My heart’s been weighed down by the gravity of this year and I’ve been trying to find ways to show up for humanity and give some kind of solace to families as we navigate these tough times. Creating ways to respectfully capture these times have been tough, yet necessary because I believe that we’re making history and fighting our hardest to NOT repeat it. And that is extraordinarily beautiful and absolutely worth commemorating. 

In that spirit, I’m introducing Portrait Family Films—a vtime capsule of sorts to honestly acknowledge a special person in the right here and right now. Think of it as an abbreviated Family Film/Video, only shorter that highlights one very important person. 

I’m so very honored to capture this poignant time with this family who is one of those listening learning, and standing. This Portrait video celebrates a young trailblazer with a big laugh and a heart of gold, who cares deeply about civil rights, her new pup, and (thought she may not care to admits this), her sister too. 

Let’s get in touch if you would like to pay tribute to someone dear in the San Francisco Bay Area. My heart’s always open. 


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mother and daughter hugging during portrait family session east bay

This film was filled with light and joy, but somehow also included the poignancy of our present moment in time. You captures our daughter so perfectly (her hands, her feet, her big smile, her tangled hair, her bossiness with her sister!) It’s like you turned my heart inside out. Thank you.

Michelle M

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 Fair warning: I bring my outdated 90s dance moves to every session.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