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.

Birthday Bucket List | 2012-2013 Edition

"Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live." ~Nicolas de Chamfort

Oh, how I wish that quote didn't describe me, but sadly it fits me to a T.  I've always spent too much time thinking and planning and not enough time living and doing.  By now, I doubt I'm ever going to completely get away from my natural tendency to over-think things, but my Birthday Bucket List is my way of trying to even the score!  It is an attempt to get me out there living and doing and experiencing new things.

Every year I compile a list of things I want to do before my next birthday. I used to create a list with the number of things that I wanted to do equaling the age I would be turning, but as I've gotten older, I found that I just couldn't keep up. So now I come up with a list of 12 things I want to do in the coming year, with the goal of attempting to mark one off my list each month.

So, here is my 2012-2013 Birthday Bucket List:

1. Become a regular... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

2. Visit some place I've never been before... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

3. Visit the Grand Canyon... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

4. Visit Key West... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

5. Visit more Mayan Ruins... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

6. Buy a new camera body... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

7. Send a message in a bottle... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

8. Get mother/daughter professional portraits taken... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

9. Start a monthly personal photography project... CHECKED + STARTED!

10. Participate in a photo walk... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

11. Purchase flash equipment... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

12. Adopt more fur babies... CHECKED + BLOGGED!

As I complete the items, I will mark them off the list and write a blog post about the experience. I'm excited about this year's list and looking forward to getting out there and living life!

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 2011-2012 | Plant a Palm Tree

#1 PLANT A PALM TREE

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I added this to my birthday bucket list because I have always been fascinated with palm trees. Previously, I had "live some place where there are palm trees" on my list.  Once I relocated to Phoenix, I was able to mark that item off the list, and I decided I should honor the accomplishment by planting a palm tree in my environment.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

What's not to love about planting a palm tree?  The only thing I would have changed about it was to be planting it in the yard of my own home, but since we are still renting that wasn't possible.  So, instead I purchased a small palm tree and a large pot to plant it in until we do buy a house and I can transfer it.

The details...

I decided on a Phoenix Roebelenii Palm because it was described as a smaller, slow growing palm.  I thought that would fit my needs of wanting to plant it in a pot and then transfer it at a later date.  I also like how they have multiple trunks and selected one with three for my palm.

Here is a series of photos that Kevin took of me planting my new palm tree...

My little helpers...

Ta-Da!...

I totally snuck this one in right under the wire, as TODAY is my birthday and my next Birthday Bucket List is all compiled and ready to hit the blog in a few days. So stay tuned for what the next year will have in store for me.

Do you want to see my entire 2011-2012 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.

Kelly's Sneak Peek

I am excited to introduce the gorgeous Kelly, and share her photos with you. I am so lucky that I get to photograph such sweet, beautiful and amazing clients.

I met Kelly at her apartment before her session where she let me raid her closet and help pick out her outfits for her photos. I love it when I get to do that. It is so much fun to see all of the cute accessories that other women have. Kelly had the best belt collection ever! As soon as I saw the purple belt she has on here, I KNEW we had to design an outfit around it.

This first photo is definitely one of my favs.  Kelly has the most stunning eyes, and they really pop in this picture...

How cute is this outfit!?...

I love the bright bold colors in Kelly's photos, so I actually prefer most of them in the color version. (Yes, I know. Very rare for me!) But I thought this one of Kelly looked great in black and white...

Hello, gorgeous light!...

I'm such a sucker for a vine covered wall...

We took all of Kelly's photos within a few blocks of her apartment, so we were able to head back for a quick outfit change and then sneak in a few more photos before we lost all of our light.

Love the intense look she's got going on in this one...

Sassy!...

And right back to where we started with those gorgeous eyes...

Kelly, thank you so much for allowing me to take your photos!  It was a blast spending my Saturday evening chatting with you.  Good luck with your second year of law school.  I know you are going to do awesome.

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.

Zoe Turns 5 Years Old!

Zoe turned 5 years old on September 11th. In some ways it is hard to believe that it's been almost 5 years since I adopted her. In other ways, it's hard to think back to my life before adopting my dogs and it kinda feels like I've always had them.

Zoe and Lexi always get birthday and Christmas presents and they LOVE tearing open the bags and discovering what is inside. Here they are patiently waiting for Kevin to give them Zoe's gift...

Zoe's expression in this one cracks me up!...

Here Lexi is helping Zoe out, making sure she didn't miss anything in the bag...

Oh wait! There's still something in there...

I just love this photo of Lexi!...

New stuff to chew on. Yay!...

And, the aftermath...

I get such a kick out of watching them open their presents, and tear up the wrappings.  Lexi's birthday isn't until early December, but I'm sure it will be upon us before we know what hit us!

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.