Hey there, I’m Michelle!

The wanderer behind the camera

I’ve always been drawn to the candid moments. The ones that happen when people don’t feel like they’re being watched. Shared glances across a crowded room. Faces lit up with laughter. The quiet intimacy of two people in their own little world. 

These real, unguarded, imperfect moments made me fall in love with photography.

HOW I GOT HERE

A woman in a wedding dress smiling and holding a plate of cake next to a man in a suit at a celebration, with other guests in the background.
A piece of white paper towel or tissue paper, folded and slightly crumpled, on a plain background.

Call me a romantic. I started Wandermore 10+ years ago to document the way love actually feels, not how it’s “supposed” to look. I wanted to skip the stuffy poses and wedding photography “rules,” and instead, capture the moments of joy, playfulness, tears, chaos, and quiet. These moments are where the magic happens.

My own wedding reinforced this: My husband, Cesar, and I got married in the Catskills, in a tented wedding alongside 40 of our closest family and friends. It was intimate, meaningful, and truly one of the best days of my life. My wedding experience deepened my belief that the only thing a wedding “should” be is about you.

You might be wondering, “why Wandermore?” The name came from this exact idea of wandering away from tradition and more into the candid, truthful moments along the way. Those moments filled with connection, joy, authenticity. Those show up in everything I do, including photography.

michelle chriqui hidalgo throwing confetti wearing a sparkle shirt and leather outfit in front of a pink wall.

WHEN I’M NOT BEHIND THE CAMERA

One of my favorite things to do is explore the city on an aimless photo walk to an unplanned destination. Spoiler: I’ll probably end up at a bakery. There’s something about wandering Brooklyn (and beyond) that just sparks creativity.

I’m an iced latte kind of person. I need one every morning, no matter the season. I’ve finally mastered the art of keeping houseplants alive (the key: stop overwatering) so our apartment is slowly turning into a little jungle.

Line drawing of a croissant on a plate, a cup of coffee with latte art, and two sugar cubes on a black background.

Travel is a huge part of my life. My husband and I honeymooned in Japan, and we loved it. Seriously, don’t get us started… from the food and culture to the way the light hits everything, we could go on. Iceland, though, is our favorite trip! We can’t wait for our next adventure.

One thing I wish I did more often: Read. Give me a good sci-fi, fantasy (getting more into romantasy), or dystopian novel, and I’m happy. Getting lost in different world recharges me.

You might see a throughline in all of my passions: I’m drawn to moments of beauty, connection, and authenticity, whether that’s capturing your wedding day or exploring the neighborhood and watching how the light hits.

WHAT INSPIRES ME

I find beauty everywhere, even the unexpected. From the tented light of an upstate wedding to the industrial grit of a Brooklyn wedding. I take endless inspiration in that balance between two unlike things: rural and cityscape, organic and industrial. Creativity lives in the push-and-pull between different worlds. I carry this with me when I capture weddings, and I’m particularly drawn to weddings that have soul. I love to photograph places with stories, not placeholders.

WHAT I BELIEVE

A woman with glasses and long brown hair tied in a ponytail standing outdoors in a desert landscape with red rocks and sparse green bushes, smiling and looking to her left, wearing a black t-shirt with a graphic and the words "Poison Patriot" on the back.

I affirm these values in all I do, including the spirit of my work and the couples I work with. Love knows no boundaries. Every person deserves to love and be loved, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, size, sexual orientation, or religion. I stand with LGBTQIA+ couples, interracial couples, interfaith couples, and all those choosing to marry the person they love.

Let’s Chat!
A man and woman joyfully dancing outdoors on grass with greenery in the background while a photographer captures the moment
A man and woman holding hands and walking up a red carpeted staircase surrounded by lush green plants and yellow flowers, in an indoor setting.
A person dressed in dark clothing, including a long coat and boots, stands on a cobblestone street at night, taking a photo with a camera. The background shows urban buildings, streetlights, parked cars, and a stop sign, all in black and white.
A young woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses and a cream sweater, sitting at an outdoor table on a patio with a black purse, a paper coffee cup, and a phone in front of her. She rests her chin on her hand, gazing at the camera, with sunlight i
A woman with glasses in a floral dress and black boots dancing with a man with a bun and black boots with floral pattern, both smiling and energetic in a plain indoor space.
Six instant photos arranged in a grid showing various scenes including a dessert, a woman on a balcony, two women inside a glass observation tower, a landscape view, two women inside a tower, and a group of women outside with an umbrella.
A smiling man and woman in wedding attire standing outdoors near a wooden fence, looking at each other with a camera in hand, surrounded by green grass and trees with autumn foliage.
A woman with a camera taking photos of a canyon landscape with snow-covered cliffs and a winding road.
Black and white collage of four photos featuring a young woman with shoulder-length dark hair and glasses, wearing a checkered sweater, showing different facial expressions and hand gestures against a plain background.
A woman with glasses and long hair sitting outdoors in a rocky landscape with snow patches, holding a camera.

WHAT KEEPS ME GOING

A woman with glasses and dark brown hair smiling close to a border collie mix dog with black nose and dark eyes.

There’s this photo of me as a kid with my childhood dog, Goldy. It’s the only photo I have with her and it’s one of a million reasons why I believe in the power of photography. Photos bring permanence to the moments we can’t recreate, the feelings we hope never to forget, and the memories of the people and things that matter most. That’s exactly why I do this work. Wedding days fly by impossibly fast, but the photos? They hold the key to reliving how you felt, over and over.

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