Urban Shutter Bug Photography

Michelle is amazing! She took photos of our 1 year old daughter. Our daughter threw a fit, but Michelle was so patient and still captured beautiful pictures!

Having some professional experience both behind and in front of the camera (long long ago) I have been perpetually disappointed with the «standard» photography sessions done with my sons. However, I decided I liked the «urban» moniker and decided to try it using a groupon. Wow! Somehow, she made my gawky teenage sons (including one with braces) look like something out of a fashion magazine! Highest highest recommendation!

Michelle was easy to work with, communicative, had a great vision and her finished product far exceeded our expectations for our family/son’s 1 year old cake smash photo session. Money well spent, rates were totally reasonable — can’t wait to book with Michelle in the future! Without question, would recommend!

Michelle did a gpod job with our engagement and wedding photos. Overall she was very responsive and helpful throughout the process leading up to the wedding. It did take 10+ months and lot of nagging to get our photo book, but she did send it and it looked great with really nice quality!

Michelle was so fun to work with. She did a funky, urban shoot of my fiancé and I in downtown San Jose. Michelle is open to your vision and creativity, but we pretty much trusted her to run with her own vision and the results were amazing! She’s got a great eye and captures very special moments. Hope to work with her again in the future. :)

Amazing photographer.
Friendly and un-​intruding.
Works fast.
Reasonable prices.
And showed up on time!
Would love to work with her again.

Michelle did an amazing job with an Easter shoot with our three kiddos (ages 11 months, 4 years, 7 years old). These truly were some of the best shots that I have ever seen my kids in. She was very good at getting them to act natural, laugh, and smile. I would definitely use her again. When she suggested Alum Rock Park, I was a little hesitant at the beginning because all I pictured was the dirt paths that I have run on in the past, but she really knew the great spots for photos.

Michelle is an amazing photographer. My boyfriend gifted me a couple photoshoot for valentines day and it is byfar the best gift he has ever given me. Michelle will never ask you to pose or give fake laughs. She lets you talk and share your moments with each other and while doing so her camera is always clicking. She lets you be yourself for the photoshoot and after seeing the photos I will double recommend her for your photo shoot. I love each and every photo from our photoshoot. Seeing these pictures makes me fall in love with my love all over again.

I booked with Urban Shutterbug for a shoot of my pilates studio. I needed some photos to put on my website and business cards. Michelle is awesome! Easy to work with, makes you feel completely comfortable while being photographed. She captured exactly what I was looking for and I am utterly thrilled. Her turnaround was very fast! I did not have to wait long to see my photos at all. I can’t wait to print new cards with my new headshot and update my business’s website with my new photos.

***Michelle is an amazing photographer***
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I hate taking pictures, I hate smiling, or faking a smile… Michelle does not pressure you into doing anything you do not like/​want to do, she lets you be completely natural. Her motto is act natural and don’t make the pictures looks too staged. We had one engagement photo-​shoot before this and it was a complete disaster with another company (I’ll leave them unnamed). Our first engagement shoot with Michelle was such a great experience that we booked another session with her and decided to include our dog (The GiGi Monster) for the 2^nd shoot at a different location!
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Why you should choose Urban Shutter Bug?!?
–Michelle helps you loosen up and makes the whole process very natural/​carefree!
–Camera is being snapped at all times, it’s not your typical pose and shoot engagement photo shoot .
— Instant upload and able to download all pics from Dropbox
— Multiple shoot locations from SF to San Jose to Oakland.
— Quality of the camera, high megapixel camera and quality is not lost when editing and cropping pics.
So if you are looking to take some glamour shots in the near future please give Urban Shutter Bug a buzz as you will not be disappointed!?!

We haven’t actually taken our pictures yet but this review is based on her availability and flexibility in scheduling.
We booked her for a shoot and weeks later realized our location was having an event and would be too crowded. Michelle was able to reschedule us within hours!
I will update after our shoot!

Tried booking this photographer for two separate shoots. Was so disappointed with the service and that she added an additional $ 100 charge last minute that was never agreed upon on the initial booking. Had to jump through hoops to receive a refund and only got a 20 min shoot even though I paid for 30 min. This was really unexpected because she had nothing but great reviews and was expecting the «awesome» photographer as portrayed.

