Sweet Poppy Studios

Carleigh is an absolute treasure, as are each and every single one of the photos she’s taken of my family! I reached out to her after convincing myself (37 weeks along) to do a maternity shoot, and I hit it off with her immediately. I’m not used to having professional photos taken of myself, and I wanted someone who specialized in natural light photography and who would take candid as opposed to staged photos. Carleigh delivered and then some! She made me feel completely at ease, and I had the best of times with her. And the photos were absolutely perfect, capturing so much more than I ever thought photos could. Needless to say, I reached out to her right away to schedule a newborn session after my little one arrived, and also reached out to her to capture my little’s six-​month and year-​old milestones. Carleigh has such a talent for working with little ones and really finds ways of capturing their budding personalities. She’s also amazing with camera-​shy spouses :)
Also, and very importantly, her prices are incredibly generous/​reasonable, especially in light of all that she gives in return. She sends you USBs (that include both social media sized versions and print-​quality versions) of your photos, and gives you all of the good photos that she takes a given shoot. We’ve received 150 – 200 photos from every shoot we’ve done with her, which is far more than what many will give you for the same (if not higher!) price.
All of this is to say, I’d give her ten stars if I could!

Carleigh shot our wedding pictures in January 2015. She was absolutely fantastic! From the first time we emailed her to ask about her availability, our experience with her was the best. She responded right away and was immediately interested in the details of the wedding. I was concerned because our wedding was indoors at night and most of the photographs we were seeing online were outside. She assured me that she had experience and qualifications to shoot indoors. She met with us prior to the wedding and we were able to clarify what we wanted and ask her questions. The day of the wedding she put us right at ease and was extremely unobtrusive. She was quick as well. I have to say, our pictures were WELL WORTH the price. They turned out far, far beyond our expectations and captured our day perfectly. Bottom line: booking Carleigh will be the best decision you’ll make about your wedding day. She is a consummate professional and we couldn’t be happier with our finished product.

We used Sweet Poppy Studios for our wedding in June 2014. Carleigh is not one of the best, she IS the best! Every step of the process — from choosing the package, nailing down a timeframe, planning site visits, meeting vendors, etc. — was easy and done with the utmost professionalism. Even though I had been in the event planning business for awhile, Carleigh brought up wonderful points and helpful suggestions that I totally overlooked or didn’t think were important. She also did our rehearsal dinner pictures as I wanted some more intimate family pictures, and it was just like having another family member there with us. She is very personable, friendly, outgoing, and has an amazing eye. Our wedding was mostly outside and spread-​out along 3 different parts of the venue, and every single picture came out perfectly! She and her assistant, Marissa, knew exactly where to be and when to be there to capture the best lighting, and candid photos of our guests and of us. Every time we look at our photos, it takes us back to that day and the specific moment of the photo. I can honestly say that I will use Sweet Poppy Studios for EVERY future life event and recommend everyone do the same. We cannot thank Carleigh and Marissa enough for going above and beyond our expectations!

Carleigh is by far the best photographer there is.
Let me start by saying she made the experience simple, fun and easy from start to finish. She is so sweet and really cares about her clients and their special moments. You can see it while she is working and in the photos. We did our engagement and wedding photos with Carleigh and I love each and every one of them. She really captures every moment. As one of her other reviews says, «the photos tell a magical story», and they truly do.
My husband and I had such a great time with Carleigh. The wedding party and wedding guests thought she was a blast too! She was more like a guest at the wedding than a photographer. We didn’t even realize there was a camera in front of us snapping shots.
I really can’t say enough about how wonderful Carleigh is and can’t express my gratitude to her for capturing my wedding day in such a perfect way. My only problem is I can’t decide on which photos to order because I love each and every one of them! I would recommend Carleigh to everyone and will definitely be working with her again in the future.

This is a review for Allegra Rios from Sweet Poppy Studios. She is a talented photographer and a joy to work with. She was able to get the most amazing shots of my 20 month old and we are very pleased with every file we received. We are looking forward to working with her again. We will highly recommend Sweet Poppy Studios to all of our friends.

Carleigh is hands down the best and so is Marissa. They are fun, hip, creative, flexible, and talented. Our engagement photos took our breath away and we can’t wait to see our wedding photos. They even got down on the dance floor with us with their cameras in hand! We are definitely looking forward to more shoots in the future with Carleigh and would recommend her highly to anyone we know who is in the market!

