sneak peek

I know, I know, I’ve been doing way too many sneak peeks and not enough full posts lately, but I promise there is much more to come from this amazing wedding I did in San Diego last weekend – I just had to post a sneak peek – isn’t her dress adorable?!?!

Dasia MortonSeptember 3, 2010 - 6:32 pm

This is a BIG teaser! We can’t wait to see more!!

Caitlin + Joe {Santa Barbara,CA}

Caitlin and Joe are probably two of the most genuine people I have ever met.  Caitlin cares so deeply – for her family, her friends, people in need.  They had their wedding at a park in Santa Barbara and everyone kept saying ‘this is so Caitlin’.  Caitlin and Joe wanted to make sure that they used local vendors, so they had local grown flowers, and plenty of other earth-friendly elements =)

Dress: J Crew

Bridesmaid Dresses: J Crew

Caterer: Scott Camilli

Dessert: McConell’s Ice Cream Creamery

Lupe + Armando {10 years!!!}

Here is a sneak peek from an anniversary shoot I did with some great friends of ours from church.

It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a picture in front of the orange =)

LupeAugust 1, 2010 - 9:01 pm

dear Michelle- I just finished viewing our photos. I LOVE THEM!!! Thank you so much for taking our photos. I am so happy we have this memory for our 10 years. I am truly blessed for these photos and also for your friendship. We love you and your family….love ~Lupe

The Lopez Family

Here’s a little peek from a fun family shoot I did with an adorable family from church.

I love the 5 spray painted on the door (I swear it wasn’t me haha) because there are actually 5 people in this picture – yep, you guessed it, baby #3 is on the way!!!!

Free Wedding Photography!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did it! We reached the goal of $500 to provide clean drinking water for 25 people in less than 36 hours!!! If you didn’t see my post about charity: water, here it is.

Now here are the details for the $5000 campaign to drill a well that will provide clean drinking water to an entire village of people and change their lives forever!!!!!

I will provide a complete wedding package that includes an engagement session, 8 hours of wedding day coverage, and a full res dvd, to one couple who is willing to give up their gift registry and instead, ask their guests to donate to charity: water. Check out this  blog post about a couple who already did this and read about the impact it had =)

There are, of course, some rules:

1. The wedding must take place in Orange, LA, Riverside or San Diego County – or you could pay for me to travel, wink, wink =)

2. The guest list must contain at least 100 guests

3. The wedding must take place in 2011

So, if you are reading this and you want free wedding photography and are willing to give up the toasters and ovenmits and you fit all of the criteria, please contact me and provide the following:

1. A letter indicating why you want to do this – hint: if it’s just for the free photography, that’s not a good reason, sorry =) And also, tell me about yourselves, how you met, etc.

2. The date and location of your wedding

3. A recent picture of the two of you

Katherine&MagnoJuly 29, 2010 - 1:11 pm

Congratulations Michelle! Thanks for caring=) the world needs more people like you!

Heather Ferenc (Cowen)July 30, 2010 - 12:53 pm

Michelle this is awesome!!! Congrats to you for taking on this project. Love it!!! Changing the world through photography. Rock on!

my charity : water

I recently read a book called The Hole in Our Gospel by World Vision President, Richard Stearns. Being President of World Vision, he has seen first hand the world’s poverty. This book pretty much rocked my world and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same, actually I hope I’ll never be the same. It really got me thinking about what I can do to help. At first it was discouraging and overwhelming.

Here are some shocking statistics:

4,500 children will die today, today! Not in a year, a day! All from not having clean water, something we take for granted every day.

Americans spend 20 billion a year on ice cream. It would only take 7 billion to provide the entire world with clean drinking water.

I knew that I needed to do something and instead of sitting around and thinking it through any longer I’m just going to act.

I love this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.

I want everyone to know that 10% of every penny I make from now on will go to help give clean water to people in developing countries. There are so many ministries that are close to my heart and do so many wonderful things, but what I love about Charity: Water is the fact that 100% of all proceeds go to providing clean water and you can actually see visual proof!  I am a visual person and I love that!

The other thing I love about Charity: Water is the founder’s story.  Please watch it here.

