Chellise Michael and Mike Busse, a wedding photography duo that owns Chellise Michael Photography, have lived in Brooklyn for “ten epic, wild, fun, beautiful years,” as Chellise says. In that time, they’ve written stories for us on photographing engagement session using nighttime ambient light and an art-cinema-inspired “anti-engagement” shoot, both starring the borough.

They were also chosen as 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography in 2015, a coveted spot on a prestigious list that Rangefinder puts together every year (here’s how to get nominated for the competition, with pointers on putting together a strong portfolio). When we asked them to make a video of themselves expressing what the designation has meant for them, they put their sentiments to song and rap for a music video shot around Brooklyn.

Then, this spring, they packed up and moved 60 miles north, going from the most densely packed city in the U.S. (more than 8 million people) to a town of about 28,000: Newburgh, New York. As it were, they left just a week before New York City went on lockdown after the rampant spread of COVID-19 made the city the new global epicenter.

[Check out our COVID-19 resource guide for photographers and RF articles written to help small-business owners navigate the pandemic in a multitude of ways.]

Recently, we chatted with Chellise Michael to get her take on moving to a smaller city while keeping your roots and what it was like to do so at such an unsettling time for New York and the world.

Did you think you were going to stay in Brooklyn, or did you always know that you’d move outside the city at some point? 

CM: New York City has its own gentle or rude way of telling you it’s time to go. It’s just a matter of listening. Lucky for us, it was gentle.

Mike and I were both raised in Phoenix, Arizona, so we were used to having a really big open sky, seeing the stars, epic sunsets daily, and being surrounded by the mountains. I vividly remember one night while living in Brooklyn, Mike and I walked out onto our stoop for a fun night out and we both froze. There was a huge, red supermoon hanging real low in plain sight. I was so moved that it brought me to tears because, in that moment, I realized that I hadn’t seen the moon in months, and that is when I, personally, knew we would peace out someday.

We talked about it many times over the years, agreeing that we would eventually leave when the city told us to. To us, New York is a city you live in with intention—a place to make shit happen, to hustle, make a name for yourself, meet the most incredible people, have the time of your life, make cash, and then go chill out before you become bitter. So this was our plan, and we did it. In such a beautiful way, New York is constantly recycling people in and out as it sees fit. It either accepts you or spits you out, and there’s a time when it whispers to move on to make room for others.

We had been very accepting of this process, listening in when it started to creep on us. We feel very good about how we used our time in the city. We made it count. 

What led you to go upstate to Newburgh? 

CM: The architecture, the imperfections, the working-class vibe, access to nature and only being 10 minutes away from the train station for easy city trips. 

For months, we were looking in and around Beacon because it had a cool vibe already with great eats, shopping, art, and the train station is there, but we just weren’t finding anything that felt right. Then we noticed Newburgh, which faces Beacon on the opposite side of the Hudson River, and our jaws dropped at the sight of the incredible brick homes. We felt the rare opportunity of getting in early before it pops. The prices of the houses were, and still are, very affordable. The very next day, we took a drive to scope it out and fell in love with it. 

[Discover how to build a thriving photography business in a small market.]

One thing we didn’t want to do was move to a picture-perfect, all-white city that lacks diversity, and Newburgh definitely is not that. It also reminded us of what Williamsburg and Park Slope looked like back in the day when it was affordable, so there was a comfort to it. And the potential was obvious—loads of stunning brownstones, historical homes and big industrial buildings all along the river. And the cherry on top was the fact that Newburgh has a “real” Target and an Adams grocery store, which is quite literally Heaven to me. 

What were some of the motivations to buying the house in the first place?

CM: In 2015, we got to a point with our finances where we had a grown-up stash of savings and wanted to put it to work. We knew we couldn’t afford Brooklyn, and even if we could, the idea of buying a brownstone and still sharing walls with someone just wasn’t our idea of spending a million bucks. We wanted a house, a little more privacy.

Going back to growing up in the West, we missed having space. So we started looking upstate for options knowing that someday, we would like to live closer to nature in a less stressful environment, but still close to the city.

What was your vision for moving there, or at least incorporating it into your life before moving their full time?

CM: We found a cute house that we could see ourselves living in or…maybe not living in. We rented it to lovely tenants full time for four years, so our mortgage was covered as we continued living our Brooklyn lives.

A year ago, our Bushwick landlord decided that she wanted to sell. At the time, we didn’t feel ready to make the move, but the thought of moving into another small Brooklyn apartment and paying someone else’s mortgage was no longer appealing. We were spending $39,000 a year in rent alone and we knew it would just keep increasing as the years go by. It started to really sink in: all of this hard work we’re doing, to spend on rent. It gets old after a while. And you get wise after a while, too.

[Follow these three key steps to managing your money for a sustainable photography business.]

This was our sign to head up to our little house and see how we liked it, so we gave our tenants the heads up that we would be moving up the following year, and it all worked out. We also gave ourselves permission to hate it and come back to Brooklyn if we missed it bad enough. 

How did you see your business factoring in or changing as a result of you moving?

