Kaitlin Family | Mikaela Joy: El Paso Portrait Photographer

Who is ready for more photos of Kaitlin and her family?  I shared the film portion of their images in a previous post, but now it's time for the rest.  

Y'all, what can I even say about these images.  It was a beautiful family, in a beautiful location, with gorgeous light.  The whole family was fun, upbeat, and ready to have fun.  This was pretty much an ideal session for me.  I loved working with this family and am so excited with how the images turned out!  I hope I can work with them again in the future.

You can check out the images from this session below: 

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If you'd like to schedule your own family portrait session, please contact me for more information and to schedule a complimentary consultation

Leah White Sands | Mikaela Joy: El Paso Portrait Photographer

Ok here's what I need to know- How in the heck did it take me this long to make my way out to White Sands?  I've lived in El Paso off and on for 3 years now and this was my first trip out there.  What? This place is seriously cool.

Leah and I packed up early in the morning for a day trip.  I brought my cameras because, well, I always bring my cameras, but I wasn't planning a photoshoot.  But when I saw how pretty it was, I knew I had to have Leah model for me.  Luckily, I never clean my car, and so I had some pretty dresses and a big floppy hat in the truck.  And we came out with some beautiful images.

Of course we played some too.  We ran around in the sand, sledded, and I even got behind the camera for a bit (Photo credit to Leah for the photos of me- she did an awesome job!)  We had such a great time! I definitely won't be hesitating about the drive next time I have an idea to go out to White Sands!

My Analog Summer | Mikaela Joy: El Paso Portrait Photographer

You haven’t heard from me in a while.  There are a couple reasons for that.  One is that I’m on vacation.  I’m in the Pacific Northwest soaking up the sunshine and taking in the beautiful mountain views.

The other reason you haven’t heard from me it that this summer I’ve gone analog.

Well sort of.  I recognize the irony of me typing that sentence from my laptop.  But as I type I’m sitting on the front porch of my parent’s house, a slight breeze lifting the smell of lavender to my nose. So I'm outside at least.

And yes, I’ve spent a good portion of my summer glued to my cell phone screen, as per usual, but it hasn’t been all day from the comfort of my couch.  It hasn’t been all summer.

Instead I’ve spent this summer huddled by the warmth of a campfire.  I’ve spent my summer with books- the paper kind, well loved, with writing in the margins and blueberry-stained pages. My summer has been spent loading film into a 30-year-old camera, and the satisfying click of its shutter.

My summer has been perfect.

You see, this summer has brought me a new love- film photography. 

I didn’t grow up with film like many of the older pros.  Although I went through a significant number of disposable cameras at a young age, I was quickly upgraded to a 5 megapixel Olympus in order to save my parents money on developing costs.  I’ve always been able to see my shots right away, to instantly upload to a computer, and to shoot as many images as my SD card (or whatever those cameras used) could hold. 

Shooting with film is a beautiful slow down.   

There’s something so freeing about taking a shot and not looking instantly to the LCD screen to see how it turned out, something in knowing that you only have 36 shots so you better make them count.  And it’s amazing to be using a piece of technology created 30 plus years ago that works beautifully and doesn’t require batteries. 

And the feeling of seeing a roll of film for the first time, weeks after the first frame was shot? There’s nothing quite like it. 

I’m so excited to play more with this medium and see how it changes my work.  But until then let me share some images from my first roll of film. These images were shot on a Nikon FM with Portra 400.

A Day in the Life of Riley: November 2016 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I may be a portrait photographer, but I have a serious love of lifestyle photography as well.  One of my favorite projects are "day in the life" photo stories.  Well little man just turned two and I was feeling a bit nostalgic so the only logical thing to do was to break out my camera. 
o without further ado, here it is- a day in the life of Riley.

Sadie Family Session | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Family Photographer

I've got an extra special session to share today.  This was a session I did while on vacation in Washington State this summer.  Not only did I get to see her for the first time in over a year, but I got to meet her adorable little man and capture some beautiful memories for them!

We found a gorgeous location- Ft. Stielacoom and arrived just in time for some beautiful sunset shots.  Little man was more in the mood for bed than a photoshoot, so he and Sadie just played and had fun while I captured the moments.  I love how they turned out!

If you'd like to book your own family session, please contact me to set up your complimentary consultation today!

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!