I started a campaign page with the goal of $500 which will give clean drinking water to 25 people. My next goal is going to be a bit larger – $5000 which will be used to drill a well to give clean water to an entire village! And we’ll be able to see visual proof using GPS!! How awesome is that?!?!?!  Stay tuned for details of my next fund-raising campaign =)

But in the meantime would you please consider giving? Here is a link to my starter campaign.  =)

Curtis YatesJuly 30, 2010 - 12:50 pm

Michelle, I love what you are doing with charity: water. Congratulations on your first campaign! Awesome.
PS I also love the B&W Lopez family photo.

[...] We did it! We reached the goal of $500 to provide clean drinking water for 25 people in less than 36 hours!!! If you didn’t see my post about charity: water, here it is. [...]

Jena & Jason {engaged!!!!!}

Jena loves vintage things and Jason is the owner of Lefty’s tattoo, so I wanted to make sure their session really reflected who they are.  We started out in their adorable kitchen:

Nicole Johnson

I recently had the amazing opportunity to photograph a wonderful woman of God, Nicole Johnson.  Nicole is a bestselling author and motivational speaker, including speaking at Women of Faith.  She is about to release a new DVD series called “Hands Free” that deals with teaching women how to let go and enjoy the freedom of letting God be in control.  I had so much fun hanging out with Nicole! I love this quote of hers:

“We live in a world of great beauty and enormous pain. I like to write about the strange way they come together on the shores of hope.”

Here is a sneak peek of some of the images that will be in the DVD series:

JamieJuly 8, 2010 - 10:41 pm

Great captures of an amazing woman! I’m a big Nicole Johnson fan and these photos are amazing!

Michelle MealsJuly 9, 2010 - 3:38 pm

We are LOVING the images, Michelle. You are incredibly talented. I’m so glad the lighting turned out perfectly. Thank you for your gift.

15 years

I have been so crazy busy lately, thus the neglected blog.  I hope one day I can catch up on posting.  One thing I did take a break for though, was a weekend trip to LA with Eric for our 15 year anniversary – yes folks, I was pretty much 12 when we got married =)

When I look back at the last 15 years, I am amazed at how fast they went by and how blessed we’ve been: 3 beautiful girls, a house, a business, health.  Life is good. God is good.

For our trip we went lots of places, but 2 highlights from our trip were a diner from a movie that was a big influence to us before we got married and The Getty.

this one cracks me up:

Jennifer + Jeff :: Orange County, CA

Here is the full post as promised =)

Jennifer and Jeff are awesome and hilarious! I had so much fun with these two! They decided to have a private courthouse wedding which gave us tons of time (and locations) for portraits

SusieJune 21, 2010 - 9:50 pm

gorgeous, as usual! I especially love the the chair and flowers

Sarah + David = baby!!!!!

These two are going to make for some pretty awesome parents:

the sun came out for like 2.7 seconds, at least we caught it =)

Angela Orr SkellengerJune 21, 2010 - 4:46 pm

These are absolutely beautiful! Congratulations to David & Sarah!

Sally + Ray {60 years!!!!!!}

I have never met a cuter couple in all my life.  I want Eric and I to be as cute as they are one day =)

Lonnie CornwellJune 14, 2010 - 1:53 am

Thank you Michelle! We will cherish these forever. My dad gravitates toward cameras wherever he happens to be, posing for everyone regardless of whether he is asked to or not! My mom is much more modest, graciously complying when asked. You have captured them perfectly. We are blessed to share in their special day and grateful to you for capturing their love so beautifully.

sylvia caigoyJune 14, 2010 - 3:37 pm

I’m so happy to be able to spend your 60th anniversary with you. Do you think I’ll make it? 20 more years to go for Ray and me. The Caigoy’s

DaianaJune 14, 2010 - 7:49 pm

What a treasure! These are the cutest and I, too, hope to be like this someday with my honey!

Mary RuizJune 14, 2010 - 7:59 pm

These pictures are beautiful! You have truly captured how much in LOVE they are!

D Casas QuirozJune 15, 2010 - 7:43 pm

Their enduring love shines …. Happy 60th Anniversary Uncle Ray and Aunt Sally. Your love inspires all of us. luv you

Auntie SharonJune 17, 2010 - 2:23 pm

Michelle – You’ve got to stop blowing my mind away like this or before you know it I’ll have no mind left!

Phenomenal!

SusieJune 21, 2010 - 9:51 pm

love, love these!

