Friday, December 20, 2013

Arizona Balloon Classic {2013}

We had so much fun at the Arizona Balloon Classic when we attended last year, we decided to go again this year.  Of course, I took my camera along to grab some shots of the balloons.

I opted to shoot these with my 24-70 lens because I remembered thinking that I'd felt limited by the focal length of my 70-200 last year.  However, after looking at both sets of photos I've decided that I prefer the photos shot with the longer lens because I was able to capture the people up in the balloons better with it. Regardless, it's impossible to go wrong with photos of hot air balloons!

Here are some of my favorites from this year:


















As always, thanks for stopping by!

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

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

He Did It!

My husband is officially a law school graduate!


And I couldn't be more proud of him, or more in awe of all that he has accomplished in the past 5 ½ years.


Congratulations to my amazing husband and to all of his Arizona Summit Law School classmates who also graduated!

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

Friday, December 13, 2013

BBL 2013-2014 | Give Up Pop for 30 Days


#23 GIVE UP POP FOR 30 DAYS

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

Years ago I had managed to kick my pop habit to the curb.  However, as my life has gotten increasingly more insane over the past few years I've fallen back into the habit of drinking way too much of it again.  I started drinking it for the caffeine, and ended up addicted again because I really do love the taste.  My hope is that by giving up pop for 30 days, it will start me on the path of not drinking it again.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

In general, I actually had an easier time than I expected.  The only time I had to battle my craving was when I was eating foods that I usually associate with drinking pop - like pizza or fast food.

The details...

I stopped drinking pop on October 1st, and made it though the 30 days with no problem.  After about 35 days, I did cave in and drink some Pepsi on a day where I had only gotten a few hours of sleep and had along day ahead of me.  The caffeine provided the needed pick-me-up, but I was surprised that I didn't enjoy the taste like I was expecting.  Since then I have indulged in the caffeine hit on a few other occasions, with the same surprising result so perhaps I just might be well on my way to kicking this habit for good!


Do you want to see my entire 2013-2014 Birthday Bucket List?  You can find it here. Did you miss my 2012-2013 List? You can find it here.  Or my 2011-2012 List? You can find it here.

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

Monday, December 9, 2013

Caleb + Addison + Shannon + Vickie + Taylar's Sneak Peek

I couldn't have ended my 2013 shooting season on a more perfect note than by once again photographing Caleb and Addison, and Addison's family.  (You might remember Caleb and Addison from their elopement that I photographed this past spring.)

I was so excited when Addison contacted me to talk about having holiday family photos taken. Our original plan was to hold their session a few weeks ago, but in a rare turn of events their session got rained out, so we had to reschedule for Thanksgiving weekend - which actually ended up working out perfectly because it allowed Addison's sister, Taylar, to join in on the photos, too.

We held their session at Shannon and Vickie's, where they own a gorgeous property complete with several large pine trees that provided the prefect background for many of these photos.  We started the session out with a few photos of Addison and Caleb, and can I just say how much I adore this couple? The are so sweet together!



We then had everyone join in for a few group photos...


One of Shannon and Vickie...


I just love it when clients want to have fun with their photos!  It's so great working with people who are relaxed and willing to loosen up and have a good time in front of the camera.  Here is the group getting a little silly.  I especially love Taylar in the back!...


What a gorgeous family, huh?...



JUMP!...


I love this one!...


Shannon made both of these awesome sculptures that are in their front yard...



I just adore this one, with their hats...


Getting silly again...


Love, love, love!...


As soon as I spotted this couch, I knew we had to use it for some photos...


I think this photo wins as my favorite from the session...


Did I happen to mention how much fun this family is? Love it!...


A few more of Caleb and Addison...


Vickie and Shannon...


Sisters!...


Thank you for allowing me to take these photos for you guys!  It was great seeing everyone again, and meeting Taylar.

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

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Happy 6th Birthday, Lexi!

Where, oh where, does the time go??  I cannot believe that it is already early December and Lexi's birthday has come and gone once again.  I probably say it every year, but it feels like I just adopted my sweet pups a year or two ago.  I don't know how it can be almost 6 years since I brought little Lexi home!

Just like always, the dogs got to open a bag full of toys for Lexi's birthday.  They love opening their gifts, and we love watching them.  It is such a riot seeing them tear into the bag.  Of course, every time they see a gift bag they think it is for them, so it does make it a bit challenging to exchange gifts on human holidays without the dogs trying to help us open them.

Waiting for Kevin to give them their bag...


Hmmm.  Is there anything good in there?...


A new rope to play tug with!...



Zoe's favorite part is tearing the bags up...


A little game of tug with one of their new toys...




It probably seems like our dogs get a ton of toys every year, and you might be wondering how we aren't drowning in dog toys.  But the thing is our dogs are rough on toys, and they don't last long around our house.  That's why most of them come from the dollar store!  The toy pictured above lasted about 15 minutes, and then it had a gaping hole in it so Lexi proceeded to pull all of the stuffing out of it...


Just a little cuteness...



Another game of tug over the string from the handle of the bag...




Success!...


Until Zoe stole it!...


I just love that face!...


She had the tennis ball on this one destroyed in about 10 minutes, too!...


Gatsby and Daisy decided to get in on the action a bit, too!  The kittens have fit themselves into our household better than I ever could have dreamed.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that they are BFFs with the dogs, but our four fur babies do all get along really well.  The dogs accepted the kittens into the house with barely a glance and the kittens haven't been scared of the dogs, either.

Gatsby was being pretty brave and was right in the middle of all the commotion.  She did have to make a run for it and dive under the entertainment stand at one point to avoid being stepped on when the dogs got a little wild, though.

Here she is checking things out...



Gatsby has really unique eyes, and I am just in love with them!  They are green around the pupil and orange around the outside of her iris.  Here she is peeking at me...


Daisy is the wild child between the two kittens.  She's the one we are more likely to find climbing up on the top of someplace where she shouldn't be, but she was a little intimidated by the dogs being all crazy.  So, she did a bit more watching from afar...



As always, thanks for stopping by my blog!

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