CM: Honestly, we really did not and still don’t see it changing much. We’ve always had a nice balance of upstate work versus city work, so it was pretty easy to make the shift. Weddings are good like that! 

Did you wind up moving sooner than expected because of the spread of the coronavirus, or was that timing coincidental?

CM: It was very, very oddly coincidental. When our landlord shared that she wanted to sell when our lease was up, we convinced her to let us stay until our off-season so that it would be easier for us to move, and she agreed. We left one week before the city shut down in mid-March. 

What was it like moving during the pandemic?

CM: It was so strange. But packing was a really good distraction from it all. There was a grieving process we went through months before leaving Brooklyn. It was really quite emotional, but throw a pandemic into the mix and it felt even heavier. It was obviously a blessing to leave the city during that time for the sake of our health, but there was also a feeling of guilt for leaving, as if we were privileged and running away from it. But because of the pandemic, it made it easier for us to peace out because we felt so much safer. 

How does your living setup in Newburgh compare to your place in Brooklyn? 

CM: Funny enough, we actually live in the same size home as we did in Brooklyn. It’s 1,100 square feet, but it’s a cute little 1928 brick house and it’s all ours! It’s perfect for the two of us and our cat, Unicorn, who really loves rolling her face in the grass.

Our property as a whole is just over 6,000 square feet, so we have a big enclosed backyard, a screened-in porch (because fuck mosquitos) and a front yard on an oak tree-lined street. We also have an additional 1,000 square feet of finished basement space, which is now partially Mike’s music studio for producing and recording and the other half is becoming my own photo studio. So we have quite a good setup for living and working. 

[Read about Elizabeth Messina’s harrowing path to a dream live/work photo studio.]

What do you love about your new place that Brooklyn didn’t have?

CM: The feeling of our home is our own. The calmness in the air, the community. Our neighbors are friendly, and when people say hello as you pass them by, it feels genuine. Also, having access to so many trails is incredible! One of our local friends is building a seven-mile hike very close by and people are pitching in with the digging. I’m excited about stuff like that—nature meets community. 

It’s also easier to do basic things, like grocery shopping. We go to one grocery store and they have it all, including local produce. No more going to five different places for one recipe. No more schlepping, and plenty of parking. I’m a pig in shit. It’s easy and I love it.

Did you lose anything by moving out of Brooklyn?

The bummers of leaving Brooklyn is not having access to the best damn lobster roll any day of the week, not having quick spontaneous access to our friends, going out dancing whenever we want and missing out on shows. 

What were some of the things you did to prepare your business for your move?

CM: About three years ago, I started tweaking our website to reflect more upstate work and created SEO-related posts to attract more upstate weddings.

[Check out these tips to growing your business with SEO and ranking first on Google.]

I also focused on connecting with more vendors that were based upstate that I truly admired. My goal was to have a nice balance of upstate and Brooklyn inquiries between myself, Mike and our team, and to maintain a presence in both places. 

Last month, you were picturing still being Brooklyn-based. Has that changed?

CM: Hell no! Never! As a business, we will always be very proudly Brooklyn-based. We worked too damn hard for it and have no intention of that ever changing. Just because Mike and I moved 60 miles north, we still have a team that lives in the city. We intend on being there frequently for work, social and summertime lobster rolls at Seawolf on the regular! 

Were there any unexpected challenges that came your way during this process?

CM: The only thing that comes to mind was a few moments of worry that if anyone found out we left, our vendor partners would know and dismiss us as a Brooklyn recommendation. But that isn’t a reality. Our working relationships in Brooklyn are beyond that and everyone that knows us, knows that we are just up the block and will be there.

It was about facing my own identity about living in Brooklyn and letting go of city life. The city isn’t easy to break up with, especially when you’re still in love with her, but I knew deep down that this move would make us both happier and healthier. And it would make my time in the city more valuable, memorable and intentional when I am there.  

Were there any unexpected benefits to your move?

CM: There is a huge benefit that I’m eagerly anticipating, and that is shooting in the city after being away! Now that we don’t live there, it’s going to give us new, fresh eyes again. We experience this every time we go back to Arizona and I seriously love it. The 40 shades of boring taupe, the desolate simplicity, the bougainvillea and cacti, the stucco, even the strip malls—things that I didn’t see the beauty in as much before when living there are things I now see and appreciate so dearly. We all become jaded to our surroundings. It’s natural over time. So as a photographer, it’s a beautiful, exciting feeling, and I can’t wait to experience this newness all over again when I shoot in the city. 

What advice would you give a photographer considering a move like this?

CM: From a business standpoint, do the math and plant seeds. Do you want to still be shooting primarily in the city that you are thinking of leaving? If so, that’s okay. Just choose a move that gives you easy access to be there on the regular so you can keep up with last-minute shoots, meetings, your regular work, and work-related social gatherings so you don’t have FOMO. 

Also, reach out to other photographers and people in your new community so you can cultivate some friendships and work to create balance and identity in your new hometown. 

Also, Mike and I didn’t do this and we have no regrets, but don’t buy a house in a new city unless you really know it. Consider renting first so you can get a feel of the place and the people. When it is time to buy, you’ll have a better footing on where in town is best.