Selan Family Session | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

One thing that I find to be the most fun about working with children is watching them grow up.  I worked with this little girl last at Halloween when she came into my studio for a mini session.  She was in that perfect "sitter" stage for photography where she couldn't really do much but pose.  Not so much this time!  She is all grown up and running all over the place.

With this family it seemed fitting to make this a fun, laid back session.  We ran around Forsyth Park, picking flowers, watching the fountain, playing at the playground, and chasing the beautiful morning light. We had a blast and got some pictures that I feel really capture each of their unique personalities.  Watch the video to see for yourself!

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If you are interested in your own family portrait session, please contact me to schedule your complimentary consultation today!

Eryn | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

It can be hard to get anything done with a new baby, but last week I was determined to get back behind the camera taking something other than baby pictures. So with my little man tied on to my back, I made my way to Forsyth Park to meet up with a gorgeous model named Eryn.

Eryn posses one of my favorite qualities in a model- she's up for anything.  She showed up with a smile on her face and a perfect outfit, despite the fact that I had only given her a day's notice.  More impressively, she was unphased by my little helper, laughing as he tried to flirt with her.

Since it was such an impromptu shoot (I seem to be developing a habit here), we decided to keep it carefree with a more candid feel.  These are my favorite types of shots because they really showcase the personality of the model.  When I think of Eryn I think of vintage glamour, and I feel like that's what we captured here.

You can find the rest of the photos from this shoot here.

Monday Photo Dump: Week 14 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

This week my hubby was out in the field (still) so I had a lot of down time.  This meant that I actually got out and did some stuff this weekend, and I think as a result got some fun pictures. 3-29-14: I spent my Saturday evening wandering Savannah and taking pictures of One Love's Paws for a Cause event.  They had dancers performing and, seeing that I minored in dance and have a strong interest in the subject, I really enjoyed photographing it. 3-30-14: Sunday I went with some friends and some dogs out to the beach at Hilton head.  This dog (sassy) had the time of her life chasing water droplets.  I'm pretty sure she can fly! 3-31-14: I got my exercise this week with some tennis. I attempted to use my phone's camera as an experiment to how well it works. Not very well, it turns out. If this had a proper exposure it wouldn't have been half bad though. Does any know any manual camera apps for android? 4-1-14: I've been really enjoying how differently I'm able to grocery shop with my hubby not around.  If I want salami and brie for dinner I can do it, and nobody is here to complain! 4-2-14: I got a remote shutter release for my camera and spent some time messing around with it. I was going for a model-like photo, but I guess I'm better off behind the camera, because I do NOT know how to pose myself.  I accidentally got this shot of myself and Jerry playing though. 4-3-14: Another cell phone pic! This is one of the Petsmart cats being all belly's up and cuddly, which, after my day at work, I really needed. 4-4-14: I bought a new 35mm lens and took it downtown to do some street photography. This was one of the first shots I took with it. I love this lens!

And that's it for this weeks photos.  Next week will kick off with Jerry at the beach and some sharkless shark fishing. Stay tuned!

Chad and Erika | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last week, some good friends of mine Chad and Erika invited me into their home to do a lifestyle photoshoot of them.  Erika is expecting, but not showing yet, so this will be some of their last photos as just the two of them (plus dogs).  We really focused on the two of them in their natural surroundings, and I love the way this shoot turned out.

These two were a blast to work with, but I already knew that.  Chad and Erika are always great to hang out with. But watching the interactions between these two was even better.

Chad is straight up goofy and constantly making faces or striking a Captain Morgan pose for the camera, despite Erika trying her hardest to get him to be serious.  We were starting to think he may not be capable.

We weren't sure what the photos would look like in the end, but as I look at the results all I can see is love between this little family.  Look at Chad's face in that ultrasound shot. He is absolutely beaming! And he has good reason. What a gorgeous family!

I'm so excited to come back and do this shoot again, but next time the family will be just a bit bigger.

We rounded out the shoot by letting Chad play with their gorgeous husky, Cyan.  She was very playful and wouldn't sit still, but I like the action shots anyway.  Look at those eyes!

I loved this photo shoot, and am excited to try more of these indoor lifestyle shoots. This just a little peak into the shoot, but you can find the rest on my website, here.

Monday Photo Dump: Week #6 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Today we are launching the Monday photo dump since Fridays are now my afternoon at the animal shelter and I will no longer have time to edit and post my photos that day. You can find out all about that here. I know I've made a lot of changes all of a sudden, but the format for this post is still the same and the pictures are still from the same part of the week, we are just switching up the days.  With that said, here's last week's photos, the first set for the month of February.

2-1-14: Can I just say that I love food photography.  We see a lot of people posting pictures of their lunch on Instagram and it's kind of a running joke that gives food photography a bad name, but food that is prepared by hand can be gorgeous and really great to take pictures of, like this colorful pork stir fry that I made for a lazy night dinner.

2-2-14: More food! My husband had the random idea to make handmade pretzels for our Superbowl party.  It was actually pretty easy and very successful (I couldn't stop eating them).  A recipe is coming soon.