Michelle is awesome! She made the photo shoot process so easy. We had a great time and the photos turned out great! All of my friends are so impressed and said that’s the best they’ve ever seen! Thank you so much Michelle! :)

I first worked with Michelle a few years back for a 2 part photoshoot (studio and on location). Photos and session turned out exactly as I wanted. The 2^nd occasion was for work. She helped me do 35+ headshots in a span of less than 2hrs. I stood by as the «creative director» which was fun since she’s really easy to work with and super mellow… not like some of those photogs who seem overly energetic like lay off the red bull kind. My 3^rd run in was just last December, it was supposed to be a maternity sesh. Michelle ended up getting super sick and had to cancel our session last minute (poor thing was in the ER). I was bummed for sure considering a gave birth 2 weeks later and we couldn’t reschedule BUT she made up for this with a complimentary session of my new baby girl at just a week old. She came to my house and I had my images like days later. The last instance was spectacular… it was an outdoor photoshoot with 5 adults, 2 kids, 1 toddler, and 1 baby… yikes! She made it fun for everyone… didnt feel rushed at all. She made sure she got all the shots and did I mention there was a heat wave that week and it was scorching out? Those images came back in record time… less than a week! In my experience, she gets better and better every single time. I plan to use her for all of my future events! The images are beautiful… plenty variety, great lighting, and she’s super easy going which I love. Give her a try, she will not disappoint.

Its great when you know a network of people that will recommend you to the right person. Michelle is definitely the right one for my business. We took photos early 2012, the process when as prescribe yet even simplier… Better yet the photos are still relevant and apart of my PR agenda. Thanks

Michelle is amazing. Her photos are beautiful, and she is very talented. She was very flexible (we didn’t want a really long engagement session, so she just added an hour to our day), and her pricing is EXTREMELY reasonable. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Can’t wait to get the shots back, but the sneak peaks have proven that they will be great, and the quality of the engagement shoots. I would HIGHLY recommend Michelle for your special event.

I have had the privilege of working with Michelle/​Urban Shutter Bug for the past few years – and love it! She has always gone above and beyond my expectations, on-​set and the final result! Not only are the images beautifully captured, she brings the beauty out of her subjects.
As a model it’s a process to find someone to shoot with whom you trust, but also can connect with on specific concepts. The relation between capturing a moment in time in a photograph as art is one which requires a talented eye, and a total understanding of photography. Michelle has made me a better model with her professionalism and skill!
Her photos have helped me get signed in various cities and markets – my agents all praise the images Michelle has captured of me! Which comes as no surprise that her images appear in my book, as well as on all my agency comp cards! ;)
Her work has definitely given me the competitive edge when going to auditions. Translation: I get hired ;)
To my fellow models: look no further, Urban Shutter Bug Photography produces the images you want and need – whether it be commercial or fashion!
And for those looking to capture an unforgettable photograph of yourself or those special moments, be the subject in front of her camera and watch the magic happen!
Pictures to last a lifetime!

Positives: You pick the location, Michelle has a positive attitude and is creative, Your photos are posted on her website to view within a few days.
Negatives: The photos were a bit overexposed, We had a promotional offer for a 1 hour shoot, but the shoot lasted only 45 minutes, It took a long time to receive the hard copy photos (still waiting after 3 weeks+). The CD we ordered arrived within a week.
If you like the crisp photos you get in a photo studio, you may want to reconsider going with Urban Shutter Bug. If you prefer a free-​form, more creative experience and OK photos, then you’d probably enjoy this more.

My family had a fantastic experience with Michelle! We have two boys, ages 2 and 3.5, so put that in your head as you read my review. We booked through Michelle bc my MIL gave me a gift certificate through Juice in the City, what a great find! We decided to take our pics at Chrisy Field — when we got there it was windy and freezing (but sunny!). The whole time my kids were whining and complaining about the weather. After the session was over, my husband and I looked at each other and said ‘If there were 2 good pictures, it would be shocking”. Well, there were way more than 2 good shots, in fact so many I couldn’t decide and ordered the whole CD worth for a VERY reasonable $ 200. My friend who looked at the pics asked me if they cost $ 1000+, so yep — they were good.
Michelle was so laid back and relaxed, she probably knew the whole time that the pics would be great! My kids and weather were just so crazy that I couldn’t believe it. And the best part is that she was able to snap pictures that reflected our personalities. Highly recommend her!

Michelle is an outstanding photographer! While in the process of selecting a photographer for our engagement photo shoot, I came across a deal for Urban Shutter Bug on
. Seeing how affordable it was and how impressive her work is on her website, my fiancée and I had nothing to lose.
We booked our session with Michelle last week. She is very professional, and easy going. We really love that she gives great direction. My fiancée and I are both soft spoken and it can be hard to break us out of our shell, but Michelle did a wonderful job at making us laugh, and just be our self during the photo shoot. Upon completion of the shoot, Michelle had the images up for us to view within a few days. My fiancée and I couldn’t have been any happier with the photos. Although I know nothing about photography, I do know that Michelle takes great pride in what she does, and it definitely shows in her quality of work, and how she runs her company.
Affordability — Five Stars
Quality of work — Five Stars
Professionalism — Five Stars
Turnaround time — Five Stars
Overall Experience — Five Stars