Foray Into Flash Photography {Take 1}

Back at the end of November I purchased a new flash for my camera, and it's more or less been sitting in the box intimidating the daylights out of me ever since. I finally worked up the nerve to get out and experiment with it over the weekend.  So, I begged and pleaded and twisted Kevin's arm asked Kevin to get up at the crack of dawn to let me experiment with it on him before the session we did a few days ago.

I'm going for full disclosure here and am going to admit that the first several images I took with the flash were absolutely horrid.  I was trying to take photos when it was still completely dark and the only light in the environment was coming from some overhead street lights.  I couldn't manage to get the white balance correct no matter what I tried and the photos were atrocious.  Luckily, once it started to get just a tiny bit of light in the sky and we moved away from the street lights my success rate sky rocket.

I love this water tower not too far from where we live, and I was playing around with getting as much of it into the frame as I could by shooting from below.  The perspective is obviously a bit unusual, but I kind of dig it for something different.  That's the awesome thing about photographing Kevin!  I can amuse myself with trying new things and he is more than willing to just stand there and let me.  And since he agreed to love me for better or worse, it doesn't matter if my ideas totally tank.

I have to admit that I was STUNNED at how powerful this flash is!  At the time I took the above photos the sky behind Kevin was still extremely dark, and in these photos it is fairly over-exposed.  I actually really like the effect of how well Kevin stands out against the bright background here, but this was a lucky accident as opposed to a creative decision.  But at least it was an eye opener, and I made sure not to repeat the same mistake during my second practice session. (Stay tuned for those photos very soon!)

Once it got a little bit lighter out, I had a much easier time using the flash and felt like it was much smoother sailing.  I was basically using it to just fill in a little light to brighten up my subject, instead of trying to use it to light most of the scene.  I really love this first photo of Kevin.  He's one of the few people who can pull off serious photos really, really well...

I love this one of my sweet hubby, too. This is such a Kevin face!  His smile without smiling look...

By the time I took these last two photos, I really didn't even need the flash but I was in my grove and didn't notice how light it had gotten while I had been shooting away. So, I snapped a few last minute photos before switching off the flash and letting the sun do my lighting for me...

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. 

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© 2013 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Today is my husband's birthday, so I wanted to take a moment to wish him a very happy birthday and an incredible year.  His birthday is one my favorite days, because it's the day that brought this amazing, wonderful, caring man into the world.  He is the center of my universe and I cannot imagine spending even one day of my life without him next to me.  I am so incredibly blessed to share my life with such a kind, compassionate, intelligent person!  Happy Birthday, Baby!

I hadn't taken any photos of Kevin since summer, so we spent a few hours on Friday taking some new ones.  Of course, he's already seen these, and in fact, he picked out most of the ones that I edited and posted.  If these photos were of someone else's significant other, I'd probably be writing and saying something like, "Kevin is so handsome, isn't so-and-so the luckiest girl in the world?"  Only this time it's me who is the lucky one! :)

I've taken A LOT of photos of Kevin over the years, and I think this batch is my favorite to date.  This is the first time we did photos of him in a suit, and these photos look the most "him" of any I've ever taken.  He looks in his element and comfortable for a change!  (Even if I did drag him out of bed super early to take these.  But at least I didn't make him do it ON his birthday.)  I think my husband is the only man in the world who would rather be in a suit than in jeans and t-shirt most of the time.

So, photos of my wonderful hubby...

I decided to include this last one just because it was so different from the rest.  It was taken before it started getting light out while I was gaining practice with my new flash. (More on that soon!)

If you have a moment, leave a comment below or swing on by my facebook page and wish Kevin a happy birthday! I know he'd love it. :)

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

Street Photography {at the races}

One of my favorite things to do in Phoenix is to go to the horse races at Turf Paradise. We usually do pretty well betting on the horses and at least win enough to cover our entrance fee and lunch. Unfortunately, during our last trip to the track, we were big fat losers. In order to console myself over my losses, I decided to indulge in a little so called street photography in between races.

This lady caught my attention as she was walking by because she looked so happy. I hope she just won it big on the previous race!...

This gentleman was intently watching the horses before the race, probably trying to decide which one to put his money on...

This guy spotted me from a long way off, and gave me lots of smiles, knowing I was taking his photo. The guy in the background doesn't look quite as happy, does he?...

Intently studying the race roster...

This guy stood there with this intent look for a loooong time. I can't help but wonder if he had big money riding on the race...

Swoon! Could this guy be any more perfect? Hat, boots, cigarette, and beer. Doesn't get any more classic than that!

Sweet lovebirds (aka my brother-in-law and his girlfriend) watching one of the races...

I got such a kick out of taking these photos! When I took my camera along, I wasn't necessarily planning on taking any "street photography" photos but once I started watching the people around me, I just couldn't resist. Plus, I have to start somewhere with this whole getting some guts thing, right?

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

A Day at the Phoenix Zoo

Today I was planning on posting a sneak peek from an anniversary session that I had scheduled a few days ago, but a rare Phoenix rainstorm put a damper on that plan when it forced us to reschedule. Instead, I decided to share some photos that I took during a recent visit to The Phoenix Zoo. Kevin and I spent an afternoon there a few weeks ago when my brother-in-law and his girlfriend were in town. Neither one of us had been there yet, so it was a nice opportunity to check it out and visit with the animals.

Here are some photos of the cute critters that we got to see during our visit:

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by lots of cute little ducks swimming in the water in front of the zoo entrance. This guy was just hanging out on the log, waiting for someone to take his portrait and I just couldn't let him down!...

I took quite a few photos of the little animals in their aquariums, but my sister-in-law gets grossed out by creepy-crawlies, so I decided not to post any of the snakes or spiders just to be nice to her. So, instead here is a cute little turtle and a passed out lizard from that portion of the zoo...

This one's for my mother-in-law, who has recently developed a love for owls...

These little guys always crack me up!...

Kevin actually took this next photo. He's been practicing his photography skills recently, so I turned the camera over to him for a while while I amused myself taking photos with my cell phone and posting them on Instgram...

Admittedly, there's nothing too exciting about this photo. I just found the line up of the animals amusing. It seemed like they were an unlikely group of friends playing an odd little game of follow the leader...

The large cats are always my favorite animals at the zoo. Kevin had the camera while we visited most of them, but I did get to take a few photos of this guy...

I'm really not a big fan of birds and when they are flying loose around me they kind of creep me out. But when they are at the zoo I always enjoy photographing them, especially the brightly colored ones.

I always get a kick out of the monkeys at the zoo! This one seemed to be covering his face, as if to say, "those darn people and their cameras, always staring in at me."...

I just loved these little guys, which is obvious from all the photos of them!...

He reminds me of an old man, just watching the world go by and patiently waiting for something...

Thanks for stopping by! If you enjoyed these animal photos and want to see more, you might want to check out the photos from the Wildlife World Zoo that I took in December 2011.

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