Addison + Caleb {Wedding}

I'm exited to have one of my favorite couples back on the blog today! You might remember Addison and Caleb from their elopement last spring, or maybe from their family holiday photos this past December.  This time I have the honor of sharing with you photos from their wedding/vow renewal ceremony, which took place at the gorgeous Ocotillo Golf Resort earlier this month!

As always, these two were awesome to photograph and I'm honored that they keep inviting me back to capture more special moments in their lives.  But instead of me babbling on and on (again) about how much I adore Caleb and Addison, let's get right to their photos because they've already waited way too long to see some of them!

The beautiful bride...

The handsome groom...

I couldn't resist posting this photo of Addison's sister, Taylar and Caleb.  I just love the fun relationship these two have!...

And who can resist children all dressed up?!  A-dor-able!  These two are Caleb and Addison's nephew and niece...

On to the ceremony...

Addison's mom, Vickie, performed their ceremony again, like she did for their elopement...

The ceremony was full of so many sweet, tender, moments...

And a TON of laughter!  I can't even tell you how in love I am with this image of Caleb!...

I can't really say why, but I just love this photo of the two of them looking back at something one of their guests called out to them as they were walking back down the aisle...

After the ceremony we took a few minutes to take some portraits around the gorgeous golf course...

These two are so in love with each other!  It's amazing to witness them together and see the love they share...

I just love these on the bridge!...

This is a favorite...

And so is this...

We then rushed Caleb and Addison back to join their guests at cocktail hour, where I captured some photos of their guests enjoying themselves.  Here are just a few random ones that I couldn't resist sharing:

How sweet is this?!?!...

LOVE this one!...

We then headed back out to take a few more portraits of Caleb and Addison.  We were hoping to grab some sunset shots, but Mother Nature wouldn't cooperate.  So, we had to grab some with the awesome moon Caleb spotted, instead...

I adore this!!!...

Look at that gorgeous cake!...

Addison and Caleb's first dance...

Father/Daughter dance...

Mother/Son dance...

And how could I resist posting this one?!...

Addison and Caleb, As always, thanks for allowing me to capture these memories for you. Congrats and many wishes for a lifetime of happiness together.

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

BBL 2013-2014 | Attend a Photography Conference

#35 ATTEND A PHOTOGRAPHY CONFERENCE

Why did I include this on my Bucket List?

I decided to put this on my list because I thought it would be fun to attend a conference. I was hoping that I would learn some new photography skills and maybe meet a few fellow photographers along the way.

Was the experience what I had hoped it would be?

I attended a conference back in late January and I think I've been putting off writing about it because I didn't want to say negative things but the experience didn't turn out quite like I was hoping.

The details...

I've been dreaming of attending WPPI for the past few years, but unfortunately the timing of it just didn't work with my schedule this year. So, when an online photog friend told me that she was attending Imaging USA, I jumped at the chance to join her. The conference was in Phoenix so the cost and convenience made it a no brainer, plus I was super stoked to get to actually meet my photog friend in person after exchanging emails and phone calls for the past 3 or 4 years.

Unfortunately, my friend ended up not being able to get the time off work to attend, and Kevin and I decided to purchase our house a little sooner than we planned which added some unexpected craziness to my life. So, by the time the conference rolled around I had lost a bit of my enthusiasm for attending, which probably didn't help my experience.  But, the conference didn't turn out quite like I would have hoped either.  I felt like there weren't enough classes offered, and a lot of them were nothing more than well known photographers showing off their work and talking about their careers.  While these were interesting and motivating, I didn't take away as much new knowledge as I would have preferred.  The classes were also held early in the morning and late in the evening, with 4-5 hours in the middle with not much going on.  Perhaps if I wasn't a Phoenix resident and was trying to squeeze in a few hours of sight seeing I might have felt differently, but I felt like I wasted several hours each day just sitting around waiting for the second set of classes to start.

While it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, I am glad that I attended, and one of the classes I took was awesome and taught me some great new techniques that I've been practicing!  I didn't take very many photos during the conference, but below is a little collage of the ones I did take.

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.
Visit Michele's Website | Like Michele on Facebook | Follow Michele on Instagram | Follow Michele on Twitter

© 2014 Michele Whitacre Photography LLC