Oh what fun...

Love the colors. Love the family. Love the setting. More to come later.

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night!

I wish you and your family the warmest Christmas wishes and a happy New Year.

Love, me and my crew... The Herricks!




(Thanks, Jodi!)

Lost city...

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing a dear, sweet friend and her family in a new location HERE - a hidden treasure for any photographer. After having only just a few minutes to explore and photograph the family before we lost all possible light, I knew a 2nd trip back was mandatory... too much to see and take in for just one visit.

On the 2nd trip back - which is only 35-40 min from my home - I got to see so much more. This really is a sort of 'lost city'. Abandoned and forgotten yet incredibly rich in our state's history.

Superior, AZ

Such talent...

I'm always struck by the amazing talent that runs through people. I love to be creative, to make things - whether with my own two hands or by way of a camera - but I can honestly say that I don't have nearly a fraction of a fraction (figure that one out you math wizards) of talent as this lovely lady... She is the brains and guts behind all of the amazing hair accessories and such that I have personally sported and photographed HERE and HERE.

So to help this lovely lady get a few more detailed shots for her newly unveiled etsy shop found HERE, we staged a very quick accessory shoot. Love the shots we got!

Much to be thankful for...

...wait, did I say I was done... OK, now I'm DONE.

I did some newborn shots of this little guy a few weeks ago, and today it was time for the WHOLE family to get in front of my camera. I sure do hope all the stress, worry and anxiety that was felt leading up to the shoot will all be worth it when you see this sweet photo, Mama?!

Love you guys - more than you will ever know. Enjoy!



Merry Christmas!

Better late than never!

I suppose since we're related I'll let this one slide, but next year I'm putting you on my calendar months ahead of the holidays... 'Lil Miss Procrastinator'!

But seriously, this year is about to close and I'm grateful to be able to end it on a high note with such an awesome family... love you guys to death. I'm sure glad our long drive paid off...







So this wraps up photography sessions for the year... yes, I said YEAR! I am dying for a little break... my kids have gotten to know the back of my head very well - that would be what they see of me as I'm sitting at my desk for hours on end these last few months. I will be ever so grateful for some much needed mommy time with my kiddos, oh and I guess the hubs, too. The other day I saw a home decor wall sign that read 'If the house is clean is must mean the computer is broken.' Ummmm, yeah, I'm gonna need a sign like that... Kelli (aka Miss Lolly Jane), can you get on that... ;-)

But for reals, thank you everyone for all of your wonderful support and comments and good times this year; I hope 2010 brings many more fantastic moments together. And just so you know, I still have some fun projects and lots more photography to post while I'm taking my 'business' hiatus, so don't stray too far... come back and visit soon!

It's crunch time...

The holidays are practically here and I'm madly editing lots of photos, holiday cards (including my own and they are kind of FaNtAsTiC!) and trying to create a festive Christmas home... the latter I'm failing miserably at. This week has been both grueling and so emotional that even eluding to the experiences I've had over the last 5 days would bring out the ugly cry in me... let's just say that I hug my babies a little tighter, long for the days when the hub is home a little more and I'm so very grateful for ALL the gifts I have been blessed with.

And seriously, one of those beautiful gifts is Maggie and her darling boys. I am in awe of the work she does both in and out of her home. She is raising some wonderful, young men!

Enjoy!









And PS... It's really getting down to the wire for photos and holiday cards so don't procrastinate any longer... call me!

Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm addicted to sun flare!

They say admitting your addiction is the first step to recovery. Well, I don't know if one can fully recover from a sun flare addiction, or what type of 12-step program is out there, but I must say that a little sun beaming into a photo is pure heaven to me. So naturally when a client - or in this case a dear, sweet friend and fellow photog, Jodi D - wants a location with an open field and some of that beautiful tall grass then I just have to believe that they secretly want me to exploit that sun and use it up as much as possible. ;-)

Love you guys. Your family is beautiful. I'm glad we made this little arrangement happen.

Enjoy!

Slice of humble pie...

I have to admit, I'm slightly taken back by the OVERWHELMING response to my little survey question regarding a beginner's level photography & Photoshop class. I am so excited at the responses I'm getting that my head is literally spinning - like exorcism spinning - with plans and ideas and all sorts of good stuff for the classes. Things are in the works so definitely stay tuned and keep those responses coming... forward the survey link to friends, neighbors, anyone you think might be interested.

Through the survey I have received a few questions so I thought I'd use this blog to answer and update y'all...

Q: Would the classes be in-person or online?
A: Definitely in-person. I'm a hands on person and can work so much better if I'm with you and you can see me make weird hand gestures and point at things that I can't remember the name of or any other visually necessary classroom traits. It just makes more sense.

Q: How many people will you teach in a class?
A: I'm thinking for my first class go-round I'm gonna limit it to no more than 10 people, maybe even less. This really needs to be a hands-on and open Q&A forum so I want to be sure each person has time to ask questions, can understand the concept and can move on to the next. Any more than 10 and I'm sure this "teacher" might have an anxiety attack.

Q: Where are you located?
A: I personally am in Mesa (Arizona), but I'm not quite sure where the class will be held yet - definitely somewhere in the East Valley - Gilbert, Mesa or even Queen Creek. Could be in my home or maybe a rented facility type room?? All up in the air but that's what I'm working on.

Q: When and how do I sign up?
A: Awesome... you're ready to go... yay! The class most certainly will not happen this year... phew, I know... you're welcome! Let's get the holidays outta the way - heck you may even find a nice, shiny new camera from Santa and now you know just where to go to get hooked up with a lesson, or two. I'm thinking mid to late February at the soonest. In the next few weeks I will open up a mailing list/pre-registration list for anyone who is seriously interested. Stay tuned and be sure to get on the list for advance registration - remember 10 people or less per class.

Q: Will you let us know the cost before we sign up?
A: Heck ya! I'm no used-car sales guy... no offense... ;-) At this point it's looking to be about $50 per person for a 2-hour class. However, this may change between now and registration - but once I make the official announcement that will be the final cost; no changes, no hidden fees.

Now, let me remind you what this class is NOT. For photography: this is not a workshop, meaning an all day, live shoot with models and lecture and all that good stuff. If that's what you're looking for let me know and I'll point you in the direction of some good workshops. This also is not a class for those who feel like turning pro... right now. This is a class, however for those looking to capture better pictures, to get your camera off the Auto mode and into the Creative modes. If going pro is something you desire down, way down the road that's great. This will get you knowing your camera, it's functions and most of the technical mumbo-jumbo you'll need. For Photoshop: this can be a hands on class if you own a laptop or just an in-depth how-to class with lots of note taking and Q&A. I am self taught so most of what I will be teaching are things I have learned from trial and error.

So that wraps up the questions I have so far. If you think of anything else please do not hesitate to e-mail me directly.

And for kicks and grins I leave you with photos I took of a dear, sweet friend's baby shower... for this little guy.

A blessed event...

By no means do I consider myself a newborn photographer - I leave that one to the real pros. However, I had the honor, nay the privilege of spending some time with one of my very best friends and her brand new son. To be able to photograph this baby and to have witness their union has truly been such a blessed event in my life. I love this sweet family with all my heart and I am so grateful for the gift they have been given.

Danke schön for this baby!
(Thank you with all my heart for this baby!)




...and of course we can't forget about the proudest big sis...



(Oh, and PS... I simply adored photographing this brand, brand new baby! So, all you soon-to-be mommies out there contact me about doing your newborn shots and I'll hook you up with some swanky goodies from your session!)