Michelle Posey Photo Blog: The Golden Hour

This one kind of slipped by me during this crazy busy summer. After Tiffany and Jacob’s wedding, we went back to Garvan Gardens for an after the wedding session. These are wonderful and sweet, and best of all, the groom gets to be part of the most beautiful portraits!

Some photographers call these Trash the Dress or Rock the Dress sessions. I usually just call them Day After sessions (unless the bride is just truly dying to “trash” her dress!)

On the Half Moon Bridge, Garvan Woodland Gardens.

In front of one of the waterfalls at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Under the waterfall at the new children's adventure garden at Garvan Woodland Gardens.

On one of the bridges at the children's adventure garden.

Last but not least, this is one of my enduring favorites from the day. I think because it looks like they barely realize I am there!

So much good stuff is happening all at once, I can barely keep up.

It was only days after being awarded Arkansas Wedding Photographer of the Year, that I got the email about being nominated for KATV’s A-List.

With so much else going on … it slipped from my attention for a while. But voting starts today!

Click on the badge above to vote, and thanks to everyone who has helped make this an exceptional year. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

"Knowledge in the Ruins," 2001.

Apparently, I know a lot of stuff about photography.

I began the certification process with the Professional Photographers of America in June. The process involves an exam and the submission of 20 images to a panel of judges.

The exam was in July. I started studying in June.

What I found was that college actually did teach me something. Working in the “real world” taught me even more. Quite a few questions that were on the exam made me think, “Well, this wasn’t in the book. But I know it.”

I was a little nervous, though. There are medium format questions on the test. Medium format is something I have very little experience with. Also, photographers who I consider to be really good told me they had taken the test two or even three times.

Yesterday, I found out I passed. Image judging is coming up on August 20th, so I could soon be a Certified Professional Photographer.

Recently, a photography forum I participate in had a discussion about stories. I have so many stories about photography, and how I got my start. But I found myself revisiting the very first time I knew photography was what I wanted to do:

I never wanted to be a photographer. I wanted to be a writer. I graduated with a degree in English, not wanting to teach, and started working for the local newspaper. I needed to sign up for journalism classes, so I signed up for photojournalism since it was the only night class that semester.

My first photo I shot for the newspaper was so awful they had to crop it to a mug shot, and even then it was barely usable. But then, I went to a house fire and shot a photo of the owner of the house being comforted by her neighbors. It won a state journalism award. I had been a photographer for six weeks.

What I saw, when that happened, is that photography was just not about pretty pictures. It was about stories, relationships, even society and how we come together to help or support each other. I realized I could tell stories so much better and more quickly with my camera. I was hooked.

Annie is one of my favorite babies to photograph. She is so cute and chubby! She also acts like a model … she already has all of these great poses and expressions.

We photographed her six months photos a couple of months ago. It’s already time to move on to the nine months photos  later this month, so I have to post these right now.

There’s a story behind Annie’s bunny. A few years ago, at Annie’s parents’ wedding, the bunny was used to decorate their car (It was Easter weekend). The bunny was attached to the car so it would be looking in at them through the opposite window, when they got in the car after the wedding. I have pictures of the giant bunny attached to the side of their car.

It seems like only a few weeks ago (it was actually February) when I held a tiny, sleeping Annie in my arms for a delightful hour at the Super Bowl watch party. One of the awesome things about my job is getting to follow people through the milestones of their lives. It’s so fun to see Annie grow up and learn things! It’s also great to know that her mom will have these memories of her sweet little girl as she grows up into a big girl.

I’m the kind of person who keeps meaning to participate in challenges of this sort. I always “fixin’ to” shoot a photo to fit the assignment. But this week one fell into my lap.

I was shooting Zach’s nine month photos, and the family has a new puppy. I was already using a shallow depth of field to keep the grass behind Zach out of focus, but having the focus be just on the puppy and Zach’s face really draws attention to his expression.

This photo is my submission to this week’s Pro Photo Business Forum Weekly Challenge.

It’s been a wild and wonderful week, with one huge highlight, which hopefully you have already guessed from the title of this post.

The Arkansas Professional Photographers Association (PPA) held its annual convention this week in downtown Little Rock. A highlight for me is the print competition. Even last year, when I didn’t win anything, I enjoyed listening to the judges. They are distinguished photographers from around the country, usually convention speakers as well, who are masters of their craft. I like hearing them talk about the merits (and shortfalls) of different prints. I just soak it all up.

Another highlight of this week was my three-year-old son attending soccer camp for the first time. That is where we were last night when all the other professional photographers were having their awards banquet.

Until this morning, I was going to blog about how excited I was that two of my prints from my trip to Africa a few years ago earned scores that gained them the title of “merit prints.”

This morning, I walked into the hotel to pick up my print case and saw the photographer who persuaded me to join PPA a year and a half ago. I asked him where I could pick up my print case and he turned to get it. Over his shoulder, he said, “Oh, you know you won Arkansas Wedding Photographer of the Year?”

Um. No. I didn’t.

I resisted the urge to hoot and holler and do a little dance. But I can’t resist any longer. Here’s my little dance, song, and the three prints whose combined scores earned me the title of 2010 Arkansas Wedding Photographer of the Year!

Abby at the Capital Hotel

Jacob and Tiffany at Garvan Woodland Gardens.

Rachel at Camp Mitchell, Petit Jean Mountain.