The New News

Can you believe it’s been two entire months since the last New News post?! I like to think this is because we've just been in a whirlwind of activity lately and haven't had time to put pen to paper. Nothing at all like the alternative - that I'm just a rather simple individual and fear you'll find me dull if I tell you what the real new news in my life is. Nothing like that...

>> This weekend I bought a book on baking bread and in two days baked three loaves. This also means that in two days my domestic abilities increased by at least 300%.

>> Colton left yesterday for a month. Ugh. I feel like someone just kicked me in the gut. Fortunately this is also my busiest month of the summer and I’ll only be at home without him for four days – the entire month! I like to think that’s some strategic planning by none other than, well, God.

>> I’m 1000 miles from MVP status with Alaska Air. I’m not entirely sure what this will mean for me, other than (fingers crossed) an extra bag of peanuts, but I’m still feeling wildly accomplished. In other news, 1000 miles? Really?! They couldn’t just give me those as a courtesy bonus?

>> Admittedly, I’m the last person who will ever make it to a Pampered Chef or Mary Kay or Most-Incredible-Tupperware-Ever party. There are just too many decisions and too many amazingly engineered kitchen utensils I don’t know how to use that I get stressed. But a few months ago my mom sent me a Scentsy candle in the mail and OhMyGawd I thought she had jumped from the box and made me a batch of chocolate chips cookies herself. Thanks to Scentsy my house now rests in a permanent state of fresh baked gooey yumminess and warm vanilla. Or at least the smell of them.

>> I can’t stop Pinning! While I’ve been using Pinterest since February, I’ve yet to blog about it until now. If you’re not already familiar with the website I highly recommend stopping by and wasting a significant portion of your evening. Be careful, though! You’re likely to redecorate every room in your house, buy a new wardrobe, and even do crazy, crazy things – like bake.

Happy Tuesday, Michelle

The Classics Vol. IV

These are the photos that are framed. The ones that parents, grandparents and godparents alike beg for. They’re also the ones that, some day, the couple’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will see at fifty-year anniversary celebrations. They’re both timeless and traditional and for these reasons alone they will always be a classic.

Happy Thursday, Michelle

The Inspiration Board

The truth is, no matter how photogenic or in love or absolutely adorable a couple is, having your picture taken is uncomfortable. And awkward. And truth be told, as a photographer it’s my job to capture photos of you and your Love being you – completely comfortable. Over the past year I’ve struggled with how to create a calm and inviting atmosphere in which the amazing couples I get to work with can simply feel the freedom to be themselves. What I’ve found is that oftentimes the most nerve-racking part of a portrait session is the anticipation leading up to it. From speaking with past couples I’ve learned that outfit selections and session locations tend to cause a lot of unnecessary stress. My challenge? Find a way to show couples what their session could look like in a way that is completely unique and specific to their relationship. Kelsi + Matt’s engagement session was the first time I was able to work with a couple in creating an inspiration board. I knew, from endless Skype sessions of squeals and smiles, that Kelsi was wild about her orange buggy. What’s more is that Matt actually proposed on the hood of the car. I thought the bug would be a great place to start and I asked Kelsi if she would want to include VW in the shoot (to which she again squealed and said yes). I also knew that by getting married Matt + Kelsi would be merging two different countries and cultures. Including both of them in their session would be something meaningful. From here I had a base to start the inspiration board, but what I really needed was input from the couple. I sent out a brief email asking Kelsi and Matt to tell me a few different things that were important to their relationship – places or things they liked, together. When I heard back I was able to put those things together and come up with this…

The purpose of the board isn’t to tell couples what to do, it’s to give them an idea of the direction their session could head. After seeing the board it’s entirely up to the couple to decide on what clothes and props and locations to include. You can see that Kelsi and Matt’s pictures aren’t identical to their inspiration board - and that’s kind of the point! After all of this brainstorming, preparation, and hard work, Kelsi and Matt’s pictures ended up looking like this…

I think for the virgin trial of the inspiration board we did pretty good. And from speaking with Kelsi and Matt they seem to think it went alright as well! I'm excited to incorporate these into all of my upcoming engagement sessions and I can.not.wait to see the results of couples who are completely comfortable and completely them. I think that's something truly beautiful.

Happy Wednesday, Michelle