Hi, I’m Carey.
I’ve always been a big dreamer. From daydreaming my life away when I was young to manifesting my dream life as an adult. I believe everything that is yours will find you, and what is yours doesn’t miss.
I grew up in a poor Michigan town with a wood-burning stove for heat and drug-addicted parents. I knew from a young age that was not the life I was interested in living. I was able to buy my first house when I was 19, went to college, and built a wedding photography business from the ground up.
On paper, it was a roaring success. I was shooting 35+ weddings a year, being flown all over the world for jobs, my bank account was stacking up, and I was living my dream life.
Until all of a sudden, I wasn’t.
I was losing every weekend to weddings. I had long days, my body started getting tired, and after a few years, I was ready to give it all up. Towards the end of my 20s, I was ready to get out of the Michigan winters and start a slower, simpler life without all of my weekends going to parties. I decided to move to Paducah, KY in December of 2019 to start a new life in a new town. Everything was going to plan, until COVID came through a few months later and shut the world down.
A lot of interesting things came out of the pandemic.
I got a job as an Escrow Officer at a local law firm, and I started slowing down and enjoying life more. I made new friends and built a new community around me. After some introspection, I realized I was a lesbian, got divorced, and moved out on my own.
While on my healing journey through all of that, I found a love for somatic healing and yoga practice. Photography became just a hobby to me, and I only photographed things I really wanted to and nothing I didn’t.
A little while later, I met my wife, Jessie, and became a stay-at-home wife, living the slow life of my old daydreams.
These days, I get by on McDonald’s iced coffee, weekly trips to the Dollar Tree just to see what’s new, and somehow I’m only getting worse at oil pastels instead of better with practice.
Now that I’m in my mid-30s, I’m returning to my daydreaming roots.
What kind of life do I want to live? How do I want to spend my time? How can I use my skills and talents to benefit my community and make the world a little more beautiful?
I started dreaming of a new photography studio. A place where women could come to feel beautiful, take up space, and allow themselves to fully be seen.
I imagined a space where women could come as they are, take time to get their hair and makeup done, get dressed up in some fabulous outfits, and make beautiful artwork together.
In October 2026, I created a small in-home studio, and Carey Bramlet Studios was officially born.
I’m so excited to share this journey with you, and I’m honored that you’re considering me as your photographer. We’re starting on the small scale, but one day I hope to have a physical space where photography, yoga, somatic work, creativity, and community come together to create a beautiful space in Metropolis, IL for women.
If my work speaks to you in any way, please reach out to me. I would love to hear from you and learn how you dream of being photographed.