Meet Chels

Years ago I was teaching in NYC daydreaming about becoming a photographer. Wouldn’t it be amazing if people wanted to hire me to document who they are?

Nearly ten years later, I can say yes. I LOVE what I do. I get to be with you in the moments that are monumental + ordinary but equally deserving of documentation. The emotion and sentiment that can be said without words but heard for years to come are what I am here for.

Aside from pouring my love into photographing people, I am usually with my babies playing outside. We cruise up the Lake Michigan Coast on our bikes, bask in sunbeams, try our hand at some arts and crafts, and play outside some more. We love frequenting the east coast and visiting other treasured places.

chels in photos

Meet Chels in Photos

We have been dating since high school (some might say there was a small on and off period) but I so love and adore this man.

I was raised an ally and will forever be. You can find safe space here.

oh my little fam, I love them so

This is my family, grew up one of 6 kiddos (one is not in this pic) and love being part of a BIG crew.

Always looking for ways to increase being more sustainable in my day to day life. Love places that incorporate cool new ideas!

Married this man who scrunches his nose like I do when we laugh to hard, in the great state of NY.

In my dreams, I will one day live on a small farm.

I LOVE to travel, and be outside. So many incredible places to explore- Vancouver pictured here.

I love dandelions, something so magical and beautiful about these under appreciated babes.

I <3 NY. Nothing will ever compare to the time I spent living here.

I have a problem - my to do lists have to do lists.

I ran a marathon and many other races, but now apparently, I am an old lady.

Grew up with a massive garden in my back yard, love having my hands in the dirt.

Growing a human being is the craziest shit my body has ever done.

Things being organized in rainbow order makes me happy.

I adore this little bean bag, and the little nut that was growing in my belly here!

Studying graffiti is super interesting to me.

There are no words to describe sunshine.

San Diego is one of my fav cities, that I have never lived in, to visit.

No need to ever feel awkward during photos, I have that covered for you.

Obsessed with exploring old abandoned spaces, while secretly being terrified at the same time.

We FINALLY bought bikes and a trailer for August to come along this summer. I LOVE taking him all over the city and to our favorite Lake Michigan beaches.

We added this sweet flower to our family in May 2019. Our hearts are truly soooooo dang full!

lots of music in our house, whether we are creating it or listening

testimonials

Testimonials

“Chelsea is an absolute dream! She has an incredible eye and captures the big moments, but also the intimate and special moments throughout the day. Her photos are stunning and so so special, as she really gets to know you and your family. Chelsea will find the beauty in and celebrate what is special about/unique to you as a couple, and the results show that. She is so kind, easy and fun to work with, and was a real support throughout our whole planning process. Especially since we got married during the pandemic we had a lot of questions and unique hoops to jump through. Chelsea was always willing to talk through details (even those not photo-related!), share suggestions, etc. throughout our planning process. The day of Chelsea was a joy to have around and her positive energy and willingness to do whatever it took for the perfect shot (including walking backwards for several blocks during our mariachi band parade through the streets) is unmatched. I recommend Chelsea Matson Photography to any and everyone- you will not be disappointed!”

-Grace and Sergio

“We've worked with Chelsea for family photos the past 3 years and we always have a great time. She's laid back, great with kids, and manages to get some great real shots...even with a bunch of squirmy kids. It's fun and painless!”

-Meg

“We loved working with Chelsea for our maternity photos. She made the entire session amazing and fun. She helped us with any posing to do as well as captured candid shots. We cannot get enough of our photos. 100% recommend working with Chelsea!!”

-Meghan

“We recently did a newborn family session with Chelsea and could not have been happier. We originally had a session booked through a different photographer which was unfortunately canceled last minute. We were on a time crunch as my husband was returning to work and we wanted to get the photos done before that. I reached out to Chelsea on a Friday night. She responded that night and came up with a plan for the session to be done Sunday morning. Chelsea was prompt and professional. Although we didn't have a chance to meet her prior to our session, she put us at ease and made us feel comfortable. We appreciated that she wore a mask during the session, brought hand sanitizer, maintained distance when possible, and asked us our comfort level with her handling our newborn son. The quality of the photos are well-worth the price tag, and the turnaround time in getting the final photos was excellent. I would recommend Chelsea to anyone looking for a photographer and would be happy to use her services again.”

-Elsa

“After having used many different photographers, we recently used Chelsea Matson for branding photography and we will be using her going forward. Chelsea completely exceeded our expectations. From the initial consultation, to planning and execution, she listened to our goals and the quality of the photos reflected her skill and preparation. I would highly recommend Chelsea if this is your first or 50th branding photography session. You will not be disappointed. Within a 3 hour session, we have more than enough images for an entire year with depth, variety, and interest that will speak to our customers on a variety of platforms. The experience was professional and fun from start to finish. Highly recommended.”

-Ginger