JenaAugust 24, 2010 - 3:15 pm

omg! these made me cry. so beautiful…

Elle {2 weeks old and not even due yet!}

Elle surprised her mom and dad by coming a month early – she wasn’t due till June 14th! She was a champion sleeper for her photo shoot.  Her parents are hilarious! I have never laughed so hard on a newborn shoot. ever.

I am shocked that this picture wasn’t blurry from me laughing so hard =)

Heather Ferenc (Cowen)June 7, 2010 - 3:17 pm

Oh my goodness….my ovaries are aching. How precious!!!! Your work is so amazing Michelle. Keep it up.

TracyJune 10, 2010 - 3:39 pm

great job, Michelle! i don’t know why i am always so amazed at your work – you are always FABULOUS and capture people so well!

8 spots left for 2010!!!!!

I’ve had a lot of people asking about 2010 mini sessions.  After last year I decided that mini sessions are not for me.  I learned a lot about myself last year and one of the big things I learned is that I love spending time with my clients.  I love getting to know them and hearing their love stories.  I can’t do that in 15 minutes, plus another problem is, it usually takes people about 20 minutes to warm up in front of the camera anyway.  I learned that when it comes to my business, quality, not quantity, is key.  I want to find the perfect location for you, and incorporate your life into your images. I want to tell your story.

Plus, almost getting my sofa stolen and picking the most disgusting park around didn’t help either =)

So, as of right now, I only have 8 spots left for the rest of the year.  If you want to set up a session with me, go to my website and click on ’schedule’ to see my open dates =)

xoxox

Jennifer + Jeff :: Orange, CA

Here is another even smaller sneak peek. I promise more to come soon!

Kristin + Adam :: Orange Park Acres Estate

I am knee deep in a ton of work this week, so this is a tiny sneak peek at a wedding I shot this last weekend at an estate in Orange Park Acres with an incredible view:

Finn {1 year}

All I can say is the picture with the headphones makes me want a boy super bad, but since my 3rd girl graduated from preschool today I will need to get my baby fix by taking pictures of cuties like this guy. The one on the right is one of his newborn portraits. Check out the difference a year makes with the one below it =)

wedding albums :: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can’t even begin to tell you how giddy I am right now over these new studio albums that arrived in the mail today!!!! As soon as I saw the box, I grabbed my camera and the albums had their very own photo shoot. The albums are from KISS and their philosophy at KISS is all about simplicity. Simple is Hot they say and I couldn’t agree more. I know that if I have too many choices I get way overwhelmed and can’t make any decision. So for my clients I offer three sizes of albums: 4×4 (the mini album that fits in your purse!), 10×10 or 12×12

First I’ll show you the 10×10 in Forbidden Green – because you know how much I love green, don’t you?:

All pages are printed on Fuji Crystal Archival paper that will never discolor – unlike the arm of my chair. I didn’t even know that stain was there till after I put the pictures on my computer. What do you think – lipstick? punch? frosting? sharpie? blood? We may never know =)

Check out the no-cut, lay-flat binding:

Look how thick the pages are:

They come with a super duper cute dust cover:

And here’s the 4×4 mini in Virgin White:

Isn’t it cute?!?!?

And here are the colors the albums come in:

Smouldering Brown,  Sultry Blue, Virgin White, Passion Pink, Forbidden Green, Voluptuous Black & Redlight Red

SusieJune 6, 2010 - 6:11 pm

Michelle,
I want to get married again just so that you can take the pictures and make one of those albums for me. Maybe for our 25th anniversary…
<3 Susie

ChelseaJune 23, 2010 - 6:03 pm

I really like these albums. The dust covers are great, too.

Becky & Aidan

Here is a sneak peek from the cute mother & son session I did this week =)

kellyMay 20, 2010 - 11:03 am

so sweet!

Rachel :: 2010 High School Senior

Seriously, how cute is Rachel?!? We had so much fun hanging out the other day taking some fun senior portraits. Rachel plays guitar, sings and is so sweet.

Then she helped me with a little project (more details to come) I have in the works for my favorite town….can you guess what town?????

AllisonMay 17, 2010 - 7:31 pm

beautiful pictures!!!! you look amazing Rachel!

