Sunday, December 29, 2013

Self-Portrait | December 2013

December has been a whirlwind of insanity between Kevin's law school graduation and closing on our new house a few days before Christmas.  Most of the month was spent visiting with family members who were in town to celebrate with Kevin, combined with packing and moving everything we own, with a whole lot of scrubbing every inch of our new house thrown in just for fun.

We are super stoked to be in our own home finally, but thoroughly exhausted from the work it took to get here.  As a result, we more or less unpacked the necessities and left everything else in a big ol' pile in the garage where it is going to sit untouched until I regroup and regain an ounce or two of sanity (or until I get tired of parking in the driveway).

So here I am in the middle of the mess for this month's self-portrait.


Did you miss some of my past self-portraits?  Clicking here will take you to all of my self-portrait blog posts. Clicking here will take you to my self-portrait Facebook album.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Friday, December 27, 2013

Phil + Griselda + Cudi's Sneak Peek

I just adore this session and it's been killing me to keep these photos under wraps for the past month.  I'm so excited that I can finally share them with you now that Christmas is over!

Phil and Griselda are the sweetest couple, and it was a pleasure photographing them and their fur kid, Cudi.  (If you're thinking that Griselda looks familiar, it is because the lovely lady has been in front of my camera before.)  We meet for our session at one of my absolute favorite areas to shoot near downtown Phoenix, and I don't think I could be more in love with how their session turned out.  So, without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to this awesome family.

Just taking a little stroll...


Is Cudi not just the cutest dog EVER?...



Phil and Griselda are pretty cute, too...



This is one of my favorites!...




Another fav...


Don't they look Ah-maz-ing in this one?  Love, love, love!...



Another sweet one with their fur kid...


These two are so much fun!...



So, sweet!...



Phil and Griselda, Thank you for allowing me to take these photos for you. It was a pleasure getting to spend an evening with you both, and meeting Cudi. I hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Friday, December 20, 2013

Arizona Balloon Classic {2013}

We had so much fun at the Arizona Balloon Classic when we attended last year, we decided to go again this year.  Of course, I took my camera along to grab some shots of the balloons.

I opted to shoot these with my 24-70 lens because I remembered thinking that I'd felt limited by the focal length of my 70-200 last year.  However, after looking at both sets of photos I've decided that I prefer the photos shot with the longer lens because I was able to capture the people up in the balloons better with it. Regardless, it's impossible to go wrong with photos of hot air balloons!

Here are some of my favorites from this year:


















As always, thanks for stopping by!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

He Did It!

My husband is officially a law school graduate!


And I couldn't be more proud of him, or more in awe of all that he has accomplished in the past 5 ½ years.


Congratulations to my amazing husband and to all of his Arizona Summit Law School classmates who also graduated!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Friday, December 13, 2013

BBL 2013-2014 | Give Up Pop for 30 Days


#23 GIVE UP POP FOR 30 DAYS

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

Years ago I had managed to kick my pop habit to the curb.  However, as my life has gotten increasingly more insane over the past few years I've fallen back into the habit of drinking way too much of it again.  I started drinking it for the caffeine, and ended up addicted again because I really do love the taste.  My hope is that by giving up pop for 30 days, it will start me on the path of not drinking it again.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

In general, I actually had an easier time than I expected.  The only time I had to battle my craving was when I was eating foods that I usually associate with drinking pop - like pizza or fast food.

The details...

I stopped drinking pop on October 1st, and made it though the 30 days with no problem.  After about 35 days, I did cave in and drink some Pepsi on a day where I had only gotten a few hours of sleep and had along day ahead of me.  The caffeine provided the needed pick-me-up, but I was surprised that I didn't enjoy the taste like I was expecting.  Since then I have indulged in the caffeine hit on a few other occasions, with the same surprising result so perhaps I just might be well on my way to kicking this habit for good!


Do you want to see my entire 2013-2014 Birthday Bucket List?  You can find it here. Did you miss my 2012-2013 List? You can find it here.  Or my 2011-2012 List? You can find it here.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Monday, December 9, 2013

Caleb + Addison + Shannon + Vickie + Taylar's Sneak Peek

I couldn't have ended my 2013 shooting season on a more perfect note than by once again photographing Caleb and Addison, and Addison's family.  (You might remember Caleb and Addison from their elopement that I photographed this past spring.)

I was so excited when Addison contacted me to talk about having holiday family photos taken. Our original plan was to hold their session a few weeks ago, but in a rare turn of events their session got rained out, so we had to reschedule for Thanksgiving weekend - which actually ended up working out perfectly because it allowed Addison's sister, Taylar, to join in on the photos, too.

We held their session at Shannon and Vickie's, where they own a gorgeous property complete with several large pine trees that provided the prefect background for many of these photos.  We started the session out with a few photos of Addison and Caleb, and can I just say how much I adore this couple? The are so sweet together!



We then had everyone join in for a few group photos...


One of Shannon and Vickie...


I just love it when clients want to have fun with their photos!  It's so great working with people who are relaxed and willing to loosen up and have a good time in front of the camera.  Here is the group getting a little silly.  I especially love Taylar in the back!...


What a gorgeous family, huh?...



JUMP!...


I love this one!...


Shannon made both of these awesome sculptures that are in their front yard...



I just adore this one, with their hats...


Getting silly again...


Love, love, love!...


As soon as I spotted this couch, I knew we had to use it for some photos...


I think this photo wins as my favorite from the session...


Did I happen to mention how much fun this family is? Love it!...


A few more of Caleb and Addison...


Vickie and Shannon...


Sisters!...


Thank you for allowing me to take these photos for you guys!  It was great seeing everyone again, and meeting Taylar.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter


© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC