Beginner Photography Classes Are Starting Soon!

Beginner Photography Classes will start in March. You can bring any camera you own and we'll figure out how to get better photos using it. We'll discuss photography lighting, background, composition, as well as camera basics including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. At the end of the course you'll know what each of the settings on your digital camera can do. Once you have a better understanding of your camera functions, you'll be able to decide when to use them to get higher quality photos.

Beginner Photography Class Details:

• 6 1-hour classes
  
• Classes meet at my house on Wednesdays (starting March 9th)
  
• Time: 7:00 - 8:00 pm
  
• Limit 6 students per class (If more than 6 sign up for the class I'll open a Thursday night session)
  
• 4 of the classes will be lecture/open discussion and the remaining 2 will be outside, hands-on (we'll schedule a Saturday or Sunday that works with everyone)
  
• $20 per person per class ($108.00 for all 6 sessions if you pay for all up front)
  

Also, these classes are open to everyone so if you know someone who might be interested, pass along this email. If there are certain topics you'd like me to discuss, send me an email.

Sign up today! Spaces are limited!!

Fall 2010 Promotion - Mini Family Sessions

It's that time of year again! Fall is just around the corner and it's one of the best times of year for family portraits. Everything from the colors, weather, to clothing, is just perfect! From now until November 19th I'll be offering mini sessions for family portraits. The session includes 15 edited and retouched photos, fit to a slideshow, plus 25 custom-designed fine-art holiday cards!

Spaces are limited so call or email to book your session today! 

Images by Michele launches NEW WEBSITE!!!

I loved my last website which I designed in Adobe Flash but there were several issues with it. First, since it was in Flash, in order to view it you had to download Flash. This doesn't seem like a huge issue but anything Apple-based doesn't support Flash. Sooo...all the new iPhones or iPads would not be able to view my website. The other problem with it was that it was very hard to update. The third issue was that since it was in Flash the text was not searchable.

I've been busy over this last year with my photography clients and I really had no time to dedicate to redesigning my site. I asked my friend and fellow graphic designer, Holly Harter (www.hhgraphicdesigns.com) to redesign my site. I barely had time to even work on the stuff I needed to get to her for her to move forward but she gave me deadlines and I had to make sure I met them. I absolutely love the new site! It does everything the last site didn't and it has sooo much more information. I spent an hour updating some sections that would've normally taken days.

Comment and let me know what you think!! http://www.imagesbymichele.com. Also check out Holly's website and check out her work: http://hhgraphicdesigns.com

Here's a screen shot of the site:

Carolina Beach - Labor Day Weekend

We try to visit Wilmington at least 2 times a year and now that I'm living here too we try to visit more often. In the past we've always gone to Wrightsville Beach but the last few trips have been to Carolina Beach. 

Our friend Brad owns Surfhouse Cafe and Surf Shop in Carolina Beach so we get to visit him and the shop while we vacation. The food is phenomenal!! A personal favorite is the Turkey Cuban sandwich...it's to die for. In November his shop will be featured in the prestigious Southern Living magazine! In winter months they serve specialty hot chocolates that have gained crazy attention. They also bring back their mushroom sandwich which I've been craving since last year! Needless to say I'm already planning our October trip back! Here's a few images from our recent trip:

My Trip to Guatemala

A few months back I decided to surprise my best friend Tiana by showing up in Guatemala a few days before her 30th birthday. She has been living there since last October and she was a little sad that she wouldn't be able to spend her 30th with her close friends or family. For my 30th birthday, she made me the most unbelievable YouTube video and I decided immediately after watching it that I needed to go to Guatemala and surprise her.

Tiana had some slight suspicions but I called her the day before my arrival and threw her off my scent. She was totally surprised when I showed up...it was perfect! We spent the next few days hanging out in Quetzaltenango (Xela), walking through the town, picking up food for dinner in the markets, drinking "atol" (hot, sweet, corn drink), going on hikes, and just catching up. 

At 6:00 am, on the day of her birthday, we hiked up a mountain with Don Carlos, a Mayan spiritual guide. We discovered that morning that based on the day I was born, my Mayan spirit (nahaul) is "Aj" and it was actually that day, Tiana's birthday! A coincidence? I think not! The ceremony was awesome and I could write pages and pages on it. I actually journaled almost every detail of my trip and I'm going to create a book with photos. We ate cheese and crackers and wine, then went to a spa for 3 hours, got ready and went to her friend Willy's opening night of his new restaurant. It was a perfect day and night and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with her. 

We spent a few days at Lago Atitlan, which took 3 "chicken buses" and 3.5 hours to get to. The buses are so named because there are often animals accompanying the passengers. We stayed in a really nice hotel the first night and spent the next day taking a boat ride around the lake and visiting 3 different villages. It was awesome! The night before I left we decided to stay in a cheaper hotel...not the best decision! We discovered a huge spider problem and at 2:30-6:00 in the morning, about every 30 minutes, we were abruptly woken up to cackling roosters. If I didn't physically see them in the courtyard, I would have bet my life they were actually in our room! Hahah! It was a great trip and I had sooo much fun...even the roosters just add to the story!

Take a look at a few of may favorite photos from the trip and Tiana's birthday video:

A Surprise Trip to Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, NC

A few weeks back Teddy surprised me with a trip to Ocracoke Island. I had no clue where we were going so I packed a little bit of everything. Even when I pulled out the map and saw which direction we were going, it still didn't help.

Once we got to Ocracoke, I was really excited. We were going to spend the next few days doing nothing! We both brought our laptops because realistically, there was no way we could not do any work. We stayed at a really nice bed and breakfast and after the first night, we moved upstairs into a really nice room.

Each day we had breakfast, did a hour or two of work, grabbed lunch, and then headed to the beach once the sun started to go down. The great thing about the Outer Banks and Ocracoke in particular is the unbelievably beautiful beaches. We would drive miles down the road until we couldn't see any cars and then park, climb over a sand dune, and basically have a private beach to ourselves. We saw tons of dolphins and took full advantage of relaxing. Here are a few of my favorite images from the trip.

Playing with Video - Tristyn singing Scooby Dooby Doo

My nephew is sooo freakin adorable. One day a couple of months ago, I was having kind of a bad day. I was rushing all over the place and feeling really stressed. Just as I was getting out of the car, my sister called to tell me that my nephew, Tristyn, had something he wanted to share with his "Crazy Antie Shells." He sang "Scooby Dooby Doo" and I was on the floor laughing so hard. It completely brightened my day and I kept calling for a new song. As any 5-year-old would do, sometimes he'd sing it, sometimes not.

On my last trip to Connecticut I decided I would video tape him so I could watch it whenever I wanted. Of course I had to do it on his terms...in the living room with the fan. This was my very first video off my Canon 5D Mark II so it's a little rough...but it does the trick. I can now watch Scooby Dooby Doo whenever I want. I thought I'd share it with all of you so you could have a good laugh!