Rachel, Adam, & Shore

Spring Lifestyle Session | Whetstone Park of Roses

My favorite part of my job is capturing couples in love at every phase of their journey. From engagement, to the vows, and on to the next step... family. You may remember Rachel and Adam from their romantic elopement this past Christmas, which is at the top of my list of favorite events photographed ever. It was so much fun to see them again and catch up after they've been married for a few months! It's these milestones, the memories that only happen once as time continues to fly by at an ever-quickening pace, that make my job worth every second and then some. Enjoy these favorites from their spring lifestyle family session, and if you've been thinking of capturing some memories of your own family, I'd love to be a part of it :) You can find me at michelle@michellejoyphoto.com!

"Your prices way too high, you need to cut it!"

Lots of people outside the wedding industry wonder why wedding photography is just so. darn. expensive. Trust me, as a former bride, I get it!! You book a photographer for 8 hours on your wedding day, and they want to charge you thousands of dollars! What?!

When life throws lemons at you...

Life Update

I've sat down to write this post three or four times already.

It hasn't happened until now.

Life is hard sometimes, you guys! And it can be confusing. That's where life's road has taken me now... to a period of confusion, doubting, and questions. There's been nothing tragic, devastating, or downright bad that's happened (even though life has a way of throwing those problems at us when we least expect it). It's just, well, confusing.

Our Forest & Waterfront Winter Portraits

Hoover Dam, Westerville

Last month, Josh and I met up with a dear friend of mine, Stephanie from Stephanie Brann Photography, to step in front of the camera again! It was the perfect time, because Stephanie had just gotten engaged, so we were able to take some photos of her and her new fiancé Michael! It was the perfect swap. Despite the bitter cold, we stuck it out and thankfully all had the chance to sneak back into our coats as we took turns shooting. Hoover has an amazing mix of water, trees, and open fields, so it's the perfect place to get a wide variety of portraits in a short amount of time!

Your Wedding Gown & Your Wedding Day

MONDAY TIPS FOR BRIDES: PART 3

Welcome back to Monday Tips for Brides! Today's tip revolves around the wedding gown-- the breathtaking white dress that you've probably spent your entire life dreaming about, spent a small fortune on, and then had altered to fit you like a glove. The moment that you put on your wedding dress is the moment you feel like a bride. Everything suddenly feels real. But there's one thing that wedding dresses have going against them.... they can be complicated! Lots of layers, delicate buttons, and zippers that you have to lay just right. And then there's the bustle-- one-point bustles, three-point bustles, Victorian bustles, French bustles. No matter what your gown looks like, this tip will potentially save you TONS of time in the getting ready portion of the day and also in the minutes just before you enter your reception. Here it is:

Hope Taylor Workshop Experience

October #HTPworkshop Recap

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that my feed was flooded last Monday with images tagged with #htpworkshop! If you don't follow Hope Taylor Photography, stop what you're doing and go follow her right now!! Hope is an incredible photographer with not only amazing talent, but a passionate and bubbly spirit to match. She runs a thriving business that she started only about three years ago in high school, and has already catapulted to be a leader in the industry! It's incredible!

Your First Dance

Monday Tips for Brides: Part 2

Brides, we've all been there-- the first dance!!! The first dance is a special moment at your reception that you will likely remember forever, but hopefully you'll remember it for good reasons and not bad! If you're shy, uncoordinated, or any combination of the two, the thought of your first dance might make your heart beat a little faster and your palms begin to sweat. It can be intimidating to dance in front of a few hundred of your closest friends! As someone who photographs a lot of first dances, plus I've been a bride myself, I have one piece of advice for you:

Our Anniversary Portrait Experience

Being In Front of the Camera

As a wedding photographer, I photograph couples all the time, but normally I'm behind the camera- not in front of it! It's easy to get into a rhythm of giving instruction but forgetting what it's like to actually be photographed-- unsure of the angles, or where to look. Josh and I stepped in front of the camera for our third anniversary and it was such a great reminder of how it feels to be the subject of a photograph.

One Thing Most Brides Don't Think Of

Monday Tips for Brides: Part One

I come across this at almost every wedding, so I can't believe I've never written a blog post about this before! The getting ready portion of the day goes smoothly, filled with curling irons, hairspray, and laughter. The bride puts on her dress, jewelry, and beautiful high heels... and as soon as she walks onto the grass to start portraits, one of two things usually happens:

Bridesmaids Dress Trends

3 Tips for Choosing Bridesmaids Dresses

I remember that when I was planning my wedding, choosing bridesmaids dresses was stressful! There are so many different styles, fabrics, and colors, not to mention being thoughtful of your girls' taste and budget! Long or short, identical or not, and should they help me pick? I've picked my favorite three dress trends along with a fourth BONUS tip at the end!