I just love Carleigh from Sweet Poppy Studios! She is a truly talented photographer and a real joy to work with. We met with several photographers when we were planning our wedding and we just instantly knew Carleigh was who we wanted to work with — based not only on her portfolio but also because she was so easy going, fun and we were instantly comfortable with her. Her shooting style is just like her – easy going, fun and comfortable!
We had the opportunity to do engagement pics before the wedding so we really got a sense of how she likes to shoot. I was worried it would be too posed and contrived – but she has a way of just pulling out natural moments and you are never standing there posing for the camera — which for some (like me) can be uncomfortable! She’s also completely upfront about her style – if you want «portrait-​y» «posed» type of photography she’s probably not necessarily the one for you. But if you want photos that feel more like absolutely amazing candid’s – she’s the best choice! Her editorial style has a slight vintage feel to it as well– which just makes gorgeous finished shots.
At our wedding she was a complete professional, and I never felt like she was ever in the way– but don’t be fooled she may climb trees to get the shots she wants! She was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout our entire wedding process. I can’t wait to have her shoot pregnancy photos when we enter that next chapter of our lives. Carleigh isn’t someone you just want to shoot your engagement or wedding – she becomes someone you want to shoot all the big milestones in your life!

First off, I cannot believe that it is has taken me this long to leave Carleigh a Unilocal review, as I have been a customer of hers for over five years. In fact, I was the FIRST wedding that Carleigh ever shot and I could not have been happier with my wedding photos. She really captured all the joy and the excitement of the day and never once did she make me feel like my backyard wedding was too small or plain. Carleigh really made me feel like my wedding was special and it showed in the photos.
My second shoot was a sexy boudoir shoot with a car in field. Talk about crazy! It was a blast and the pictures are still some of my favorites, too bad I cant show them to everyone :)
The third shoot was where Carleigh really showed me what kind of person and photographer she was. My shoot was supposed to be in Apple Hill (approx. 4 hours away from Carleigh) so she had to schedule a whole day for my shoot. Unfortunately that morning we woke up and it was POURING RAIN. I called Carleigh and she was already 2 hours on the road to meet me for my shoot. I told her about the rain and she said «no problem we will reschedule.» She rescheduled me and, even though she has a very full schedule, was able to fit me in and still do my shoot that was so far away.
I love Carleigh and I love all my photos from over the years. Whenever I do decide to have a baby she will definitely be doing my maternity and baby shoots.

I was looking forward to a maternity shoot with Carleigh until I reviewed her standard agreement. You should be aware that there is a provision in the agreement that forfeits your deposit if there is a schedule change or cancellation for ANY reason including an «act of god» (e.g., catastrophe outside of your control). This is not a standard commercial provision — in fact, standard commercial contracts specifically excuse non-​performance because of an act of god. Since a catastrophe prevents both parties from performing under the contract, it is not logical to forfeit the deposit in these circumstances. I asked Carleigh to remove this provision, but she declined to do so. I had no choice but to look for another photographer.

I first fell in love with Carleigh’s photography when I saw the photos she took of my co-worker’s son. I was so taken by the photos that I actually shared them on my blog (
). After her photos I started following the Sweet Poppy Studios blog where you can see spectacular photos from different photo shoots. I then shared her work in another blog post (
).
I was so impressed by her photography that I decided I wanted her to take photos of me for my blog. I have had professional photos taken before for Christmas cards and what not but had never had a photo shoot by myself. I was really nervous that the photos wouldn’t capture me looking natural but they turned out wonderfully.
I met up with Carleigh the day of the shoot and told her about the blog, my audience, and the look I was going for. She managed to capture exactly what I had described. She arranged my decorations/​props in a way that looked natural and real. She made me feel comfortable and genuinely happy. I was so excited to see the final images and was overjoyed with the final product. Carleigh really has an eye for capturing light and personality. I was thrilled!
My family was so impressed with the photos that we decided to work with Carleigh again for our Christmas card photos. She did a great job capturing our family looking happy and relaxed. We had a great time shooting with her and loved our Christmas card photos.
I could continue writing a raving review about Sweet Poppy Studios and how much I love Carleigh and the photos she takes… but I think you get the idea!

