Caleb + Addison's Sneak Peek {Wedding Ceremony}

Last weekend, Caleb and Addison joined their lives as one in a private wedding ceremony, and I am so honored that they allowed me to witness their beautiful ceremony and capture these memories for them.

Their ceremony started with the groom, followed by the bride and her father, crossing over to the tiny private island that they picked for their location.  They couldn't have picked a more perfect and romantic spot!...

The entire day was filled with such love and sweetness between Addison and Caleb.  It was so obvious how much they adore each other...

Addison's mom performed the ceremony, while Addison's dad stood by her side.  Together they read a poem for their daughter and new son.  So much love went into making this moment special for Addison and Caleb...

It was hard not to shed a few tears behind my camera, especially witnessing such moments of love and sweetness as Addison and Caleb exchanged their vows...

Hello gorgeous ring!...

You may now kiss your bride...

A few signatures, and it's official!...

I now present the Mr. and Mrs...

This is definitely a fav!...

Love!...

Is she not the most beautiful and radiant bride you've ever seen?!...

This photo is another of my absolute favorites!...

A peek at their little island behind them....

Caleb and Addison, Congratulations on your marriage!  I couldn't be happier for you two as you begin your new adventure together.  I hope every day is filled with the same love and tenderness that surrounded you on your wedding day.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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Tabitha + Nick's Sneak Peek

I am so excited to finally share Tabitha and Nick's sneak peek! Their session was in honor of 10 years together, and it was supposed to take place back in January on the evening of their actual anniversary. Unfortunately, we got rained out and had to reschedule.

Nick and Tabitha picked a park near their house for their photos, and asked to include their dog, Marty, in some of their images.  Marty is so adorable!  He definitely stole the show, but we made sure to get a few of the couple without him so they could shine, too.

I couldn't be more in love with how their session came together!  Theirs is definitely one of my all time favorites.  Nick and Tabitha were both so carefree and easy going in front of the camera, and I really like the fun, laid back feel of their photos. These photos tell their story perfectly, and really don't need any commentary, so I'm just going to hush up and let the photos speak for themselves.

Meet Nick, Tabitha, and Marty...

Tabitha and Nick, Thank you so much for allowing me to take these photos for you! It was a pleasure meeting Marty and spending my Saturday evening getting to know you both better. Congrats on the new house! Good luck to Tabitha, as she finishes school. I wish you both all the best for your future together.

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

Jackie's Sneak Peek

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking some head shots for Jackie and I'm excited to share some of her photos on the blog today.

I met Jackie downtown for her session, which is one of my all time favorite places to shoot!  There is such a huge variety of setting options at every turn.  You can find everything from flowers and trees to buildings, tables and ledges, all of which are awesome for my creativity but bad for my photographer's ADD.  I have a habit of heading off towards one destination, only to end up veering off in ten other directions on the way because something else catches my eye.  Luckily, Jackie is very laid back and took it all in perfect stride.

We started our session out in front of these gorgeous flowers...

Isn't Jackie's hair just adorable? I've spent 2 years growing my hair out, but when I see people with super cute short hair, like Jackie's, I'm tempted to cut it all back off again...

I am IN LOVE with this photo of Jackie!  She is one of those rare individuals who looks amazing with and without her glasses, so we made sure to get a variety of photos both ways...

This is another fav...

Jackie wanted a mix of photos, so here we captured her professional side...

And then we switched things up with some more casual photos...

I am completely head over heels for all of these last images!...

This is definitely another favorite...

Jackie, Thank you for allowing me to take these photos for you.  It was great getting to know you better during our session.  I wish you lots of luck and success with the rest of your studies.

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

BBL 2012-2013 | Buy a New Camera Body

#6 BUY A NEW CAMERA BODY

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I didn't set out to become a photographer.  I just kind of fell into it after falling in love with taking portraits during a photography class.  When I decided to go pro, I immediately upgraded my lenses but continued to use my entry level camera body.  Since I had to pick where to put my pennies, I knew I would get the most bang for my buck if I upgraded my lenses first.

While that was definitely the best long term decision, it didn't come without frustrations about the limitations of my camera body over the past three years.  I've repeated it over and over but my current camera body has horrible image quality with a lot of noise at any ISO over 400.  It doesn't allow me to set Kelvin temperatures which makes it more of a challenge to get my white balance right in the camera.  It has way too few focus points, which has made it challenging to get my composition right in camera.  Instead I've learned to set up my shots so that I could crop them during editing.  It also has a crop sensor, which impacts the focal length function of my lenses.

All of the limitations of my camera have made things a bit more challenging for me and have needlessly added a lot of time to my editing process.  On one hand, those limitations have made me a better photographer.  It forced me to learn my equipment inside and out and to push the limits of what it can do, and it taught me to get creative in seeking out alternative ways to accomplish my goals for my images.  It has also made me better at photoshop.  Since there were things I wanted to do, but couldn't do, with my camera it forced me to learn how to do them while editing.  On the other hand, I feel that I have reached the limit of what I can do while using my current camera.  If I want to grow and expand my skills (and my business), it's time to bite the bullet and move into the big leagues with a professional grade camera body.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

Let's just say that I know it's going to be.  I've shot two sessions with my new camera, and WOW is all I can say.

Now, the experience of actually buying the new camera body.... that's another thing entirely.  But as they say, when you buy the best you only cry once.

The details...

I decided to go with the Canon 5D Mark III for a whole lot of reasons that I won't bore you with.  But the bottom line is that I felt like this camera would allow me to do everything I want and need to do now, and also allow for a lot of growing room in the future.  After living with so many limitations for so long, I wanted a camera body that wasn't going to deliver a repeat performance shortly after purchasing it.  I'm certain the Mark III will fit that bill perfectly.

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

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