Blissphotography by Mishelle Lamarand

I'm moving...

2007-10-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I finally did it and made the move to Typepad. I just didn't want to take any chances with all the "inappropriate" blogs on Blogger. My new home is

http://www.blissphotobymishelle.typepad.com

Please bookmark my new address. I'll keep this one up for awhile, but will not be adding any new posts. See you on the other side!

Mitchell

2007-10-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

It's a sneak peak into a session I had yesterday with my friend Jessica and her beautiful family. We had absolutley perfect weather, and Mitchell was so much fun in front of the camera, and warmed up instantly. He was a little leaf eating machine, too. Gotta love it. We got so many great shots, I'd love to add them all. But I guess this is supposed to be a sneak peak,ha! Jessica and Kyle, thanks so much for such a great session, it was fun!

No words tonight...

2007-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Just Jillian in her halloween costume!

Lesson three

2007-10-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

So on to lesson three... food. Our assignment this week was to be any food item, cropped and/or showing a different perspective. In typical Halloween fashion, I grabbed the first food item I could find in the house...chocolate!I don't know why I had such a hard time with this week's assigment, I'm the first to admit I have "too much tilt syndrome", and thought it would be a breeze, ha! So an hour and 2 glasses of wine later, I was able to come up with my shots.I've been struggling this week. Must be Libby taking my creativity with her. I hope not, but the chocolate sure was yummy when I was done.

Here's the first - shot with my 50mm 1.4, at f/2.0 1/4096 (my 40D has some crazy shutterspeeds)The second - switched to the 17-55 2.8, (I feel so trapped in my 1.4 lately) shot at f/5.6, 1/512 +2 exp. comp. I actually like the colors in this one.And finally - again with my 2.8 for a more wide-angle shot, at f/4.6, 1/790. I like this one, too, just not all the deck stuff in the background, hence the crop.

the definition of sweet

2007-10-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Cary and Jamie, here's a little peek just for you. What a pleasure it was spending time with you and your sweet, sweet little guy, Jonah. Did I mention I want to kiss those little cheeks as I'm proofing his pictures? And Presley - need I say more? You and your family are truly blessed. Isn't parenthood amazing... Welcome home, and I can't wait to see you in Atlanta!

Hot mamas

2007-10-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peek into a session that I did earlier this week for my friend Jessica, for her website. {see post below} . We had a great time!

Lesson two

2007-10-08T08:44:00.001-07:00

lesson two...finding the light. Natural light, ambient light, all kinds of light in your home. I searched high and low for the best light at home. The office and upstairs bedroom were too dark, bathroom was too green, and Jillian's room cast a red tint to everything. Upstairs master bedroom was, well too cluttered. So I tried the open door trick and...voila! Beautiful natural light, and a georgous green backdrop. I am in love with the catchlights I got from using this technique, too. Of course, the trickiest part was trying to stop Jillian from crawling out of the front door!In the first pic, the frontal light was more indirect, coming from a southeastern sky. It was 10am and the sun was still in the Eastern sky, and over the house.Camera was set to AWB, and the early sun is nice and soft, not too flattening. I set to Av mode and a small aperature of f/3.2 since I wasn't going for a lot of depth. Amber's exactly right, a Southern sky casts more golden tones. It was right around 5pm and the sun was just starting to peek through the porch. Same lens, focal length 44mm. This time I set at manual mode, f/2.8. I changed my shutter speed to 1/256 to draw in more light for their faces. It worked. Oh, and a thanks to Aunt Jess, my baby sis :)

Keith and Shannon

2007-10-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

Oooh...a sneek peek at my session with Keith and Shannon. They were the sweetest young couple and are planning a summer wedding. We had a really great time at the Henry Ford Estate, despite the hot, hot weather. Isn't she adorable?

It's here...

2007-10-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

My new camera arrived yesterday. After much research, I went with the Canon 40D and a new 17-50 2.8 wide-angle lens. These were the first couple pics to come out of the camera. I'm in luv and can't wait to get to know my new friend better!
If you're wondering what my beautiful subject is, it's a sling that was made for Jillian and I by my friend, Jessica of HeartStringSlings . Thank you, Jessica!

Oh, come on...what would a new post be without some crazy cute shots of Jillian? Ok, so here ya go!

Morning light

2007-09-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

We love to play on the deck in the morning, after breakfast. The morning sun is incredible, and won't be around much longer as winter is sneaking up on us...These pics reminded me of "Here comes the Sun" by the Beatles, one of my favorites. I always sang it to Jillian while she was in my belly, and still do. She smiles every time.

I feel like I've loved these two my entire life.

Lesson One

2007-09-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm deep into lesson one with Amber Ludlow. This week is all about my basics... ISO, shutterspeed and aperature. And finally, we get some sunshine here in Michigan, so I can get going on this week's assignment! I really wanted to have good natural light, and it was almost dark when I got home from work, arrrgh. I thought about pulling out my seamless white backdrop, and I may still do so...stay tuned

Finally, done...doesn't call for a drumroll, that's for sure. So the assignment was one subject, (not a person) different settings. These were shot in Manual Mode (yay for me!) with my 50 mm 1.4 lens. Yeah, I know, I'm so fantastically creative. Bottles of wine. It's been a long week. And yes, I cracked one open when I was done!