I was planning my wedding in Cabo and was really struggling with what to do about photography for my big day. I did not know who I could trust to capture all the important moments of my wedding day. I did a lot of research about photographers in Cabo but eventually decided to ask Carleigh who has done a few shoots for us in the past. I wasn’t sure if she did destination weddings, but I figured it was worth asking. To my surprise, she gladly accepted and reassured me that everything would be perfect. Her confidence and professional attitude put me at ease and gave me one less thing to stress about.
On the day of the wedding, I was able to enjoy the time with my bridesmaids, friends, and family, while Carleigh was shooting away. She took many shots from hair and makeup, to getting dressed, to walking down to the beach, the ceremony and reception. She made sure to ask me if there was anything in particular that I wanted her to shoot, but also reassured me that she would get everything important. The nice part about Carleigh is that she is so friendly and feels like a part of the family. I felt so comfortable having her as our photographer because of her bubbly personality and great attitude.
The best part about Carleighs work is that she captures the moment. They are mostly action shots and they tell a story. Looking at my pictures brings tears to my eyes because I am able to relive my wedding day over and over through all of her amazing shots. I am able to remember exactly how I was feeling and see how happy everyone else was. Her pictures are AMAZING! She is a pleasure to work with and she knows what she is doing, so I would HIGHLY recommend Carleigh as your wedding photographer, particularly if you are doing a destination wedding. It is much better to bring someone that you know you can trust with such an important event. Carleigh definitely has the experience, the attitude and the perfect angle to deliver amazing photos of your wedding day!!!

I recently enlisted the services of Carleigh at Sweet Poppy Studios to photograph my daughter in honor of her second birthday. I was immediately impressed with Carleigh’s attention to detail and wanting to understand, directly from me, what I wanted to get out of the shoot. She really listened and also gave some great advice for how we could work together to accomplish my ‘wish list’. I loved the collaboration!
We met on location and Carleigh immediately began to survey the landscape to understand where the best lighting and photo opportunities would be. She was great with my daughter… not overly aggressive, very patient and just plain sweet. She has a calmness about the way that she works that is really helpful for us parents that are otherwise stressed out about what our child is (or isn’t doing). She took her time and almost let my daughter dictate where we would go next without any pressure or pushing. Her style is natural and relaxed but clearly confident that she will get the shot. I love that about her!
I previewed the photos on the day of my daughter’s birthday and can happily say it was the greatest gift. I knew there were some good moments while we were on location but the finished product took my breath away. She captured every beautiful detail of my baby girl and nailed her personality spot on! There were a few shots that actually caused me and my mother both to tear up because they were so breathtaking.
Carleigh has clearly made a lasting impression on me and I will 100% we asking her to photograph my family again as well as recommending her to my friends. If you are looking for someone who has a unique yet classic style, provides a relaxed setting and then delivers spectacular images… then Sweet Poppy Studios should be your choice!

I have used Carleigh of Sweet Poppy Studios for a few really special family events. The first time we used her was for my nephew’s 5^th birthday. This is not her normal kind of shoot but she came with a really strong recommendation so I figured it could not hurt to ask. Boy am I glad she accepted! I will be the first to admit that my family is a bit wild and not exactly calm enough for a «photo shoot» but somehow Carleigh got all the kids to take a few posed shots and then she just floated about capturing action shots. The quality of her work was amazing, she captured the smiles, laughs and joy that only a 5 year old can have. I will value these pictures forever.
I would also like to mention the photos she took for my Goddaughters baptism. Again, not her normal shoot but after the pictures she took for the B-​Day party there was no one else I was going to entrust with these pictures. As always, Carleigh accepted the challenge and delivered beyond my wildest imagination. My Goddaughter is the most important thing in the world to me and thanks to Carleigh I have pictures that will stay on my wall forever.
I would recommend Carleigh and Sweet Poppy Studios to anyone who is looking to capture life’s most important moments. I promise that you will be amazed with her professionalism, charisma and talent.

Carleigh of Sweet Poppy Studios recently took our daughter out for a couple of hours and the results were a ton of absolutely gorgeous photographs! Our daughter doesn’t always like to have her picture taken and when she does allow it, she often hams it up and has cheesy expressions. Carleigh managed to capture her looking serious, happy, funny, etc., and not a cheesy picture in the bunch. We loved the photographs and so did our daughter. She had such a great time modeling. We are going to have Sweet Poppy Studios take more family photos for us and cannot recommend Carleigh highly enough!