AllisonMay 17, 2010 - 7:32 pm

beautiful pictures…love them Rachel!!!!! Love, Mrs. Yates

TracyMay 17, 2010 - 7:38 pm

omg……. before i read what you wrote, i was thinking “seriously, how adorable is this sweet girl!” then i read that you wrote the same thing! great pics, and an adorable young woman!

Bowman Family/Engagement/Mostly Maternity =)

My friend Salley has 3 beautiful sister in laws and they all got together this weekend to celebrate a bridal shower and a baby shower so she asked me to take some portraits while they were all in town =)

Judy BowmanAugust 9, 2010 - 10:09 am

Love these shots you took of me and my girls – what an amazing way to commemorate their special days. You truly have a gift. Can’t wait until you shoot Amber’s wedding!!!

Michelle Sullivan Photography :: Featured!!!!!!

The wonderful Wedding Chicks featured Alison and Paul’s wedding!!!!! I feel so honored and blessed to see how God is growing my business.

You can see the full post here.

And then they also featured Danielle and Ryan’s wedding a while back but I never blogged about it….so here it is =)

Thank you Jocey and Amy – you guys are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alison + Paul :: San Diego, CA

Alison and Paul are an amazing Godly couple and I had the pleasure of capturing their special day for them. Alicia Martinez did Alison’s makeup and Bekie Edwards did her hair.  They choose to do a first look (and I’ll love them forever for it!) and it was so sweet to witness. Then their ceremony was held at Lifebridge church in Rancho Bernardo.  The church burned down in 2007 during the Witch Creek fires that destroyed so many wonderful things.  The doors of the newly reconstructed church building opened recently and this was the very first wedding!!! It was super emotional – especially for Pastor Tim who has watched these two grow up and serve God wholeheartedly and then fall in love =) And the reception was at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar at The Palms restaurant and Golf Course. I love it when a reception has dancing and people actually dance – what a fun group of people! Thank you so much Alison and Paul for letting me be a part of your day!

FionaMay 5, 2010 - 2:19 am

Michelle,

I absolutely LOVE your photography. I find myself browsing your site on a regular basis. Tim and Natalie’s photos came out so well as did Paul and Alison’s. :)

Hopefully someday you can do the same for me!

Best,
Fiona

Debbie AnderbergMay 5, 2010 - 3:50 pm

Michelle,

Those photos are so amazing! I cried at the “first glance” photos. They so captured the moment. Thank you so much.

Debbie Anderberg (Paul’s mom)

Suzy UbryMay 5, 2010 - 8:19 pm

Michelle,

To say these photos are AMAZING is an understatement! Even the hillside pics at LifeBridge looked great … wow! So many favorites to pick from, but I did manage to see one that I love the most.

Did not get to attend the reception on Miramar, but your pictures definitely told the story of how much fun everyone had.

Thank you for such great work and for sharing some of Paul and Alison’s special day with the rest of us.

Suzy Ubry (LifeBridge friend)

sharon spoustaMay 7, 2010 - 10:12 pm

Michelle,

Thank you for such beautiful pictures! You are amazingly talented and have given us a treasure that will remind us of the day for years and years.

SoCal Photog Shootout

Last Friday I went to Temecula for the April shootout.  It was fun to hang out with other photographers and take some pictures. Here are a couple favorites:

The Martinez Family

I’ve known this beautiful mama since she was teeny tiny.  I was friends with her older sisters growing up and there are 5 girls in her family.  Now there’s two granddaughters and this little guy is the first boy in a looooong time =)

TracyApril 20, 2010 - 11:44 am

this little boy is adorable!! love his smile =) great pics, Michelle…….you are amazing!

Auntie SharonApril 21, 2010 - 5:21 pm

I really, really love the last picture on the right. How imaginative and clever of you. Very novel! That little boy is too cute for words.

mawmaw pattieApril 23, 2010 - 12:23 am

these are great pictures, Jackson is so cute, looks alot like his momma, and a little like his daddy! And a little like his Uncle Monroe. Love them all!!