Dad & Son at the Park | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I'm going to keep it short and sweet today.  Hubby is finally home, so we took Riley to play at one of my favorite places in Pooler, Tom Triplett Park.  Of course I had to get some pictures.  Aren't they cute together?!

Throwback Thursday: Riley 9 Months Ago | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I love recreating photos as Riley grows.  It's so much fun to see how much he's changed in what feels like such a short period of time.  Case in point: these two shots.  These were both taken at the same swing at Tom Triplett park in Pooler, GA.  In the first one, he is 9 months old.  The second was taken very recently (he's almost a year and a half, now).

I can't get over how grown up he looks now!

Throwback Thursday- My First DSLR | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Portrait Photographer

I may be in the minority here, but I really love facebook's memories feature.  Every morning I look back on what I was doing on this day going back 7 years.  Sometimes I wonder what was going through my head, sometimes I laugh at how young I was, and sometimes I am able to see patterns in my life.

For instance, for the past 7 years on this day, I was doing something related to art (except 4 years ago, there's no record of that one).

• 7 years ago I was making a prom dress
• 6 years ago I was a DJ on my college radio show
• 5 years ago I was working on creative writing homework
• 3 years ago I bought my first DSLR camera
• 2 years ago was my first shoot with a model

I loved seeing the old photos.  When I first picked up my Nikon D3100 I had no idea what I was doing.  I had done some online research about the exposure triangle, but with nothing other than a point and shoot to practice on, I didn't have any idea what I was doing.  I was just playing with it to figure it out.

The first thing I did after buying my camera was take a walk around a nearby lake with my family and my dog.  Since it's still nearby, I decided to do the same today.  Check out the difference!

Even though my older photos often make me cringe, it's so fun to see the progress I've made.  It is so easy to get caught up on the things I'd like to change or do better today, and totally forget how far I've come.  
Plus I got have a nice relaxing evening at the lake with Jerry and my little man.  You can't beat that!

The Little Moments & Getting in the Picture | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

There are constantly moments where I think "God I wish I had my camera."  I see things every day that I frame into a photo in my head but never take the shot for various reasons (no camera with me, no patience for my photography shenanigans from the people I'm with).  Usually these are passing moments with strangers that I won't ever think about again, but often they are moments in my own life- moments that I would have loved to have captured and printed. Being a photographer means that the lives of the people closest to me are very well documented.  I have taken several pictures of my son for every day of his life.  I do photo shoots with him every month.  I take pictures of any friends that will let me and bring my camera to most events I attend.  But I'm hardly ever in the picture.

I think a lot of moms can relate to this.

It's so easy to get caught up in capturing every moment of your kids lives.  But what about one's own progress during this time?  Being a mom completely changes a person.  When I look at photos of myself before and after having my son, I see an entirely different person.  My body has changed, my outlook has changed, everything about my life is a little bit different.

Obviously, I believe in the importance of photography.  I want my son to look back at old pictures of us with amazement- at both the changes in himself and in me.  I want him to see the way I smiled at him as he "helped" me cook, the proud look on his face as he takes his first steps.

This is why I place my focus in lifestyle photography.  When I look back at posed pictures from my childhood I laugh at the way we all looked and the clothes we all wore, but it doesn't represent my life to me.  The pictures that resonate are the ones in a baby carrier strapped to my father as he gives commands to the family dog, or the photo of my brother and I playing together, me standing in his work boots.

As I capture these moments for others, I've been making a point to be sure they are taken in my own life as well. Whether it's through the art of self portraiture (and some  plain old lselfies, too) or by handing off my camera on occasion, I want to be sure that these memories are saved.  They are too important to miss.

Renata Maternity | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

This was another early morning shoot with the beautiful momma-to-be Renata.  Renata is a photographer herself, so I was a bit nervous about doing her photos.  I was determined that they had to be perfect.

That said, the morning lighting was absolutely great, the location beautiful, and Renata was about as gorgeous as pregnant ladies get.  I didn't have anything to worry about.

My only challenge here was teaching myself about maternity photography.  I'm used to positioning my models to make them look skinny, but in maternity that is out the window.  Everything is about showing off that belly!  The poses are different than what I'm used to, the model doesn't get around as well, and babies and bellies move! But working with Renata was great because we were able to pool our experience a bit and come out with some great photos.

Renata is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl.  It doesn't get any better than that!

