welcome to msp – the blog

NEW BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a new blog! Please check it out =)

http://michellesullivanphotography.com/blog/

And here is my new logo:

Tara-Louise + Brett :: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this post.  First and foremost it is about two amazing people who met and fell in love.  They were on vacation back in June and Brett decided to propose to Tara-Louise and this is the view from where he proposed:

They loved it so much in St. Thomas that they decided to come back and have their wedding here!

Tara-Louise is a violinist and she became friends with Danielle, another violinist, who’s wedding I did back in June.  They were both staying in New York for a good part of the summer and happened to meet.  Danielle had just gotten married and Tara-Louise had just gotten engaged.  Tara-Louise knew that she wanted her wedding to be in January so she had to start planning right away. She found her beautiful dress online:

And then Danielle told her about me.  I would have never dreamed that my very first destination wedding would be somewhere as awesome as St. Thomas so when I got an email from Tara-Louise asking if I’d be willing to come to St. Thomas for her wedding, I couldn’t even believe it!

Tara-Louise and Brett were so hospitable and kind – they treated us like family.  They made arrangements for us to stay in the same house that they stayed in when they were there back in June.  It is a wonderful place called Hawk’s View. The owners, Theresa and Ed were also so hospitable and accommodating, making sure that we had everything we needed and that we had a wonderful stay.  While we were there we found the entry that Brett left in the guest book. I love how it says ‘until we meet again’ =)

So this time, they decided to rent a different place with a private beach to have their wedding on.  The Beach House is so beautiful and serene.

Here is Tara-Loise getting ready:

The ceremony was simple and meaningful:

Married!

First we did some portraits on the beach:

Then we wanted to do some portraits at this abandoned house Eric and I had seen while driving to the wedding.  It did not disappoint.  It reminded me of the scene in Ever After with Drew Barrymore (Yes, I love Drew Barrymore movies!) when they went to a place that had trees and leaves growing inside of the abandoned castle or home.  It didn’t have a roof, so that let in some light but by the time we got there the sun was pretty much gone.  This place was incredible – wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had places like this in Orange County?

Then it was too dark to do any portraits w/o a flash and you know I’m not a fan of flash……so we headed back for dinner.

It was an intimate dinner with close friends and family. Brett’s brother gave the first toast:

Then after we left I took I picture of the tiny road you take to get to the Beach House and a jeep is pretty much a necessity =)

Thank you so much Tara-Louise and Brett for choosing me to document your wedding! It was an amazing experience!

Wedding Coordinator: Jen Hall

Florist: Ali Slimming from East End Flower Shop

newborn sneak peek

The Best of 2009 Winner!!!!!!!!

And the winner is #5!!!!! By one vote!!!!!

*Sorry to anyone who checked back yesterday to see who won.  I said I would announce the winner on Monday.  I had really good intentions, I just didn’t anticipate falling asleep at 9pm considering I normally go to bed around 1am….maybe that’s why I fell asleep at 9pm haha =)

Congratulations Martin Family!!!!!

Vern + James {Laguna Beach, CA} 12.31.2009

I couldn’t be happier for my friend Vern (Veronica) who married a great guy who is madly in love with her.  I am so grateful that I not only got to be a guest at their wedding, but I also got to be the photographer! It was a beautiful wedding and a super fun reception/NYE party.

Vern is so amazing and one of the things I love most about her is that she does what she likes. She loves the color chartreuse, so why not have a chartreuse dress?

This was the sneak peek from the other day, but I wanted to post it here again =)

the shoes:

Stephanie from The Prettiest Face was there and did an amazing job, and yes, she does airbrushing!

Vern MADE the flowers in her bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets out of paper – isn’t that cool?!?

Here are some fun details:

James is a dad to 3 fantastic, fun, and wonderful kids:

He had his 2 sons as his groomsmen:

His oldest son is non-stop entertainment =)

I have gotten to know his daughter because she and Daphne have become really good friends and I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am about that. I love this girl:

I have to say that Vern had the best wedding party I’ve ever seen.  She has some of the most amazing, fantastic, beautiful, hilarious women for friends:

Then, of course, some bride and groom portraits:

At the ceremony the kids were so cute.  There were a few tears shed:

First dance:

Then Vern’s brother’s band Echo Lush played:

Then the dj got everyone dancing

I love that Daphne was able to be there. These two had I don’t even know how many cups of coffee and danced until the dj stopped at 1:30am then they had a sleep over at our house and wanted to watch a movie when we got home! They are so much alike it’s crazy =)

Then there was Jenni.  Vern asked Jenni to be one of her bridesmaids, but Jenni was going to be in Hawaii with her family for New Years. So I did a photoshoot with Jenni and Vern before she left and Vern turned one of the images into a life size cardboard cutout of Jenni!

Here is a picture of Eric and I with ‘Jenni’ that my friend Juliana, from Hilmerson Photography, who assisted me, took:

Then James’ youngest fell asleep on the dance floor. so cute:

I am so happy for you guys! I love you!

xoxox

Vote for the best of 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was super-duper hard for me to narrow it down to 5, and it’s not just the image, but everything around it for me – the people in them, the moment, there’s just something about these images for me.