Sloan {6 months}

Check out that adorable dimple and amazing hair:

beautiful big sissy wanted to make sure she got plenty of time in front of the camera too =)

and check out the difference 6 months makes:

TracyApril 20, 2010 - 1:25 pm

I love the last shot of newborn / 6 months!! it is crazy how fast they get big. These are great pictures – such beautiful girls =)

Auntie SharonApril 21, 2010 - 5:32 pm

Look at that HAIR! Such an adorable, true carrot-top. The “now and then” shots in the basket were a great idea. Your imagination for creating unique photos is boundless.

fyeo sneak peek

Here are a couple shots from a fyeo {for your eyes only} party I did this weekend and when I say sneak peek I really mean sneak peek – hey, I want to keep it family friendly on this blog =)

I love my job – one day I’m doing newborn portraits, the next I’m doing boudoir and the next I’m doing a project for the children’s ministry at my church. I love the diversity. Plus it keeps things interesting =)

Brandon {5 days}

This little guy was only 5 days new =)

Gentree :: 2010 High School Senior

Gentree is so beautiful and sweet. She has great style and loves doing hair and makeup. When we first started I told her that it usually takes people about 20 minutes to relax and loosen up for pictures, but she didn’t need 20 minutes, she was great from the first image on =)

Then afterward her mom and dad wanted to do a family session:

This picture is proof that I do know how to take a traditional portrait =)

Thanks guys! I had so much fun hanging out and I’m glad we didn’t get caught by any park rangers =)

NancyApril 8, 2010 - 1:52 pm

Where was this taken? It’s beautiful!

KimApril 10, 2010 - 1:40 pm

Love the open field. Very cool pictures. Okay her parents look so young. I thought they were friends at first.!

AngelaAugust 9, 2010 - 11:03 am

Love these pictures….they are all great shots and this family is beautiful…. love you guys!

Levi {2 1/2 weeks}

This was the very first thing I saw when I walked through the door.  Seriously, what more do new parents need?  In my opinion, these are the 2 most heaven sent tools in the world haha =)

Levi was WIDE awake when I got there. I love this picture. It cracks me up. He was laying there and all of a sudden he sat up and looked like he was going to start talking to us. Have you ever seen a 2 week old baby with neck muscles like this?!?!?!

We cranked the heat and turned on the blow dryer and slowly but surely he got sleepy:

Their first baby, Bo, wasn’t sure what to think, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to love those kissy lips very soon =)

Congratulations guys!!!! He’s a keeper =)

Sharon SullivanApril 3, 2010 - 10:30 pm

Beautifully done Michelle. Brian and I were just looking at these and the ones of the ‘Turi’ family below. We’ve both concluded that you rate right up there with the world’s best!

melissa martinApril 20, 2010 - 11:57 am

Oh, I love these! I left them up while I’m answering emails, just so I can laugh. You captured his little personality so perfectly.

the turi family

Sarah and I first met when we worked together at Vineyard Christian School 12 or 13 years ago.  Sarah was single at the time but she soon met and fell in love with Bryce because of his heart for worship.  Bryce is a pastor at Calvary Chapel Tustin and the love of the Lord is so evident in their lives.  They have three beautiful children and cute vw bus.  I am so glad I was able to spend time with them capturing who they are as a family =)

Madi’s 13th Birthday Tea Party :: Chapman Chapel in Orange, CA

They had a fun area set up for silly dress up portraits, because you’re never too old to play dress up =)

Even the grown-ups got in on the fun (sorry Jim, heehee):

TracyMarch 25, 2010 - 8:32 am

amazing!! i love all of these =) you are the best! Madi had a great time, and so did everyone else at the party. Thank you so much for the fun memories!!

Daiana LeedomMarch 25, 2010 - 9:13 am

AWESOME photos! Looks like a great time was had by all! Great job, as usual, Michelle. Your talent is amazing!

product highlight :: gallery wraps

I’m so excited! This baby arrived in the mail yesterday! The wall above our sofa has been naked for far too long =)

You may be wondering what the difference between a canvas wrap and a gallery wrap is – well, I’ll tell you:

- a canvas wrap is a print printed on canvas and stretched around a custom built wood frame

- a gallery wrap is the same idea except it’s printed on super sturdy photographic paper and stretched around a custom built wood frame

Our’s is 20×40.  I got that size with a fireplace (hope hope) in mind.  I think if we weren’t putting in a fireplace in the near future, I would have gone a little bigger =)

If you are interested in a gallery wrap please contact me for a quote

the fitzsimmons family

It makes my job so rewarding and easy when I get the privilege of doing portraits for people like these guys – fun, creative, great style, down to earth…..I could go on and on.  Kerri and Keir were up for anything and really put a lot of thought into their session – you should have seen how many outfit changes they brought with them! I wish we would have had more time because Kerri has an amazing wardrobe. Not only did they bring clothes, they brought props too. Keir brews his own beer so he brought a keg and some German hats haha =) I love to capture people as themselves.

