Micaiah + Ben's Sneak Peak {Engagement Session}

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of taking Micaiah and Ben's engagement photos.  I work with Micaiah at my day job, and when Ben popped the question I offered to take these photos as a gift to them.  I couldn't be more honored that they trusted me to take their engagement photos, and I am so excited to share them with you!

I really love photographing couples but I rarely get the opportunity to do so.  Most of the time a couple will have their wedding photographer take their engagement photos for them, and after a couple has children it's tough to convince them to be have photos taken without the kids.  So, this was such a wonderful opportunity for me to do something that I love, and I couldn't have asked for more amazing people to share it with.

Micaiah and Ben are the sweetest couple ever!  These photos tell the story of their love much better than words ever could, so I'm going to let the images speak for themselves and just keep the words to a minimum...

I just love this one!  I was planning on taking some photos of the two of them kissing behind the greenery, so I asked them to position themselves behind it.  As soon as they were crouched down, both of them moved the bush aside and peeked through it, and it was too adorable not to photograph!...

I'm not a TV watcher, so this is totally over my head, but this is from The Big Bang Theory, and has a personal meaning to Micaiah and Ben...

Micaiah and Ben, thank you for spending your Friday evening with me and for allowing me to be a small part of this special time in your lives through your photos.  I wish you a lifetime filled with love and happiness.  Congratulations!!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Self-Portrait | October 2012

I really struggled to come up with an idea for October's self-portrait. It wasn't so much that this month was boring, but nothing specific stood out that represented the month.  October started out with my parents here, and us visiting Kevin's family back in Indiana. We went out with friends while we were there, and also here in Phoenix. I shot and edited a few photo sessions.  I worked, Kevin went to school, we watched a few movies, and hung out at home.  In a word, this month felt normal.  Blissfully, happily, normal.

Normal is something that I haven't felt in a very, very long time.  Things have been in one form of turmoil or another for so long that I couldn't really remember what normal was, or what it felt like, but October once again brought a glimpse of it back into my life.

I would have loved to come up with some sort of creative idea to photograph normal, but no matter how hard I tried I drew a complete blank.  So, instead I opted to focus on the result of this normal feeling returning to my life.   I finally had time to stop and ask myself, "Am I happy? Am I living the life I want to be living?  Why or why not?  How can I change that?"

I realized that I've fallen victim to spending way too much time on the internet.  I've turned into an email, facebook, twitter, instagram junkie.  There are even times when I will be sitting in front of my computer with facebook open in front of me, and pick up my phone, only to open the facebook app on it, too.  When I catch myself doing this, I shake my head with wonder as to how I got so addicted to social media and what could possibly be so exciting that I need to be checking it simultaneously on two devices.

The truth of the matter is that it is mostly habit, but this habit has got to stop!  Now that my life has returned to something a little more normal, I've realized how harmful this habit has become.  It's time to kiss the internet goodbye and get out there to create a life of my own instead of watching everyone else's go by from my office.  So here I am, sitting at my desk, phone in hand, and both computers tuned into the outside world for a very realistic view into how I have been spending way too much time recently...

I'm not quite sure what my obsession is with black and white self-portraits, but as I was looking back recently I noticed that I seem to lean towards b&w more often than not.  I'm going to make a conscious effort to start adding more color into my self-portraits in the coming months!  I've also been surprised to note how many of these images I take using the stock lens that I got when I purchased my camera because it is the widest angle lens that I own.  I never use it during my portrait sessions.  In fact, I don't even keep it in my camera bag.  I think I'm going to toss it in and challenge myself to use it for some shots during an up coming session, just to see what I can create with it.

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. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

BBL 2012-2013 | Get Mother/Daughter Professional Portraits Taken

#8 GET MOTHER/DAUGHTER PROFESSIONAL PORTRAITS TAKEN

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

During the workshop I attended back in April, the photographer shared with us some portraits she had taken of a mother and daughter. I loved the idea and was inspired to capture the same memories of myself with my mom.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

Having your photos taken tends to be a nerve-wracking experience for everyone, and I'm no exception.  I stressed over what to wear, and worried that the photos wouldn't turn out well, just like everyone does before a photo session. But honestly the process of having these photos taken was really a lot of fun, and I am so thrilled that I will have these photos and memories to cherish forever.

