We wanted to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and allow our clients/future clients get to know us! One of the things we pride ourselves on is our ability to connect with our clients on a personal level. We want you to feel like we’re not just your photographers, we’re your friends! Whether it’s watching you walk down the aisle, or capturing your family portraits, we truly enjoy being able to witness these special moments and investing in the relationships with our clients, make them even that much more special. So, without further ado, let’s dive into who we are and what our story consists of!
Stephen
Stephen was born in Powhatan, VA but spent most of his childhood in Farmville. He moved to Mechanicsville, right outside of Richmond, in elementary school and now we reside in Aylett. He has a gigantic Italian family including FIVE siblings and roughly 1 million cousins! He’s definitely a family man and feels lucky to have always had family around as a kid, but also close by as an adult. We have huge family get togethers regularly at his dad’s or aunt’s house that consist of a ton of people who love each other, non-stop laughter, and don’t even get me started on the food! His family is filled with amazing cooks and they stay true to their Italian roots, they go all out!
Luckily for me, Stephen inherited the skill of cooking! His dad taught him everything he knows in the kitchen and let’s just say this man has yet to make a bad meal. He also has such a green thumb! He loves plants and seems to have knack for bringing half-dead plants back to life. He once bought a rose bush that was on clearance for $3 (for obvious reasons), planted it in our backyard, gave it a little TLC and it was THRIVING in no time. His office is full of plants, cactus’, and succulents. His other interests include music of all genres, riding in his Jeep with the top down, spending time by the water and jet skiing and snuggling on all our fur babies.
Stephen’s interest in photography started when he was in high school. He took photography classes and was really inspired by his photography teacher. She was one of the most influential people in his life and although she’s no longer with us, he likes to think she looks down on him now and smiles. She would be so proud to know that the spark she ignited in high school, has led him to this. It wasn’t until we got married that he thought about turning his passion into a career.
Jennie
I was also born and raised on the outskirts of RVA! I also have a MUCH smaller family than Stephen’s. I have one sister, who lives roughly 2 miles down the road, and am so appreciative of our close relationship. We’re best friends! Most of my extended family lives outside of Virginia so family get togethers are much quainter. My parents are a huge part of my life, as well as major influences and role models for me.
I have been an animal lover since day one. Growing up, my family always had multiple pets. My first true love was a Golden/Chow mix named Taffy. I got to grow up with her from the age of four to seventeen, and to this day I have her name tag on my key chain. I didn’t realize that my love of furry butts would turn into a career, but I’m so grateful it did! I’ve worked in veterinary hospitals for the last 10 years and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2017. Recently I transitioned from working in the hospital, to working for a huge veterinary company on the marketing side of things. I absolutely love it! My career allows me to utilize my passion for pets and animal medicine, but I also get to invest into Carbone Photo Co. LLC. I help with a lot of behind the scenes things like marketing, working on our blog, and second shooting for Stephen.
Another passion of mine is singing! I was in show choir all throughout high school and you can find me singing at all hours of the day. I enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, and watching everything Netflix has to offer.
The Carbone’s
Our story technically began in fifth grade. We went to the same elementary school and our classrooms were side by side! (so crazy) We continued to go to the same middle and high school. Although we had some mutual friends, we were just acquaintances. It wasn’t until after high school graduation that we started spending more time together. What started out as a friendship, blossomed into a romance. We had NO idea that paths would lead to each other, but man are we glad they did! We found ourselves saying “Who would have thought?” SO many times, during the first couple of years of dating.
After 6 years of dating, Stephen finally decided to put a ring on it! We were house sitting for my parents. I came home from a long day at work to rose petals lining the sidewalk, and a romantic candlelit dinner set up on the back deck. I honestly didn’t think much of it, Stephen is a romantic, he frequently would spoil me like this. It wasn’t until I was blindfolded in the garage that I knew something was up. He told me to not take off the blindfold until I heard the garage door open. I was SO NERVOUS but as soon as I heard the garage door raise up and stop, I took off the blindfold and when I did there was a huge sign made of lights that said, “Marry me?”. Stephen got down on one knee and of course, I SAID YES!
We got married June 17th, 2017 at The Manor House at Kings Charter (if you haven’t checked out this venue for your big day be sure to- it’s stunning!). We left the following morning for our honeymoon in Costa Rica and have been building our life together ever since. We’ve adopted FOUR babies over the years: 2 dogs, 2 cats. They can be a handful, but we wouldn’t have it any other way, they make our family whole. We enjoy cooking together, exploring breweries and wineries, traveling together, and going to concerts. The thing we like to do together the most…is laugh. We both think one another is the funniest person we’ve ever met, and we are constantly goofing around and cracking jokes. Of course, no relationship is perfect, but we like to think ours is pretty darn close.
In early 2019 we decided to take a leap of faith and launch Carbone Photo Co. LLC and it has been such a fun and rewarding experience. We are so excited to watch our business grow with the support of our friends and families. But of course, none of this would be possible without our clients. We are seriously blown away by how much support we have received, and how quickly things have taken off. We also feel very blessed to be able to work together as husband and wife. Spending time with the ones you love most- that’s what it’s all about, right?
We hope this gives you all better insight as to who we are and what matters most to us. We love getting to hear your stories, it’s only right for us to tell ours too!
Stephen + Jennie Carbone
Carbone Photo Co. LLC
Carbone Photo Co. LLC is a Wedding Photography company based out of Richmond, Virginia who travels the entire east coast for weddings. Carbone Photo Co. LLC offers photography for weddings, bridal portraits, engagement sessions, events, senior portraits as well as family portraits. This Virginia wedding photographer specializes in capturing the most sentimental moments using a photojournalistic approach to document raw candid moments of you and your loved ones.