Kerri is one hot mama:

Then we had their little guy join them.  For this family session I really wanted it to have an engagement type feel to it just with a baby in tow =)

Next we went to this motel I’ve been eyeing for a while. Keir and Kerri love to travel so I thought it would be fun to do some portraits there, but right after I snapped this shot we got chased out by the managers wife as she was screaming in broken english: ‘this no park!”  oh well.

Then we went to another place I’ve been wanting to go to for a while and while the baby was asleep we did some more of just the two of them:

Thanks you guys! I had a blast and so did Daphne!

Amy MayfieldMarch 4, 2010 - 6:15 pm

Seriously Michelle it just keeps getting more amazing! You’re so talented.
Oh…and it doesn’t hurt when your subject is a natural model. haha

Kerri FitzsimmonsMarch 5, 2010 - 12:44 am

Michelle~ I am so amazed by your talent. You have a real gift and you gave us such wonderful photos. We couldn’t be happier with the results. We had so much fun! K,K&G

Caitlin FitzsimmonsMarch 5, 2010 - 11:57 am

They look great! Well done, Michelle! Love it.

Hope TarrantApril 20, 2010 - 1:27 am

I KNEW these would be amazing and THEY ARE!! Just gorgeous sweetie, what a talent God has given you. :-)

Madi {thirteen}

Madi is turning 13 and she is so sweet and so beautiful and so funny and everything else amazing.  I’ve know her since she was just 7 or 8!  Her mom wanted to do a shoot to get pictures for her birthday party invitation.  We had so much fun in this orange grove and Madi is so natural in front of the camera. She totally knew what to do, I didn’t have to give her any direction, she knew when to look away and when to look at me, and she just let herself have fun  =)

Madi, you are so beautiful and I can’t believe how fast you are growing up!

TracyFebruary 16, 2010 - 10:28 pm

Michelle – you are amazing!! Madi had SOOO much fun with this shoot and i think it is something she will always remember. You definitely made her 13th birthday more memorable. Thank you for blessing my little girl (and my family!) love, T.

KimFebruary 16, 2010 - 11:58 pm

How beautiful these photos are.

ChristyFebruary 17, 2010 - 9:37 am

these are amazing!!! Well done! love all of them – it’s incredible how photogenic Madi is!!! How will she pic just one for the invitation!?!

Auntie SharonFebruary 18, 2010 - 2:21 pm

Splendid photos! You are gifted.

ChristyMarch 24, 2010 - 7:37 pm

I love my pictures!!! Thank you Michelle

Alison + Paul :: engaged!!!

Alison and Paul are the type of people that can make you instantly feel like you’ve know them forever. They love the outdoors and they are both on the worship team at their church. They also love food so we thought it would be fun to start out their session at a fun little cafe:

It was so fun hanging out with you guys and I can’t wait for your wedding in May!

SarahFebruary 9, 2010 - 10:42 am

Michelle! I LOVE these photos. LOVE the shadow kiss, the red brick wall, the guitar hug….. LOVE LOVE LOVE them all. You are so talented!

MelisaFebruary 9, 2010 - 10:22 pm

I LOVE these pictures. What an amazing job you did!!!

Andria JensenFebruary 9, 2010 - 10:40 pm

Wow—All I can say is “WOW”!! :)

Auntie SharonFebruary 11, 2010 - 4:05 am

Magnificent work Michelle! You are undoubtedly a master of photograpic art.

Natalie + Tim = baby!!!

I met Natalie and Tim at church years ago and I am so excited that they are having their first baby!!! They are so adorable together:

They were such good sports about this silly idea I had:

So excited for you guys and I cannot wait to meet your little bundle of pink or blue =)

Auntie SharonFebruary 2, 2010 - 12:41 am

Love everything about your new logo (colors, shape, leopard and font). And as for the pictures – you do indeed know how to work magic with a camera!