Celebrating Three Years of Marriage

Three years ago, I walked down the aisle at Centerville Christian Fellowship to the introduction of this song by Need to Breathe and promised to live the rest of my life alongside the handsome blonde guy winking at me from the altar. Since that day, our lives have grown and transformed in ways we never thought possible and hadn't even considered on the day we said "I do." Some things have stayed the same, like the fact that we still eat fajitas at least once a week and I still can't get Josh to drink coffee. But beyond that, things look pretty different.

Twenty-five Things I've Learned in Twenty-Five Years

Now that I've got a quarter-century of life under my belt, I think I've learned some things. Some serious, some lighthearted, some about myself, and some about other people. Here are twenty-five things I've learned in my twenty-five years! :)

1. No one can motivate me to do anything but me, and I can do anything I put my mind to. I have control over my actions, and to pretend otherwise is (99% of the time) just an excuse.

2. Every person lives life looking through a different set of eyes. Our personalities, our experiences, our values are all unique, with no one's vision more valuable than another.

3. Second-hand is the BEST way to buy clothes. Name brands and current trends for Target clearance rack prices-- that's something I can get behind.

Tennessee Vacation: Part 1

Last week, Josh and I took a last minute trip to meet his family in Tennessee. The cicadas loudly chirping in the trees, the humid weather, and the abundance of trees and green things reminded me of back home in Virginia. It was just the break we needed, and so good to see family again.

My favorite part of the trip was definitely our lake day. We rented a boat and a jet ski for the afternoon, but as soon as we got to the marina, the heavens greeted us with a huge thunderstorm! We hustled to get under cover, and instead of eating lunch on the lake, we ate inside the empty marina restaurant that's only open on weekends this time of year. It was perfect! We listened to the rain clatter on the tin roof over barbecue sandwiches and watermelon, and fed bread to the turtles and fish swimming next to the dock. Once the storm cleared, it was go time! The ten of us spent the afternoon tubing and cruising around the lake, laughing, chatting, and enjoying the gorgeous outdoors.

Twenty-Five

Twenty-five feels pretty good so far! My twenty-fifth birthday was this week, and because Josh is a huge fan of surprises, until the night before I had no idea how we were celebrating. While we were eating dinner, I may have been complaining a little about that... until he whipped an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me with a twinkle in his eye. I opened it, and what did I find? A schedule. For the next three days. Filled with birthday awesomeness. My husband knows me so well! I run off schedules and calendars, and to not have one freaks me out a little... so he made me one. Birthday present #1, success.

Busy Season Recap + Life Update

If you follow my blog regularly, you may have noticed that May and June were filled with nonstop weddings and photo sessions, and that in July, there's been well, nothing! My busy season packed itself into those first six weeks of May/June and left me wide open for the rest of the summer until I start weddings again in September. These last several weeks of calm have given me lots of time to think, catch up on much needed sleep, evaluate my workflow, and start working on some special projects! Josh and I both have some exciting things planned for our businesses and we can't wait to share them with you, but you're going to have to wait a little while longer!

Double Duty: Bridesmaid + Photographer

How to Photograph a Wedding When You're In It

Last month, my best friend got married! I had the privilege of photographing their surprise beach proposal, and later that day on the drive home, we were talking excitedly about weddings when she said, "I want you to be our photographer! ...but I also want you to be IN the wedding... can you do that?" she asked. To be honest, I wasn't sure at the time, but we went for it! And it was an AMAZING day.

Planning for Marriage

Brides, don't just plan your wedding. Plan your marriage.

An engagement ring is a beautiful thing. It represents squeals of excitement, friends and family constantly grabbing your left hand to catch a closeup view, and the transition of the one you love from plain old boyfriend to that word I never got tired of saying... fiancé.

But an engagement ring can also be a scary thing. I think at some point in every woman's journey from one ring to two, she comes to the startling and terrifying realization that while she's been thinking about dresses and flowers and beautiful venues, her life as a single women is coming to an end... permanently. She's planning to attach herself to a man from whom she will never depart, and she wonders if she's making the right choice.

Preparing for a Double Header Weekend

The double header weekend. Two weddings in a row. Next to the extremely-rare TRIPLE header weekend, it can be one of the most exhausting scenarios for wedding photographers! I imagine this is what it feels like for a nurse who works two 12-hour shifts in a row, with nothing but a few hours of sleep in between. I've got my first of THREE double headers in the next month happening this weekend, and I know from experience last year that there are some strategies I have to put in place to make the weekend a success! If you're about to experience your first double header, here are a few things to know...

Conquering a Case of the Mondays

Ah, Monday.

The day with so much potential, that can set our feet on the path for success throughout the week. Also the day that seems to get the most groans and complaints from students, corporate America, and beyond. I've been a student and also worked a few Monday-to-Friday corporate jobs, but now that I'm a self employed small business owner who works out of my home office, Monday is different. Monday is the day that sets the tone for my week, but since most of my progress is self-motivated and is 100% on my shoulders, I have a choice to make.

April Showers Bring...

It's May.

May?!?!

My friend posted this on Facebook yesterday...