Carl Bower
Denver Wedding Photographer | Pulitzer Finalist
Pulitzer Finalist Specializing in Weddings, Capturing Moments Nationwide
I am a photojournalist and Pulitzer finalist who approaches weddings with a quiet presence and an eye for authenticity. I work with a calm demeanor and a desire to remain unnoticed, finding small moments of intimacy in the midst of public celebrations. While environment and ritual play an important part in my wedding coverage, I also focus on the personal connections and latent emotions brought to the surface by such pivotal moments in life. I feel my task is to anticipate and document moments as they naturally occur, without direction or interference. My ultimate goal is a highly personal book that is both beautiful and meaningful, authentic to the moment and revealing of those depicted. I'm a recent transplant to Denver, CO from Washington DC and I continue to cover weddings nationwide.
7 WPJA Spotlight
41 Awards for Documentary Wedding Photography
3 TOP Wedding Photographer Titles
The WPJA proudly recognizes Carl Bower as a TOP International Wedding Photographer. Members holding the most contest points at the end of each year are ranked as TOP Wedding Photographers or, in some cases POY - Photographer of the Year.
21 Client Letters
The following letters are from the clients of Carl Bower.
Married: 2 years ago
Lauren and Travis
We laughed, we cried and we laughed some more. These are absolutely perfect, you captured everything about that night. If we had any doubt about the happiness in that room, you just sent a gallery of genuine joy our way. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. These came so quickly, we're honored to have seen them so soon. Thank you again, truly, thank you.
Married: 5 years ago
Morgan and Jordan
Thank you so much! The photos are stunning - we truly couldn't be happier!
Married: 5 years ago
Julia and David
Thank you so much for being as fantastic on the wedding day as you have been leading up to the day…In all seriousness you just gave me all the feels. Thanks for the laughs.
Married: 5 years ago
Yasaswi and Dima
We are so tremendously grateful for your coming all the way out to Pittsburgh and lending your artistic vision to the day. The pictures are stunning. You caught incredible moments. Thank you for capturing it so beautifully. We shared the photos this weekend and have heard incredibly positive feedback on the moments you captured. Thank you so much for being there to celebrate with us.
Married: 6 years ago
Shalaya & Stephen
These are absolutely beautiful and they really capture the moments I know I'll want to remember 20 years from now. Some of them really surprised me, because I don't remember you being there!
Married: 6 years ago
Michelle & Nick
We are blown away by the photos you sent. We looked at them together for a while and cried as the emotions, beauty and sadness came back to us. We love how you captured it all. I was so excited when Nick recognized the talent you have for capturing human life in its many forms. We can't thank you enough for shooting the wedding and for coming out to DC. The pictures are breathtaking.
Married: 7 years ago
Michelle & Nick
We love them! We are laughing and tearing up just looking at them. I remember so little of the actual day so this brings it all back.
Married: 9 years ago
Ross & Thatcher
The photos are AMAZING! Incredible! Wow! You really captured the moment! We love it.
Married: 9 years ago
Stephanie & Darrin
I love this shot! It's so hard for anyone to capture Darrin's true smile and I didn't even see you out there as we took a breather. They are all beautiful and definitely capture the essence of each moment. Thank you thank you thank you! I love all of them. It'll be hard to narrow them down!
Married: 10 years ago
Lily & Jonathan
I wanted to let you know how much we absolutely love the photos! They are everything we imagined and more. Thank you so much! We've been looking over these photos nonstop, we love them so much. Thank you!
Married: 10 years ago
Alissa & Chris
Well, you are too good. We can’t pick the pictures that we want larger because we want them all. This has been ROUGH! We are still narrowing it down. We simply want all of them! Thank you. You really are amazing. We are SO grateful to you and you worked your butt off.
Married: 12 years ago
Chesney & Greg
Every shot you took was a cut above. Not only are you a master technically, you're an artist. You understand how objects and shapes come together to create a powerful image and tell a story. You've also obviously carefully studied how people interact. The photos are so well-timed... it's almost as if you knew what I was going to do before I did it. That takes quite a trigger finger. You not only took photos of everyone who's important to me... you captured who those people are. My panic. Greg's graciousness. My mother's goofiness. My wedding is the first time I've ever seen my father cry… I know it was just another Saturday at work for you, but that album is the best wedding present I received. I'm so grateful I found you. On top of the compliments regarding your work, I just wanted to say that both Greg and I really enjoyed your company. You have a good spirit about you.