Please vote for your favorite by leaving a comment on this post – please only one vote per person =)

The owner of the image that gets the most votes will receive a free 8×10 print!!!!

I will announce the winner on Monday, January 4th

#1 (sibling):

I love this one because I love these girls, but I know I would love it even if they weren’t friends with my girls =)

#2 (mother and child):

I love this one because it wasn’t posed, it was just an awesome moment between a mom and her little guy

#3 (newborn):

I think I like this one because it was such hard work to get her to go to sleep. It was one of the hottest days of the year and we had to turn off the a/c and turn on the blow dryer and her parents were such good sports about it=)

#4 (portrait):

This was such an awesome portrait session because Danielle is so fun and relaxed and beautiful. We had to wait here for a long time for the wind to blow and I love the result

#5 (family):

I just love the feeling of this one.  By far my favorite family portrait of the year

and here’s a sneak peek from the awesome NYE wedding I shot yesterday (and yes, her dress was Chartreuse!!!!! so fun!)

OK, I lied

I said my last post would be the last of the year, but I got this Christmas bouquet from Trader Joe’s and I took some pics of it and I feel like posting it, so there =)

see you next year

This will be my last post of the year….unless I get carried away, but with the to-do list I have, I doubt that will happen =)

But come back shortly after the new year because I am going to have a post with my favorites from 2009 and if your image is one of the images, you can win an 8×10…..all you have to do is make sure your image gets the most votes =)

AND I have 2 weddings coming up – the first one on NYE – sooooo fun!!!!!

So, on to the pictures:

I know this awesome family because our oldest daughters are friends and go to school together.  They wanted to do a session with me to have a portrait for New Years cards.

Here are some favorites:

such a cutie:

beautiful:

baby makes 3 girls

I have 3 girls, so it’s always fun when someone else joins the club.  My dear friend brought her 3rd girl over to my place today for a photo shoot and she was as cute as can be and even gave us a smile:

holiday portraits 2009 {my favorites}

OK, I’ve kept these family portraits secret long enough…….right families? Sorry if you haven’t mailed your cards yet =)

I can’t even tell you how excited I was when this family showed up with a pair of deer in tow:

Then I love the moodiness of this portrait:

And I already posted a couple of images of little brother a couple weeks ago.  Here is his beautiful big sis:

Then these sweet sisters:

Then this family = Great style. Relaxed. My job made easy =)

6 months and a family session

I love this family! Besides being super friendly and genuinely nice, they have great style too!

Here are some favorites:

one year sneak peek

mini sessions day 2 & 3

Boy, have I been busy! I’ve slacked on blogging, but I’ve been hard at work with mini sessions and holiday card orders.  Here are a few of the shots I got that I can show you (I can’t wait till I can post some of the family shots!)

First off, the cutest head of hair (and face!):

Then, a family picture (sort of) – I know this isn’t going on the Christmas cards because they picked a different one =)

then a teeny tiny one:

and then I used this cute little guys picture to test out some of the new textures I bought today – the only thing I bought on black friday!

the first one on the left has no texture added:

mini sessions day 1

I’m not going to be doing many sneak peeks from the mini sessions because *I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again* I don’t want to ruin any holiday cards.

So in the attempt to not leave my blog neglected, I’ll share with you this guy, who is so gosh darn handsome, he should be a model…..oh wait – he already is!  You may recognize him from Gymboree or McDonalds, just to name two =)

he calls this next one blue steel =)

Oh, but wait! He may not end up being the only model in the family…..here’s his little sister:

adventures in mini sessions

I’m still sorting through the images from yesterdays mini sessions, but before I show any sneak peeks, I thought it would be fun to show you a picture of two guys who stole my sofa while I was about 100 feet away taking pictures.  I couldn’t see the sofa because of all the trees blocking my view, but I tried to peek at it everyone once in a while.  So after I just finished with this cute couple, they walked to their car and noticed these guys who took my sofa.  They came and told me and I found the guys trying to figure out how to get it in their car.  I told them it was mine and to put it back where they found it, and they did – yeah I’m small, but I can be tough, haha =)

Here they are doing as they were told:

introducing………..the blue velvet sofa (and a beautiful red head family)

I recently added this awesome sofa to my prop collection and it will be with me at the mini sessions coming up along with a bunch of other fun stuff I have up my sleeve =)

Which reminds me – I only have one spot left for mini sessions and after that the next available session is at the end of January!!!!!!!  That is crazy!

Now on to this adorable family. No more family shots on this blog for a while- I don’t want to ruin any Christmas cards =)

where the wild things are

P.S. Don’t worry mom and dad – there are plenty of cute family ones, but I need to stop posting family pics so I don’t ruin any holiday card surprises =)

plan b

This awesome family wanted their portraits taken at the Balboa Fun Zone, but when we got to Newport, the fog was crazy thick, so we had to come up with plan b.