The Lazy Poem

I want to take a second to share a poem today.  I'm having a bit of an off day and therefore I've been curled up in an oversized sweatshirt watching American Horror Story all day, so it seemed like a good day to share "Lazy Poem." Here goes:

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!

Monday Photo Dump: Week 12 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Here we are facing another Monday. I'm still sick. In fact today I am call in from work amounts of sick, so I've spent the whole morning on the couch reading Divergent, cuddling with my pets, and feeling all around crappy. But, I'm taking a break from all of that to share this week's photos.

3-15-14: We start off in the heart of Savannah's St. Patty's day celebrations. This holiday is kind of a big deal here, for some odd reason, so the party lasted all weekend long.  We went out on Saturday with some friends and I did some drinking and street photography. I wrote a quick post about it and shared some pictures here.

3-16-14: Sunday I revisited some old music that I used to love as a teenager and realized I've not developed an attachment to music in the same way since then. There is something about hiding out in the orange and yellow bedroom of my teenage years reading Ray Bradbury and listening to A Ghost is Born that in some ways, I'll never beat.

3-17-14: Monday was shopping day 'cause I was in desperate need of a new pair of running/work shoes. I made a first attempt at product photography, which, although it's a bit dark, I think I did pretty decent on (especially since I was working with natural light).

3-18-14: On Tuesday Sam took in this absolutely adorable foster puppy who we both got instantly attached to (for me, all it took were some puppy kisses).

3-19-14: Wednesday I decided to revisit my writing after coming to the realization that I never write anymore, so I busted out this old tattered journal.

3-20-14: More writing on Thursday, but this time in the form of poetry.  Inspiration hits at such random times for me (I wrote most of this in my head while counting jewelry at work), but it's such a great feeling when it happens.

3-21-14: Friday I did an impromptu photo shoot with Sam, her jeep, and the setting sun. I'm so excited with how this shot turned out!

That's it for this week.  Next week's photo dump will be kicked off with the cutest puppies in the world, so stay tuned!

Watered Down

When did I become a watered down version of myself? I used to spend my evenings in concerts and coffee shops, my days filled with music and poetry. My ringing phone played Wilco from the pocket of my thrift store dress.  I sat in the sunshine at fountains filling notebooks with words and wisdom. I flaunted my red hair, my strangeness. These days I'm all about working. Eight hour days followed by eight hour sleep. I clean house and watch TV and ignore myself.  Forget the makeup, forget the fashion- I live in my yoga pants on my trips to the grocery store, and where else do I go? Never far, and never anywhere exciting.

"While all bodies share/ the same fate, all voices do not."

This is one of my favorite quotes from a poem by Li-Young Lee and I often wonder, what would remain of my voice if I were to die tomorrow? Some pretty pictures? The memory of a "nice" girl? A few poems that no one ever read?

Who knows me as the introverted book nerd, passionate about music and language, with a strange style and a sense of adventure?  I'm still that girl when I'm wandering the streets of Savannah with my camera, watching strangers and soaking up the sunshine.  I'm still that girl when I'm cuddling on the couch with my doberman and my kindle.

But how often does that happen?

It's time to take back my time.  It's time to leave the house a mess and read more books instead, to spend my afternoons in bookstores and sample all the coffee shops in Savannah. It's time to write more poetry and and wear more dresses.

It's time to find myself again.

Who's with me?

What part of yourself have you neglected recently and how can you bring it back? I'd love to hear your experiences and advice.

SJ at Sunrise | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Last Saturday I got up bright and early to meet up with SJ, a gorgeous local model, to do some portraits at sunrise. Let me just say that it pains me to get up early on the weekends.  I wake up at 3:30 five days a week, so I really appreciate my Saturday sleep ins.  Even if that's only until 7:00.

But waking up early to work with SJ was definitely worth it.  We found a field and a lake to shoot at with golden morning light and steam rolling off of the lake.  Beautiful.

SJ was a fabulous model, and we spent equal parts of our time laughing and shooting.  What I love most about SJ is her sense of adventure. Some models might think it's weird when I ask them to climb a tree, for instance, but not her.  She just wanted to know which tree.

This was a quick little shoot due to the limited time frame that the lighting allowed, but it was a lot of fun.  I can't wait to work with SJ again.

If you want to see the whole shoot you can find it at my website here.

Monday Photo Dump Week #10 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for another Weekly Photo Dump! This week was rainy and awful, but the weekend was gorgeous. I spent the weekend outside (yet didn't bring my camera, what was I thinking?) and then spent the rest of the week playing with dogs and eating (hey, my two favorite things.