The details...

These photos were taken by Ryan of Ryan Nicole Photography a few weeks ago.  Ryan is an absolute sweetheart and so laid back and easy to work with.  Ryan's sister is also a photographer and I "met" them a few years ago on facebook, long before I knew that I would be relocating to Phoenix.  When I knew I would be moving, Ryan and I started chatting a little more often and finally met face to face at the workshop I attended back in August.  When Ryan recently offered a mini session special, I jumped at the opportunity to have her take these photos for me and I couldn't be more in love with how they turned out.

Me and my mom (we look a lot a like, huh?)...

I loved this bridge, and I'm so glad Ryan was able to capture some awesome photos of us on it...

Love, love, love the Arizona landscape in this one. Just one of the many reasons I live here!...

By now, I'm sure you know how I feel about hand photos, and I asked Ryan to take one for me during our session...

I just have to send out a HUGE thank you to Ryan, not only for taking these wonderful photos, but for providing me with these watermarked images and allowing me to post her work on my blog. Ryan, you seriously rock! :)

Next up - Trying to convince my dad to take a turn in front of the camera with me, too. That one might be a little tougher to pull off, though, as he doesn't exactly love having his photo taken! Maybe if I get started now I can convince him in time for next year's bucket list!

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 at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

BBL 2012-2013 | Participate in a Photo Walk

#10 PARTICIPATE IN A PHOTO WALK

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I've been hearing about Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk for the past few years, but I was never able to attend one because of my day job work schedule. My schedule has recently changed, and I am finally free on Saturdays. Who knows how long that will last, so I decided I better jump at the chance to attend the photo walk this year and see what all the hype is about!

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

Absolutely! It was a great experience to get out there and shoot something besides portraits for a change. Plus it was a nice opportunity to meet some other photographers, and see a few that I met during the workshop I attended a few months ago.

The details...

I have to admit that for the majority of the walk, I felt a little lost as to what I should be photographing. I'm used to looking at my surroundings to find things that will be good backgrounds for the subject (i.e. the person or people) I am photographing, not looking for things in my environment to be the main subject of my photos. It definitely was a painful reminder that I need to branch out and spend some time behind my camera shooting things other than people or animals. That being said, I did manage to capture a handful of fun photos:

This first photo was taken at the Civic Space Park, where we started, by the leader of our walk, Trevor Dayley. I'm pretty easy to spot, but if you're just stopping by my blog for the first time and don't know me yet, you can find me in the front row, a little left of center, in the green shirt...

Here is Trevor, explaining about the walk, and our route. As you can see I was busy taking photos and not listening. Good thing I didn't end up getting lost!...

Just a random tall building, but I kinda dig the reflection of the other building in it...

I got a kick out of this one because I managed to create an optical illusion. (Pure dumb luck, I assure you!) Depending on how you look at the sign, the arrow will appear to be pointing either off to the right or back into the photo, sort of toward the building...

I was having fun standing under signs and taking photos up at them, like this. I took several, but this was my favorite...

Our fearless leader...

Newspaper, anyone?

The adorable daughter of one of the other photogs in the group...

Just a random alley along our route...

I love this photo! It is hands down my favorite of all the photos I took during the photo walk. (Is anyone surprised that my favorite image would be a portrait?)

I love old buildings, like this. What I wouldn't give to be able to explore inside!...

This guy riding his bike with his bag around his neck caught the eye of a lot of us. He had several cameras pointed his way as he went riding by...

I totally dig the color of this bike! I took several photos of it while secretly hoping that it's owner didn't come up and shoo me away. Although, I'm guessing with a bike that pretty the rider probably isn't a member of any big bad biker gangs...

Statues in front of a theater downtown...

Trevor, again...

These last two photos were taken at the top of a parking garage as the sun was setting. As you can see, the fair was going on, too...

I had so much fun participating in the walk, and I hope to be able to do it again next year!

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 at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Sharon's Sneak Peek

I had the honor of spending my Saturday morning with the lovely Sharon, and I am excited to share a peek at her session.  I have been looking forward to getting Sharon in front of my camera for quite some time, and was so happy that we were able to make arrangements to squeeze in a session at the last minute this past weekend, even if it was freezing cold out!

