April + Derrick's Sneak Peek {Engagement Session}

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of taking April and Derrick's engagement photos. All I can say is that these two were an absolute dream to work with! They contacted me with plenty of time to arrange their session, knew exactly where they wanted their photos, responded to every communication immediately, and even picked out awesome outfits!  Not to mention that they are one of the sweetest couples I've ever worked with.  Everything about their session was utter perfection....

Right up to the moment we stepped out of the car and were greeted with an insane gust of wind that kept us company for almost their entire session!

The weather isn't something that I've had to worry much about since moving to Arizona, so I wasn't really prepared for the shock of having to work around the insane bursts of wind.  We had to get a little creative with their photos and try to grab shots in between the wind covering April's face with her hair and getting crazy with her dress.  As a result, their photos have a fun, playful, carefree feeling to them that I just adore.

So, please allow me to introduce you to April and Derrick and share some of their photos with you!

The couple got engaged back in December at Estrella Star Tower and wanted to have their engagement photos taken at the same location.  How awesome is that? If you've never been there, the tower is right in the middle of a large area of open desert, and these first few photos were taken just off the path heading to the tower...

By now we all know how I feel about hand photos, right?  So of course I had to grab one during their session...

This is an absolute favorite!  I just love April's expression...

A few from the top of the tower...

Perfection!...

Is anyone surprised to find a shoe photo in here, too?  I didn't think so.  And this is one of my all time favorites!...

Is this not adorable!  (And a huge testament to just how insanely windy it really was!)...

I love how relaxed and comfortable they look with each other here.  You can tell that they have been a couple for years and are at ease with one another...

April said she picked blue because it brought out Derrick's eyes.  She wasn't kidding!  Look at those gorgeous baby blues...

I had to sneak in another hand shot!...

After their session, April and Derrick were kind enough to allow me to practice some off camera flash techniques on them with some new equipment I recently purchased.  We were hoping to grab some sunset shots, but mother nature just didn't have it in the cards for us.  I think the wind blew all the clouds away so the sunset was rather unimpressive.  Instead we decided to take some photos of them in front of the lit tower, and I wanted to share a handful of these as well!

So sweet!...

Love. Love. Love!...

This one is my favorite!  The wind was actually working in our favor with April's dress and spread it out just perfectly behind her...

April and Derrick, Thank you so much for allowing me to take your engagement photos and for posing for extra photos at the end while I experimented with my new equipment.  It was wonderful spending my evening with you both and getting to know you better.  Congratulations on your engagement and up coming wedding.  I am so happy and excited for you two!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC

Self-Portrait | July 2012

Kevin and I got engaged three years ago this month (July 23, 2009 to be exact), so for July's self-portrait I decided to look back and remember this special time in our lives.  Our engagement wasn't exactly typical in that we decided we wanted to get married, picked a wedding date, booked our wedding cruise (yep, we got married on a cruise ship), purchased my ring, scheduled engagement photos, planned an engagement party, and then officially got engaged. Because seriously, who wants to be normal anyway?

Obviously, I wasn't too shocked when Kevin proposed to me. He opted to pop the question at a Cheap Trick, Poison, Def Leppard Concert, which also came as no surprise since Kevin is one of the hugest music fans on the planet!  So for July's self-portrait I decided to take a photo of my hands, showing my ring, with the tickets from the concert and the photo on my iPhone that we took immediately after making our engagement official in the background.

I also decided on this for my self-portrait this month because I have always been drawn to photographs of hands.  There is just something so personal and intimate about hand photos, and I wanted to create an image of my own hands for myself and my loved ones to look back at years from now when my hands no longer look like this.

I really want to start capturing images like this for my clients, as well.  I often think about it before, yet I never seem to remember during the session, and then I kick myself for it afterward.  It about killed me when I realized that I did this when I photographed my parents back in April.  Before their session, I told myself over and over to take some photos of their hands, and then I completely forgot while I was shooting.  I guess it's just an excuse for another session with them in the near future. 

I also have to say thanks to my wonderful hubby for actually taking this photo. This would have been a very tough one for me to set up using the tripod and the remote, so Kevin was kind enough to help me out. So, thanks honey! :)

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.

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.

Kristin + Michael's Sneak Peek {Engagement Session}

I couldn't be more excited to share this sneak peek of Kristin and Mike's engagement photos! I know I say it every time I post engagement photos, but I just love working with couples. It's an honor to be able to capture such an important time in their lives and to preserve their precious memories for them.

Before the session, Kristin told me that they were up for anything and they weren't afraid to get a little dirty. Hearing that was absolute music to my ears!  True to their word, Mike and Kristin really were up for anything I suggested and didn't bat an eye even when I had them sitting in the dirt, rearranging piles of rocks, climbing up a mountain, and dangling over the edges of overhangs.  AND Kristin did it all in a dress! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun shooting a session, and it was a blast spending my Friday evening with them.  If they didn't have plans scheduled after their session, I probably could have kept them there shooting for another hour or two.

So, please allow me the honor of introducing you to Kristin and Mike:

This photo was the very first photo that I took. Seriously, who looks that awesome in their very first photo? These two, apparently! Normally, it takes people a little while to warm up and relax before they start looking and feeling natural but these two were rocking it right from the very first second...

This is definitely one of my favorites!...

A fun little shot with Kristin's ring...

Another favorite...

I just love the dreamy look to these images in black and white!  I know not everyone loves b+w like I do, so I only included one here, but take my word when I say the whole series is gorgeous if you're a b+w lover...

I didn't know it when I decided to toss in these scrabble letters at the last minute for a little fun with Kristin's ring, but it turns out that Kristin's family is big into scrabble.  It was fate!...

Adorable, right?...

Kristin and Mike are planning on having a desert theme at their wedding, so they requested a location for their engagement photos that would really capture the amazing Arizona desert landscape.  I think they picked a perfect location, don't you?

Another favorite!  Not only because I love the image, but because Kristin and Mike were total rock stars to climb up the back of the rocks and out on that ledge!...

Kristin and Mike, thank you for allowing me to take these photos for you! It was amazing working with both of you, and thank you for being so awesome and up for anything I suggested. I wish you two a lifetime filled with love and laughter.

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