Brittany's Sneak Peek

After getting rained out on Saturday evening, Brittany and her Aunt Lisa braved the 90+ degree heat today for Brittany's photo session.

Brittany is a very sweet 10 1/2 year old child, who was a joy to photograph. Brittany thought it was funny to try to hide her face from me as I was trying to take her photos. She kept Lisa and I on our toes trying to get her to look at the camera!

Brittany is defying all of her doctors and staying strong and healthy past their expectations.  Go Britt!!  In celebration, Lisa arranged a photo session.  Completely awesome, right?!

It was so obvious how much Lisa just adores Brittany....

Um... Hello gorgeous blue eyes!!!...

We meet at a local park that is handicap accessible, and Brittany was able to swing a little while we were there. She was a little too tall for the swings so she couldn't go too high without her feet hitting, but she seemed to have fun anyway...

Just relaxing in the shade...

Isn't this just the sweetest photo? It just might be my fav...

Thank you, Lisa, for allowing me to photograph Brittany! It was a pleasure meeting both of you and spending the evening taking your photos.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer currently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michele will be relocating to Phoenix, Arizona during the summer of 2011. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Are We Twins?

I try not to bore my fans and clients with too many personal posts on my blog, but I hope you will humor me for a few moments while I share this one!

McKenna (who I photographed just recently, look below to see more photos of her) is the daughter of my good friend Tammy.  I first met McKenna when she was about 2 1/2, and I've always thought that she could pass for my child. As I've watched her grow up over the years, I've always seen a resemblance between her and myself at the same age.

Several years ago, I was in Tammy's wedding and so was McKenna.  Apparently several of the wedding guests saw the resemblance as well, because Tammy kept getting questions about why my daughter was in her wedding.

Below is a photo of the three of us.  On the left is Tammy, McKenna is in the middle, and a photo of me at age 12 (a year older than McKenna is now) on the right...

So, what do you think? Could McKenna and I pass for twins?

OK. So, maybe not twins, but definitely sisters!

We have different noses, and I was so skinny as a kid that I couldn't gain weight even if I tried (man do I wish I still had that problem!) so my face is ridiculously thin, but other than that I see a lot of similarities.

BTW, don't you just love my hair and flipped collar in my photo.  Oh yes, the good ole 80s!

PS.  See what happens when I go two weeks without shooting a photo session because they keep getting rained out? I start digging through old photos from decades ago! This weather seriously needs to start co-operating soon.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer currently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michele will be relocating to Phoenix, Arizona during the summer of 2011. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Can You Tell They Are Sisters??

When I take hundreds of photographs of someone, I can't help but catch their little mannerisms on film. For example, my husband is a blinker. If I take 500 photos of him, it is a given that he will have his eyes closed in at least 100 of them. Some people have little nervous habits that they do like licking their lips, or fussing with their hair. Some people make certain faces or do certain hand gestures over and over again. It's really not a big deal, and everyone has them. However, by the time I've spent several hours photographing someone and then editing their photos, I come to know these faces and mannerisms pretty well.

Last summer, I photographed McKenna's older sister, Jessyka. Jess has a face that she makes over and over again, and I caught it on film a lot while taking her photos. On Sunday when I was taking McKenna's photos she kept making the same face, and I kept telling her to stop making "the Jess face". I only caught McKenna doing it a few times in the photos, but I just couldn't resist putting a photo of the two of them together with their similar faces...

You can't tell that they are related or anything can you?

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer currently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michele will be relocating to Phoenix, Arizona during the summer of 2011. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

McKenna's Sneak Peek

Allow me to introduce you to McKenna! She is the daughter of one of my good friends, and I have known her since she was 2 1/2. She turned 11 a few days ago (which I CANNOT believe), and in honor of her birthday we just had to have a photo session!

McKenna actually looks a lot like I did as a child, and could easily pass for my daughter. Whenever I see her, it kind of feels like looking into a mirror that reflects the past to me. It's a little odd, and a lot cool all at the same time.

We started out McKenna's photo session near my house so I could take some photos using this building. I've been driving by it for weeks, just dying to use it in some photos and I finally got my chance this evening!...

I had no idea what the building actually used to be, but smarty pants McKenna, told me that it was probably an old guard shack at one time, and I think she's absolutely right.

Gorgeous eyes run in this family, and McKenna didn't get left out. Just look at those baby blues!...

Doesn't McKenna look so grown up in this picture?...

Mom, watch out! You've got a future heart breaker on your hands. The boys are going to be knocking down your door soon (if they aren't all ready)!...

I totally heart both of these two photos, and I just couldn't pick between them so I had to post them both...

Love, Love, LOVE this one...

Isn't she just so pretty?...

Some photos just scream to be in black and white, and this is definitely one of them!...

McKenna was so much fun to photograph! After my weekend of photographing toddlers and dogs it was a lot of fun working with her. Instead of working really hard to get her to smile and have fun for the camera, she was nothing but smiles, giggles, and laughs!...

I actually had a hard time trying to get a serious face from her, but I did manage to get a few, just barely! You can see her about to break out in another huge grin just seconds after this one was taken...

McKenna, thank you for allowing me to take your photographs and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope that you enjoy being 11, and that it is your best year yet.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer currently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michele will be relocating to Phoenix, Arizona during the summer of 2011. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Michigan Sunset

I grew up in Michigan and still have friends and family there. Every time I return for a visit, I can't help but think that is one of the prettiest places in the world (in the warm months, that is!).

It is a given that you are going to drive by a lake or two on your route, no matter where you are headed. There is also something about the color of the sky there that never fails to take my breath away. It seems bluer there than in most other places. I've always wondered if it had something to do with all of that water.

Anyway, I was just in Michigan taking some photos and visiting some friends. As soon as I wrapped up one of the sessions and started heading home, I noticed that the sky was an incredible pinkish-red color as the sun was setting. It looked like someone had lit the tops of the trees on fire!

Since I had my camera with me, I decided to pull over as soon as I came upon a lake where I could get a pretty photo of the reflection in the water. It took me a few minutes to find one, so by the time I started shooting the sun had slipped a little lower in the sky.  It had lost a little of its vibrance, but I still think the color in this photo is GORGEOUS!...

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer currently located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michele will be relocating to Phoenix, Arizona during the summer of 2011. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.