If you've spent much time on my blog or on my facebook page, then I'm sure you've long since figured out that bright, bold photos are my thing.  So, I have to admit that I did a HUGE silent cheer when I saw the awesome outfit that Sharon decided to wear for her session.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to fall in love with her photos and I definitely did!

Sharon is a bit notorious for talking while her photo is being taken, and it has become a bit of a running joke that no one can manage to get a photo of her looking at the camera and not talking.  Sharon is absolutely stunning, so it is about impossible to actually take a bad photo of her. But, I've been teasing her that she needed to let me give it a shot to see if we could manage to capture her pretty smiling instead of catching her mid-speech. She finally agreed to let me take some new photos for her, and I would say that it was a definite success!  What do you think?...

We did a series of shots using this fun staircase, and I really like how they turned out...

I was really getting a kick out of playing with the lines and angles...

Sharon was a natural in front of the camera and looked completely relaxed and comfortable from the second we started. She claimed it was because she wasn't quite awake yet, but I'm not sure about that! Perhaps, if she decides law school isn't her thing she can have a back-up career as a model.

I love capturing photos of clients laughing!...

Love, love, love that her nails match the blue in the car...

This is definitely one of my favorites from the session...

I couldn't pick a fav between these next two, so I went with both of them...

Sharon, you are stunning!...

This is definitely another of my favorites from Sharon's session, but I honestly liked so many of these photos that I had a very hard time narrowing them down for a sneak peek...

Sharon, thank you so much for allowing me to take your photos, for getting up so early to meet with me, and for taking time out of your insanely busy schedule to squeeze in this session! Good luck with the rest of your semester, and with your upcoming intern interviews. You absolutely rock, so I know you will do fabulous!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Getting Inked (Again!)

Last week Kevin and I went back to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit our family and friends who still live in the area. While we were there, we took advantage of our time in town to visit Donny Manco, owner of New Republic Tattoo, for some new ink.

Donny is the most amazing tattoo artist EVER, and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.  He is great to work with, and his ability to take an abstract idea and turn it into a concrete design it incredible.  Every time we work with him, I'm stunned at how he seems to be able to get into our heads and see what we have in mind and create it for us.

Donny is such a sweetheart, and so laid back, that every time we are in his shop he lets me take photos of him while he works on Kevin.  I posted some photos he let me take of Kevin's last tattoo a while back.  And I'm just now getting around to posting some photos of our most recent visit to see him.

No matter how long I write or how much I say, I could never say enough about how wonderful Donny is and how awesome he is to work with.  So, instead I'll just let the photos tell the story.

Here is Kevin in the tattoo shop, waiting to get started...

Donny, putting Kevin's design in place and making sure it is exactly where he wants it...

Kevin's other tattoos didn't seem to bother him too much, but rib tats are notorious for being painful and I think Kevin would wholeheartedly agree! Here he is as Donny gets started with the outline...

Off and running with the outline...

I really like the heads and eyes of the koi fish in Kevin's tattoo design! I wanted to make sure I got a good photo of Donny working on the details of it, so I bet I took about 50 photos while he was working in this area...

The master hard at work...

It's a toss up for my favorite photo between this one, and the close up two photos down...

Another photo of Donny. He is one dedicated and hard working guy, no doubt about it!

I'm in love with the detail in this photo!...

And another photo of Donny, working...

And the finished design! I debated if I should post this one in color or black and white. I love the colors of the the design, but new tattoos are a little gross looking and the black and white image hid the redness better. Obviously, I ultimately decide to show off the color...

This time I was smart enough to remember to ask Donny to pose for a photo with us once we were all finished, so here is an Instagram photo of the three of us!...

It was great having the opportunity to photograph Kevin getting his tattoo! I doubt there is much of a market for tattoo photographers, but it is one event that I think I would really get a kick out of photographing on a regular basis. So, once again, I'm sending out a HUGE thank you to Donny Manco for his kindness and patience with my camera going off in his face for hours on end while he worked on Kevin's tattoo.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.