2-3-14: Just some Jerry toes.  I sure do love Jerry toes.

2-4-14: It's a pretty self explanatory shot of the penny jar.  I just like the colors of the pennies,

2-5-14: What used to be a nice view of a wooded area out of my computer room window is now construction.  They cleared the trees quite a while ago (which I was pretty upset about) and then just recently they started construction.  My work is now accompanied by the sounds of hammers and construction equipment.  This is my new view. I can't wait until they are done building.

2-6-14: X marks the spot, I guess.

2-7-14: This is one of my shots from my day at the animal shelter.  I didn't use this as something to post to get this dog adopted (for obvious reasons), but I do like the moment that was captured.  This dog is anything but vicious, I swear, but caught mid bark he does look kind of mean, doesn't he?

So there you have it, last week's photos.  I didn't do a theme, which left me with kind of a hodgepodge of photos, but I think they captured my week pretty well. As always, if you have any theme suggestions leave them in the comments below.  Otherwise, I'll see you next time!

The People of Savannah | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

With my new 50 mm begging to be tested, I went downtown a couple days ago for some more street photography.  As usual I met a lot of crazy, weird, and wonderful people.  Here's a quick run-through:

As usual I started off a bit shy and kept my distance.  With a 200 mm lens that works, but with a 50 mm you have to be a bit more bold. Most of my first shots were barely usable and only with extreme cropping.  That said, I did manage to capture this one.  Although it's not technically perfect, I do love the emotion that is captured in it.  The guy was playing football or something in the park, was very close to winning, and decided to bombard his woman with a sweaty hug.  I love her expression!

This one is probably my favorite shot of the day. I saw this guy sleeping (or so I thought) and thought it would make and interesting picture.  I got closer and realized he wasn't sleeping, he was smoking a cigarette.  It wasn't until post processing that I realized there was a prosthetic leg attached to the shoe beneath the bench.

On a bit of a happier note, meet Cabin (pronounced say-bin).  He spends his days on river street making art.  I had seen him before, and even taken his picture, but today I decided to stop and chat for a bit.  It turns out Cabin has a bachelors in writing (that surprised me a bit) and he likes to combine visual art with words.  Each of his pieces makes a strong political statement.  This isn't the kind of art you hang on your wall because it is pretty- this is the stuff that makes you think.  Cabin explained to me that what he really loves is carving driftwood.  He said that his dad taught him and that he has friends on the boats in the canal that pick up whatever driftwood they find for him.

This man caught my eye when I saw him walking around river street in tall white socks- no shoes.  The socks were clean, somebody must have just given them to him.  I was trying to figure out the best approach to take a photo of him when he came up to me and asked for a cigarette.  When I said no he asked if he could take my picture for me.  I said no again, but asked if he'd let me take his.  I explained my project and he agreed to a few shots.  We chatted while I took them and he left me with a little advice, "Keep taking pictures of what you love."

I took so many photos with so many stories behind them that day that it's too much to fit in one little blog.  I've created a collage to showcase a few more pictures.  So here it is: The people of Savannah.

Street Photography | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Camera in hand, I took to the streets of Savannah yesterday morning with one goal- Street photography.  A friend of mine loaned me her old nikon 50-200 mm lens that she doesn't use.  With that and some inspiration stemming from an engagement photo shoot with my brother in law and his fiancé last weekend, my mind was firmly planted in photography. Out of shyness, I started my adventure with the sniper method of street photography.  A 200mm lens allowed for nice, sharp pictures from a distance, but made me feel like a bit of a creeper in the process.  That said, I did get some good pictures that way.

But by the end of my day I had become more comfortable and was interacting with the people in my pictures.  I met a band who plays the streets at night (and had the cutest puppy) along with many other interesting people. But out of all of them, there was one interaction that especially struck me.

I met Earl as I was taking pictures of the fountain in Forsyth Park.  He saw me snapping shot after shot and asked if I'd like him to take one with me in the picture.  I thanked him, told him that no I was working on a Street Photography project, and asked if I could take his picture instead. He was happy to oblige, as long as I let him pose with his book. When I asked him how to get in touch so that I could send him his picture, he told me that he is homeless.  He asked me, very nicely, if I could spare a couple dollars, but I didn't have any cash on me.  I did want to do something though, and so I offered to send him a print of the picture, since I wouldn't be able to email it. He gave me his address at the homeless shelter and, first thing monday, I plan to get a print made and send it to him.

It may not be much, and it may not have monetary value, but I feel that by giving him his portrait I can give this man a very meaningful gift.  It is a slice of his life, a moment that he will always remember.  It may not technically be the best picture I've ever taken, but it has meaning for me now and I hope that Earl will feel the same way when he receives that package in the mail.

For anyone who is interested, you can see the rest of this set at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shulearue/sets/72157634989391640/

Also, I started a Facebook page for my photography in hopes of getting more into the business of things.  You can find it at

https://www.facebook.com/mikaelajoyphotos