Natalie + Tim = baby!!! {a sneak peek}

Welcome to my new blog where I have a new logo and a new watermark. I’ve been working hard trying to set up the new blog and Natalie and Tim have been soooo patient waiting for a blog post from the super fun maternity session we did.  So here is a little sneak peek.  Check back later in the week and I’ll have a full post for you =)

Tara-Louise + Brett :: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this post.  First and foremost it is about two amazing people who met and fell in love.  They were on vacation back in June and Brett decided to propose to Tara-Louise and this is the view from where he proposed:

They loved it so much in St. Thomas that they decided to come back and have their wedding here!

Tara-Louise is a violinist and she became friends with Danielle, another violinist, who’s wedding I did back in June.  They were both staying in New York for a good part of the summer and happened to meet.  Danielle had just gotten married and Tara-Louise had just gotten engaged.  Tara-Louise knew that she wanted her wedding to be in January so she had to start planning right away. She found her beautiful dress online:

And then Danielle told her about me.  I would have never dreamed that my very first destination wedding would be somewhere as awesome as St. Thomas so when I got an email from Tara-Louise asking if I’d be willing to come to St. Thomas for her wedding, I couldn’t even believe it!

Tara-Louise and Brett were so hospitable and kind – they treated us like family.  They made arrangements for us to stay in the same house that they stayed in when they were there back in June.  It is a wonderful place called Hawk’s View. The owners, Theresa and Ed were also so hospitable and accommodating, making sure that we had everything we needed and that we had a wonderful stay.  While we were there we found the entry that Brett left in the guest book. I love how it says ‘until we meet again’ =)

So this time, they decided to rent a different place with a private beach to have their wedding on.  The Beach House is so beautiful and serene.

Here is Tara-Loise getting ready:

The ceremony was simple and meaningful:

Married!

First we did some portraits on the beach:

Then we wanted to do some portraits at this abandoned house Eric and I had seen while driving to the wedding.  It did not disappoint.  It reminded me of the scene in Ever After with Drew Barrymore (Yes, I love Drew Barrymore movies!) when they went to a place that had trees and leaves growing inside of the abandoned castle or home.  It didn’t have a roof, so that let in some light but by the time we got there the sun was pretty much gone.  This place was incredible – wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had places like this in Orange County?

Then it was too dark to do any portraits w/o a flash and you know I’m not a fan of flash……so we headed back for dinner.

It was an intimate dinner with close friends and family. Brett’s brother gave the first toast:

Then after we left I took I picture of the tiny road you take to get to the Beach House and a jeep is pretty much a necessity =)

Thank you so much Tara-Louise and Brett for choosing me to document your wedding! It was an amazing experience!

Wedding Coordinator: Jen Hall

Florist: Ali Slimming from East End Flower Shop

AdamJanuary 20, 2010 - 3:36 pm

That’s so cool. Congrats on your first destination wedding.

Auntie SharonJanuary 21, 2010 - 1:29 pm

You outdid yourself yet again Michelle – stupendous work! And glad to know you had such a wonderful time.

Derek LukasikJanuary 22, 2010 - 6:18 am

Wow!Those pictures are incredible!You have an amazing talent and it was an absolute pleasure to meet both of you.Thanks again for taking our guests up the treacherous driveway so I could give the toast.

newborn sneak peek

Vern + James :: Laguna Beach, CA {a new years eve wedding}

I couldn’t be happier for my friend Vern (Veronica) who married a great guy who is madly in love with her.  I am so grateful that I not only got to be a guest at their wedding, but I also got to be the photographer! It was a beautiful wedding and a super fun reception/NYE party.

Vern is so amazing and one of the things I love most about her is that she does what she likes. She loves the color chartreuse, so why not have a chartreuse dress?

This was the sneak peek from the other day, but I wanted to post it here again =)

the shoes:

Stephanie from The Prettiest Face was there and did an amazing job, and yes, she does airbrushing!

Vern MADE the flowers in her bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets out of paper – isn’t that cool?!?