Married: 13 years ago
Vanessa & Dan
We are not sure what exactly to thank you for -- for your eye, your warmth, your spirit, your style. You were so refreshing. You have a way of making everyone feel comfortable - real. We are so grateful for your air, your way of being. We both felt so at ease with you and anxiously await our images, confident we will love them as much as we loved you!
Married: 14 years ago
Heather & Tom
Tom and I enjoyed going through all of your pictures yesterday and the day before. They are lovely and capture the fun-loving spirit of our wedding day. Your compositions are great. Thanks for focusing on our families, too -- Tom's mother and my parents, in particular. Thank you for running around like crazy all day and catching so many great expressions and moments. It was great because we knew you were there all day with us, but I felt like we barely saw you. Tom and I just got back from a Korean wedding on Saturday where the photographer and videographer were always in everyone's face, using flash and constructing poses. They even had all of us bridesmaids do that silly shot where you jump up and down. Quite the opposite from your style! Anyhow, we really appreciated your great work and easy-going manner.
Married: 14 years ago
Ericka & Brandon
The pictures are amazing! We can't even figure out HOW you got some of the pictures you got! We didn't even SEE you taking these pictures of us just inches away from us! OUTSTANDING! We're going to keep looking at them in awe for a while and respond back once we've regained our senses.
Married: 15 years ago
Isabella & Peter
It's not very often your photographer makes you cry... I love (should say we love) love, love your photos. They definitely reflect our story. In as much as we love each other, we love and enjoy our families and our friends and the pictures reflect that. I can't wait to see the prints and pick my favorites for the album...that'll be hard as I love so many! I was just on the phone with my brother who is now in the Philippines and I talked him through the entire wedding gallery...he was blown away by the photos. He said it was like he was at the wedding again. The photos are amazing!!!
Married: 15 years ago
Stephanie & Dave
I received the photo today - looks fantastic! Also, I keep meaning to tell you that we are 100,000% in love with the books we received from you. The leather, embossing, layout, (and of course) your photos are just so beautiful. Thank you for all the time you spent on them - they are really incredible.
Married: 15 years ago
Kathy & John
What a happy surprise! We didn't expect to see these for several days yet. They look awesome! John and I will review them together and get back to you. Thanks so much for photographing our wedding. It was so wonderful not only have you do it from a professional standpoint but it was great to have you there. You get us. We'll talk to you soon and thanks for the fast turn around!
Married: 17 years ago
Cynthia & Chris
We love them all! You've made it really difficult for us to choose. We must thank you once again for such a wonderful job. We are more than happy...words just can not describe. Without knowing our guests you captured their personalities as if you had known them their whole lives. You are a gifted artist and have a true eye for photography. We couldn't be happier. We will certainly recommend you to our friends. We'll be in touch upon our return. Take care and thank you once again.
Married: 17 years ago
Alysa & Joseph
I realized -- aghast -- that we had not yet emailed you to tell you how amazing, beautiful, intense, and wonderful your photos were of our wedding. We LOVE them. They just truly captured the feel of the whole evening, and were everything and more that we hoped they would be. Thank you. We know you worked hard that night, and we really appreciate all that went into the photos. Again, thank you so much.
Married: 18 years ago
Julie & Benjamin
The pictures are fantastic, I was totally mesmerized looking at them. Thank you so much for putting them online so quickly! They are really phenomenal, I am so happy. Ben and I will look through them together and start to think about what we want in the book, and will let you know when we have that sorted out. Thank you again, these are truly great pictures and do a perfect job of capturing the essence of the wedding. Thank you!
Wedding Elopement Multiple Picture Galleries (2)
Carl Bower chronicles small weddings and elopements from beginning to end. In this sense, it is no different from any other wedding day. The emphasis is on documenting key moments, capturing spontaneous displays of emotion, and telling the real story behind the elopement day. Below are wedding elopement story awards for Carl Bower.
WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.
