Vada Michelle's Blog...Real Life. Real Photos.

2008 Favorites....

OK...I'm not gonna beat myself up about it.  I TOTALLY dropped the ball on the whole blogging thing in 2008.  I've made peace with myself and done proper penance so let's just move on into a fabulous new year with a plethora of daily weekly postings!!

One of my goals of 2008 was to try my hand at weddings and to find out all I could about the business of weddings.  In addition to shooting some weddings on my own, I had the amazing opportunity to work with two very talented and successful wedding photographers as a second shooter.  Laura Parente of Luv Bug Photography has become like a sister to me.  She encourages and reassures me when I doubt myself.  I am also blessed to have worked with Ross Knight and his amazing wife Brandi.  Ross' work is such an inspiration and I love the way he acknowledges God in everything he does.  Thanks guys for the time and energy you have put into mentoring me and I promise to make you both proud with the wedding work I do in 2009 and even prouder by BLOGGING about them!! LOL!!

I have to begin the new year off by posting some of my favorites photos of 2008.  I will try to limit it to the top 5...or 10.  My faves are for various reasons and are not all what I would necessarily consider great photography.  In some cases, it was just remembering a special moment or talking someone into doing something they didn't want to do! LOL!! They were all great fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And no, this is NOT me, this is Sissy!  Hey Sissy!

And my absolute favorite session from 2008....drumroll please....

This was a wonderful session for me because the location was beautiful, Atlanta Botanical Gardens .  My client was ready for ANYTHING! She tried all my crazy ideas and got herself some wonderful pics in the process!

 

The Anti-Birthday Birthday Party

I don't usually get around to blogging this quickly, but I really wanted to comment on a birthday celebration that I attended yesterday.  I was asked to photograph a child's birthday party recently and since you know I LOVE being around precocious children, I looked forward to it. 

I was prepared to be in the midst of a dozen or more little children who had gorged themselves on sweets and then, who one by one were dragged away by their embarrassed parents in the middle of a meltdown from their sugar high, all the while screaming that they didn't get a present!  Now of course since I am a "different" kind of adult, none of that really bothers me and most of the time, I have in some way,  encouraged a bit of the behavior that drives the other parents up the wall! (More on that in another post!)

I expected to leave the party sweaty, exhausted and ready for nap time!  Instead, I left calmer than when I arrived with a sense of determination to incorporate some of the things I had seen into my own children's celebrations.  This party was more of a gathering of close family and friends for a reminder of why it is so important to remember and appreciate the small things.  It was also a living, breathing example of what can happen when we wish upon a star.

Little Ms. "J" and her guests had a great time and so did I.  Here are a couple of sneak peeks for mommy!

Congratulations, your image is a finalist in Professional Photgrapher's 2008 Cover Photo Contest!!!

Imagine my shock and awe as I read this message!!!  Really, I mean I had to have someone read it to me to make sure that I was seeing correctly!  Then I screamed so loudly that I scared my son!!

Wow.  Just wow.

At the beginning of 2008, as I was writing my goals for the business, I listed having one of my photos on the cover of a magazine as a goal for this year.  Mind you, I was thinking along the terms of maybe the local community magazine.  After a few months, I reviewed my list and decided that it was a far-fetched goal.  I told myself that other photographers who had been in the business for years, had still not accomplished that goal.  What made me think that I could come off the bench as a rookie and score!

Around that time, I came across this contest held by the official magazine for the Professional Photographers of America.  I picked about 5 images that I liked and submitted them to Professional Photographer Magazine .  I never told a soul that I entered and soon I forgot about it.

But God is GOOD!  I am SO glad that His ways are not like ours!  I received notice a couple of weeks ago that one of my photos had been chosen as a finalist in the contest!  It made the top 50 out of over 50,000 entries!!!

At first, I wasn't going to blog about it unless I won, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a blessing it was to make it this far.  The most wonderful part about it for me is that the entries were not judged by the public, or even by my peers.  They were judged by Photography Masters, professionals who have been in the business for over 30 years.  For me, that gives me so much confirmation that I am using the gift well and moving in the right direction.  It gives me courage to follow even my wildest dreams.

****The photo that was chosen is of Stephan Bass.  It is one of his Senior Portraits taken in downtown Atlanta.  At the time, Stephan was a Senior at Sandy Creek High School in Fayetteville, GA.  He has since graduated and is attending Newberry College on a soccer scholarship.  I love the photo because I think it captures Stephan just being himself - in "real life", which is something I endeavor to do in every photo session.

Vada Michelle at Pottery Barn Kids!!!

I am tremendously pleased to announce that Vada Michelle Photography has been chosen as the featured photographer for Pottery Barn Kids portrait sittings in their Lenox Square Mall and their Forum at Peachtree Parkway locations!

I am humbled and excited about this opportunity to work with a national retail store.  We are going to have so much fun!

Blog Bullies!

Sadly, I have not kept my New Year's Resolution to blog at least weekly.  As the year started off fresh and new, it seemed to be such a reasonable expectation.  As the year progressed, not so much!  On top of that, not only do I have to deal  with my own crushing realization that another resolution has bit the dust, but also I have to deal with a BLOG BULLY!! I know what you're thinking?  Who would bully such a sweet, kind-hearted soul as Vada?! (The perpetrator shall remain nameless for fear of retaliation, but I will say that his name rhymes with Boss and he has an awesome blog that I believe he writes in his sleep.)

He warned me...

He stopped me as I made my way through the crowded dance floor.  I can't say he didn't warn me, but he still caught me COMPLETELY by surprise!  He was dancing with the bride and he stopped me and said, "I'm about to give you a Kodak moment!"  I expected him to kiss his grand-daughter so I aimed my camera at their faces...big mistake...I almost missed the shot as a result.  I did manage to catch this...

Yes, this 75 year-old grandfather of the bride, did a SPLIT in the middle of the dance floor.  As you can see, this wedding was a  LOT of fun!  It was held at the The Alvaton Banquet Hall, a hidden gem in Fayette county Georgia.

Take Two...or Three

This past fall, I went to a wonderful session on a horse farm (one of the many that I didn't post about).  I promised myself that if I ever went that way again, I would stop and photograph some of the beautiful scenery on the trip there and back.  Absolutely breathtaking...

Well, Mom loved the fall photos and wanted to do a spring session as soon as possible!  Therefore, this is a mixed posting.  Some pictures are from the fall and some from spring.

The BEST part of the trip is the fun I have with the three most adorable children ever!  I call them my angel hair babies...you'll see why...

It's For the Mommies...

I'm headed to Florida this weekend to do some shoots at beautiful Ponte Vedra Beach and I have a wonderful offer for you late Mother's Day shoppers.  On May 2nd and 3rd you can meet me at Mickler's Beach from 8AM-1PM for some awesome beach shots!  The best part is that your prints will be delivered in time for Mother's Day!!!

Send and email to vada@vadamichellephotography.com for details about the special package.  You won't be disappointed!

Mommy needs a "Sneak Peek"...

I had the most fantastic time with Mr. X and his family this weekend even though he tried to get me into lots of trouble!  I promised him that I would NOT tell mommy about the coffee table incident.  My lips are sealed!

Baby J