Welcome to CHC-Photography, Inc. - a custom photography business!


check out the article about me in the August Shore Magazine! click here


NEWS: I now have two blog websites - go check it out! www.chc-photoblog.com
Please visit www.talesofadream.com
to see more of my styled photo shoots and my wedding photography.

I hope you already had a chance to browse through my galleries. As you can see I am passionate about photography. That's why I made a life long hobby into my profession. Photography is therapeutic for me. I am able to focus only on what I am doing in the moment and truly enjoy the process of creating!


I am very fortunate that my clients constantly recommend me and now I am able to make a living with photography. I am not just a photographer, I see myself as an artist. Photography is exciting and I can always learn more. I love meeting new people and I strive to make you feel comfortable and have the most enjoyable experience possible. Over the years some of my clients have become friends and it makes me very happy to see how their lives evolve. Engagements, Weddings, creating a family...I love being a part of it! From the beginning I create a trusting relationship, so that we can capture those natural fleeting moments of life. I make it really easy for people to get to know me, so here is a little bit about me...


The CHC in CHC-Photography stands for my initials Carmen Heller-Chariton. For the first 13 years of my life I lived in Eisenach, Thueringen. In 1987, two years before the wall came down, my family and I fled from East Germany to West Germany. There, we settled close to a little town called Gaggenau, Baden-Wuerttemberg. My mom is Polish and my dad is German. Every year since I was a little girl I spent the summers in Poland where I have a very large family. Most of my relatives there live in small villages and are farmers. I think that is part of why I appreciate nature so much. I am fascinated by architecture, nature's wonders and people.


In 1999 I came to the United States as an Au-pair. For one year I lived with my host family in Farmington Hills, MI. This was a life changing experience. I originally came to the U.S. just to improve my English and learn about the American culture. But then I was given the opportunity to take Photography classes at a local college. My parents had surprised me and sent me my first professional film SLR camera. So, taking the class and with my camera in hand every free minute I took pictures wherever I went. It was the most amazing thing to be able to take pictures and develop them myself. I knew from that point that whatever I did in my life it would have to involve Photography.


I started to think about applying for a student visa to study in the United States after my Au-pair year was over. Little did I know how much my life would change; after a few months being in the U.S. I met my husband Jeff Chariton. Jeff is from Crown Point, Indiana, but he was working in Michigan at the time. To make a very long story short, I applied for a student visa and came to study Computer Graphics at Moraine Valley in Palos Hills, Illinois.


After I got my degree in graphic design I worked as a freelance designer. But my main interest has always been with photography and I was happy to find a job at a local photo studio at the time. 4 years later and after starting a family, it was only natural that I wanted to have my own business.

 

I am the mother of two wonderful children. Our boy Linus is 9 and is in 3rd grade. He loves nothing more than baseball and sports. Our little girl Malina is 5 and is going to preK three times a week! I love that I still have her home a lot. My favorite time is when she plays with her dolls while I work on the computer and listening to her little pretend plays. I have the luxury to make my own schedule. Life is super crazy but I love it.

To be able to make a living with photography is one of my biggest dreams come true. I am proud to be the president of my own company CHC-Photography, Inc. ! All of this wouldn't be possible without the love and support of my husband and family. I feel so lucky to be on this journey and it seems to get only better.


Now, that you have found out a little about me I would love to find out about you! Please feel free to contact me and book me for your next photo shoot!


- Carmen


FYI - my headshots are taken by my business partner Jamie Skripac of Valentina James Photography/Tales of a Dream!