I'm excited to be sharing Mike and Jess's photos on the blog today - partially because I just took these photos on Saturday and I'm stoked that I'm already posting them
(go me!) but mostly because Mike and Jess are two of my favorite people and it was a ton of fun taking their photos.
Not to mention Jess is one of the most photogenic people I've ever met. I don't think the girl could take a bad picture if she tried. Seriously. And I should know because she's been in front of my camera
several times before.
Just to save them from having to answer the question a thousand times: No, these are not engagement photos. Jess and Mike actually were kind enough to volunteer to let me take their photographs to include in a website update that I am working on. I knew they would be awesome in front of the camera and I knew it would be a blast spending a Saturday evening photographing them, so I asked them if they'd pose and they graciously agreed.
So, now that we've got that out of the way, let's check out their photos:
I let Jess pick their session location and the artist in her couldn't resist the Chihuly exhibit going on at the Desert Botanical Gardens. Here they are with one of the piece in the background...
Jess wasn't the only one who was excited about the exhibit. We arrived and the gardens were packed. I did a little internal freak out that we weren't going to get any photos in front of the exhibits, but the other visitors were really very accommodating to us and it turned out to be a good experience. I was surprised how willing everyone was to stop and wait for us to get our shots.
Taking photos in such a crowded environment really kept me on my toes. I had just a few seconds to grab each shot while we held up the other visitors from passing by, which forced me to be more decisive about my settings and poses than I usually am. I think the challenge was good for me!
We all know how I love black and white, and this one is a favorite...
This one took us a while to capture and I didn't think poor Mike was going to make it. Jess is actually sitting on a small rock, but Mike is just balancing himself crouched behind her, and every time he'd start to get into position another huge group of people would come to view the piece behind them and we'd have to wait for them to finish. He kept standing up and crouching down, over and over, and not having any fun doing it, but at least the photo is cute.
(It's all about the photos, right?)...
Mike and Jess really are such a fun couple, and during this little series of photos they had me laughing so hard I couldn't keep my camera from shaking and had to trash several out of focus images.
LOVE! This one is definitely a fav!...
And so is this one...
Adorable!...
Jess, You. Are. Gorgeous! I love photos of Jess with her soft smile, but she is so full of laughs and smiles it's actually hard to catch...
Another fav...
Gorgeous!...
Jess and Mike, Thank you for spending your Saturday evening with me and for volunteering to let me take photos of you both. Good luck with your final semester of school and with your big upcoming move! (And give me a call to photograph that adorable pup of yours soon.)
Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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