So without further ado:

3-1-14: Okay so technically this was taken the night before, but since I had to work early Saturday morning, and this is what we were doing the night before, I think this gives you a good idea of how my Saturday felt- sleep deprived.

3-2-14: Sunday was also spent outside, somehow without my camera. Although I wasn't able to get any pictures of my adventures, my hubby did let me take this quick portrait of him and my dobe, Jerry.  I can't believe how big that dog has gotten!

3-3-14: My Monday consisted of work and then hours spent at the car dealership while they figured out that they needed to replace my transmission.  This is how I felt about things.

3-4-14: And then came the rain.  A five minute storm flooded my yard, and then we were stuck in the cold, wet, gross weather for the rest of the week.

3-5-14: I used to be totally scared of raw chicken. It freaked me out. But this chicken is about to be delicious!

3-6-14: Thursday I decided to embrace the rain and play with my friend Sam's dog Sassy.  She was not phased by the nasty weather. She just wanted to play!

3-7-14: I spent Friday playing with the dogs too.  Magnum was so kind as to pose for me.  He looks so dignified here!

After my missed photo opportunities this weekend I decided to take my camera with me more places, and I am much happier with this week's photos because of it.  Sticking to this idea, I already have some great photos for next week including a day at the shooting range.  I'm excited to bring some new life into this project and see where we can go with it.  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 9 | Mikaela Joy: Savannah Lifestyle Photographer

Phew! It's been a crazy week. I got stuck working two night shifts next week with not a whole lot of break between that and my day shift.  I may have worked less hours, but I am still recovering from the lack of sleep. I don't do well without sleep.

And then yesterday, when I was supposed to be posting last week's photos, I spent three and a half hours at the car dealership for them to tell me that I wouldn't have my car for a week while they replace the transmission.  At least it's warranty work.

Anyway, this is going somewhere, I promise. Basically I'm giving you all my excuses for why I'm a) a day late, and b) using cell phone pictures this week.

I had originally planned to do every picture for my 365 with my DLSR, but quite frankly that wasn't doable this week.  My week happened at work, and I can't exactly carry my DSLR around at Sam's and stop work to shoot some pictures. So, although the quality makes me cringe, I'm using some cell phone pictures.

Whew, I'm a bit long winded today, aren't I? Let's get to the pictures.

   1-22-14: Before all the craziness, I spent my Saturday afternoon at an adoption event at Tails Spin in Pooler hanging out with this cool guy and a few other sweet adoptables.  Fulton (the guy in the picture) is a complete lover, and he was posing for pictures left and right.  He also licked my lens at one point.  Nothing like a little dog slobber to make your pictures sharp, huh?

1-23-14: Sunday I went over to some friends' house to do a lifestyle photo shoot with them. I've wanted to do this silhouette shot for some time, I just hadn't found the right subjects and situation. I love the way this turned out.

1-24-14: Yes, it's supposed to be upside down.  My hubby convinced me to go for a jog with him Monday.  Let me just say, I don't jog. I was so sore/tired/defeated by the end of this jog that I pretty much collapsed on the floor afterwards. Once I recovered, I decided to do some yoga for my poor, poor muscles.  Jerry seemed to think it was a game and was running around all over the place, so I took this shot: my view from downward facing dog.

1-25-14: Que the night shift.  This was my "rockin' the night shift" selfie for instagram that I took on the first night when I was consuming way too much caffeine and driving a forklift around 'cause I was bored.

1-26-14: After work I thought I'd go home and crash.  I curled up on the couch and Jerry joined me.  I was exhausted! But I was so amped up on caffeine still that I couldn't sleep. And Jerry's nose was constantly in my face, so that didn't help much.  I ended up watching I Love Lucy all day instead.

1-27-14: My last nightshift was dragging on by the end.  I was still full of caffeine and spent most of the night jamming out to The Fratelli's, but as the last hour came I was losing steam.  I tried to entertain myself by doodling one a post-it note.

1-28-14: This was my recovery day, also spent on the couch watching I Love Lucy (I've decided I'm in love with Ricky Ricardo). This time Gizmo kept me company.

Like I said, it's was a crazy week. This one is off to a rough start, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing from here on out.  We will see. Until then I've got some serious house cleaning to do, so that's all for today!