Here are some fun details:

James is a dad to 3 fantastic, fun, and wonderful kids:

He had his 2 sons as his groomsmen:

His oldest son is non-stop entertainment =)

I have gotten to know his daughter because she and Daphne have become really good friends and I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am about that. I love this girl:

I have to say that Vern had the best wedding party I’ve ever seen.  She has some of the most amazing, fantastic, beautiful, hilarious women for friends:

Then, of course, some bride and groom portraits:

At the ceremony the kids were so cute.  There were a few tears shed:

First dance:

Then Vern’s brother’s band Echo Lush played:

Then the dj got everyone dancing

I love that Daphne was able to be there. These two had I don’t even know how many cups of coffee and danced until the dj stopped at 1:30am then they had a sleep over at our house and wanted to watch a movie when we got home! They are so much alike it’s crazy =)

Then there was Jenni.  Vern asked Jenni to be one of her bridesmaids, but Jenni was going to be in Hawaii with her family for New Years. So I did a photoshoot with Jenni and Vern before she left and Vern turned one of the images into a life size cardboard cutout of Jenni!

Here is a picture of Eric and I with ‘Jenni’ that my friend Juliana, from Hilmerson Photography, who assisted me, took:

Then James’ youngest fell asleep on the dance floor. so cute:

I am so happy for you guys! I love you!

xoxox

lfamily5January 4, 2010 - 6:22 pm

These all turned out FANTASTIC! Vern and James are probably two of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met! So much fun..wish I could’ve stayed all night!

Bridget WillardJanuary 4, 2010 - 8:51 pm

I stumbled upon this site. What an amazing color scheme! I love the photography! Very good work!

Nora

I have 3 girls, so it’s always fun when someone else joins the club.  My dear friend brought her 3rd girl over to my place today for a photo shoot and she was as cute as can be and even gave us a smile:

holiday portraits 2009 {my favorites}

OK, I’ve kept these family portraits secret long enough…….right families? Sorry if you haven’t mailed your cards yet =)

I can’t even tell you how excited I was when this family showed up with a pair of deer in tow:

Then I love the moodiness of this portrait:

And I already posted a couple of images of little brother a couple weeks ago.  Here is his beautiful big sis:

Then these sweet sisters:

Then this family = Great style. Relaxed. My job made easy =)

The Larson Family

I love this family! Besides being super friendly and genuinely nice, they have great style too!

Here are some favorites:

introducing………..the blue velvet sofa (and The McAveney Family)

I recently added this awesome sofa to my prop collection and it will be with me at the mini sessions coming up along with a bunch of other fun stuff I have up my sleeve =)

Which reminds me – I only have one spot left for mini sessions and after that the next available session is at the end of January!!!!!!!  That is crazy!

Now on to this adorable family. No more family shots on this blog for a while- I don’t want to ruin any Christmas cards =)

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lfamily5October 30, 2009 - 12:34 pm

Amazing! I love this family and these photos of them! Their eyes match the sofa….so cute!

The Siemers Family

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P.S. Don’t worry mom and dad – there are plenty of cute family ones, but I need to stop posting family pics so I don’t ruin any holiday card surprises =)

The Stice Family

This awesome family wanted their portraits taken at the Balboa Fun Zone, but when we got to Newport, the fog was crazy thick, so we had to come up with plan b.

So I suggested this place:

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now that’s talent:

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If I had a sister, I’d want a picture like this:

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Thanks guys for being up for plan b =)

lfamily5October 19, 2009 - 10:27 pm

These came out great! Wow! The fact that all 5 kids look amazing is, well, amazing! Great job, Michelle. And, S family, you are all looking so good!

Marlene ArceOctober 20, 2009 - 11:26 am

Michelle

Once again – a fabulous Job!

Thank you for capturing the beauty of my Stice Family, Love Granny

The Bowman Family

OK, I’ve never shot at this place before so I got a little carried away with this post – there were just so many that I loved and I had to hold myself back because if I could have, I would have posted like 50 more =)

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I love how you can see one of the boys playing in the background. He’s got his walkie talkie and he means business:

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love love love this:

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and this:

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and this:

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and I love this series:

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Rachael LugoOctober 14, 2009 - 2:41 pm

wow .. these photos are awesome… this is my family and Michelle these photos are perfect.. how do i get a copy and i might hire you to take a family photo of out whole family …

lfamily5October 14, 2009 - 5:05 pm

Beautiful! Is this Santiago Oaks?

The Bates Family

Check out this cute family.  The boys were so sweet with their baby sister:

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and it was mom and dad’s anniversary!

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sneak peek

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