So I suggested this place:

now that’s talent:

If I had a sister, I’d want a picture like this:

Thanks guys for being up for plan b =)

newborn sneak peek

extended family sneak peek

love {my job/new locations/this family}

OK, I’ve never shot at this place before so I got a little carried away with this post – there were just so many that I loved and I had to hold myself back because if I could have, I would have posted like 50 more =)

I love how you can see one of the boys playing in the background. He’s got his walkie talkie and he means business:

love love love this:

and this:

and this:

and I love this series:

boys: 3…..girls: 1

Check out this cute family.  The boys were so sweet with their baby sister:

and it was mom and dad’s anniversary!

sneak peek

Storyboards

A storyboard is a 10×20 print that is mounted on 3/4″ standout.  They are 100% customizable……..they usually come with a grouping of  three images, but I’m willing to try any combination =)  It’s superduper light weight and it comes ready to hang or stand.  Did you read that? No frame needed!!!

I ordered one for myself so I can have a sample for my clients and I love it!!!!  I think I’ll need to order another one so this one can stay in my house and not be lugged around in my car =)

the standout mounting:

Here are a couple more ideas:

If you are a past client and want one of these babies designed for you, email me and I’ll see if I still have your files =)

senior portraits

Isn’t she cute?!?!? Well you can forget about asking her to babysit, because she’s taken =)

sneak peek

Here’s a sneak peek for the mom and dad of these two cute brothers:

and what’s a MSP shoot with kids w/o a shot like this:

fun zone

I got to take some portraits for our good friends last night at the Balboa Fun Zone:

these guys think they are so tough….but I know the truth – they are sweethearts! I love these boys:

then some of just mom and dad:

be still my heart

I love this little series:

sneak peek

happy anniversay!!!!!

Here is a sneak peek for this cute family of 3 – mom and dad are celebrating 5 years!

(I’m loving this wall!)

Check out his little smile! Too cute:

Thanks guys and happy anniversary!!!!!!!

Kalani + Dan @ The George Key Ranch

Kalani wore her mothers wedding sari

gorgeous:

here’s Dan waiting to see Kalani:

I think he likes what he sees =)

they had old wedding pictures of their families displayed, so I thought this might be fun:

one more for good measure….

sneak peek

Here is a sneak peek of the Sri Lankan + American wedding I shot this weekend:

baby makes 3

Baby makes 3 for this family and for me – this was the 3rd newborn shoot for me within the last 2 weeks and I have more scheduled! Check out this little one – she isn’t even due yet! She was 4 weeks early and a sweet as can be.  Here she is on a family heirloom:

she even gave us a few smiles:

here is her proud daddy:

and her beautiful mommy:

the newborn armshelf

I think it just runs in the family. Here is his mom and dad before he was born:

and here he is now (I swear he did this on his own):

isn’t he the sweetest?

ready. set. go.

This weekend was officially the start of my super busy holiday season. I only have a few regular sessions left for the month of October and then in November I am only doing mini-sessions, and then I won’t be scheduling any appointments in December unless it is for a newborn session.  So if you want to make an appointment, you should asap before I am all booked up =) This weekend was the international street fair in old town orange, so I did two shoots in old town tustin instead. First was this sweet family:

And then this sweet one year old:

we have a winner for the free mini-session!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! And thank you for all your kind comments – you guys are the best!

I used random.org and the result was #17 by Karisa:

17. Wow-Great pictures! I’ve never seen anything like this before!!! You are so wonderfully talented; Great job!!

Comment by Karisa — August 28, 2009

Congratulations Karisa! Contact me so we can set up the day and time of your free mini-session!

Hot. But worth it.

One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is going into peoples homes and spending time with them (and believe me, it takes a looong time to get a newborn to go to sleep – I think they know I’m coming and want to stay awake for their close up, haha ) even when it’s the hottest day of the year and I have to torture them by asking them to turn off the a/c and turn on a blow dryer so we can get a shot like this:

Yes, we were all dripping with sweat when I left, but it was fun!  Thanks guys =)

2nd shooting rocks!

One of my photography mentor/friends, Gregg Shaw asked me to second shoot a wedding with him this last weekend and here are some shots I got:

2009 Holiday Greeting Cards!!!!!!! Plus My Very First Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am having my very first giveaway!!!!!!!!  I can see how many blog views I get everyday and it’s a lot, but no one ever leaves comments.  Not that I need reassurance, well OK, I do =)  So, this is how it is going to work…leave a comment on this post and on Monday, August 31st I will choose at random and announce a winner!!!! The winner will receive a free holiday mini session that comes with either a cd, or a set of 25 greeting cards!!!!!! Who could pass that up?!?!?

Here are the samples of the 2009 holiday greeting cards I will have.

There are 5 templates with 2 color versions each.

The fonts and the greetings are customizable.

Set One:

Set Two:

Set Three:

Set Four – brought back from 2008 by popular demand =)

Set Five:

Extended Family Sneak Peek