I've been {tagged}

2007-09-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Tesa, a friend I met at ILP. Go check out her blog at http://tjleeder.blogspot.com/. Doesn't her georgous images make you antsy for fall?

Anyways, being tagged means that I have to come up with 8 things about me, and then "tag" 8 more friends to do the same. So here goes...

1. I'm a car girl. I grew up around classic cars, was helping my dad when I was three years old, and go figure, I've settled in the Motor City with a man who also loves classic cars. I can name about 99% of cars and give you their make, model and year. I'm a car nerd! And as of yesterday, I'm the proud owner of a 1967 Mustang Coupe in Wimbledon White. A 35th birthday present from my amazing hubby. I'm in love!

2. My daughter's middle name is "Cruz" and it means Cross in Spanish. I fought tooth and nail for that name, and if we had a boy it would have been his first name.

3. I have 3 tatoos. A butterfly, a flower, and an Om.

4. I'm 35 years old and I still get laugh-attacks. You know, the ones you used to get when you were 7 years old and almost pee your pants? Yeah, those. All the time. Especially with my family.

5. I lived in Panama, Central America when I was 8-12 years old. I've seen poverty like we'll never see here in the United States. I had a taxi driver who drove me to elementary school everyday. We had a live-in maid, and my mom didn't speak a lick of Spanish. My sister was born there. Noriega was in power. What an amazing experience.

6. I'm gearing up for my first photography class in 15 years. And boy do I need it. Remember, before digital? Nothing like processing film in a 6x6 closet! I'm not sure why I waited sooo long!?

7. I'm horrible at remembering names. Really bad. That's not good considering my "real" job is in sales!

8. Running out of interesting things about me... ok, I LOVE the color grey. I know, strange color to love, but I do.

Ok, now the fun part, I get to tag 8 more friends. So here goes... Tagging...

1. Nicole Fields http://www.nicolefieldsphotography.com/blog/
2. Meegan Littlefield http://meeganlittlefield.blogspot.com/
3. Tagging my idol, Erin Drallos
http://www.footprintsphotography.blogspot.com/
4. Amber Ludlow flickr.com/photos/8645758@N06/530998101
5. Sarah Quiara http://roxyandkaiphotography.blogspot.com/
6. Chris from ILP http://www.justusplainandsimple.blogspot.com/
7. AmberJo from ILPhttp://amberjohanson.blogspot.com/
and finally...
8. Nicholette! http://onedayatatime365.blogspot.com/

Thanks guys, have fun :)

Libby & Jillian

2007-09-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

Just a couple pics from this afternoon. What a couple of cutie patooties!

2007-09-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I found out that starting on the 24th of this month, I'll be working under an amazing photographer in the industry...Amber Ludlow! I'm excited and nervous all wrapped up into one, and thrilled that she's including me in her next class, "Photographing the Everyday". I haven't had a photography class in 15+years! After searching high and low, and weighing my options, I knew that I wanted to start out with a mentorship-like setting with a well-established photographer vs. taking a generic class online or at a college. Amber has amazing vision through her work. More importantly, we share similar philosophies... "There have been so many times in my life where I wish that I could freeze time. Whether it was a vacation that I was really enjoying, or the first time we brought Jackson home from the hospital. In a sense with my camera I am allowed to do just that. I can freeze a single moment in time. Wow, what a powerful concept that is! There are many big events in our lives that we want to remember, like past Holidays or sending your first child off to kindergarten. But the in between moments are what makes our lives ours. Those moments are what I set out to capture. Those moments tell our story"

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Thanks Amber, and I can't wait to get started!

Uncle J

2007-09-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

My baby brother's home from Atlanta for the first time in 4 months. These two were inseperable. We all miss him so much, and can't wait 'til Turkey day!

Alicia and the lollipop

2007-09-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

A few shots from an impromptu session with my neice. Had to try the lollipop thing.

Jason & Sara

2007-09-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

How lucky am I to have these guys as my muse? Yep. This is my very best friend, Sara and her hubby Jason. Two of my favorite people in the whole world. What a fantastic time we had! Jason was a trooper, and Sara is the location queen, having picked out all the right places for us. They were so much fun, touching, goofy and spontaneous all wrapped up into one. No wonder they've been happily married for 6 years, and have 2 beautiful children, to boot. See their munchkins in post below titled "Picture Day". You guys rock! I am forever grateful, and can't wait for the next time with the whole family. These were a few of my favorites.

Just Jillian

2007-09-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite backdrops is this great little cabin in the park by our house. I've shot here before, and I keep going back to it. Ms.Jillian is fascinated with the bricks. Here's a few shots.

Jillyface

2007-09-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

So sweet, so sweet. And she got het first tooth today! Taking advantage of the back yard while the weather's still nice and sunny. Her Nuby makes a cute prop, nice color on camera. Who knew.

Home Sweet Home

2007-09-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Whew! We're back from a long weekend "up North". By the way, if you haven't been "up North" in Michigan, you're simply missing out. It's a refreshing change of pace this time of year. This was also our very first vacation together as a family. We had a blast! We bounced around from Houghton Lake to Ludington and a couple places in between. Lake Michigan is as beautiful as ever, and I haven't been over there in awhile *sniff*.

So we're home...check my e-mail...to my surprise, a message from Erin Drallos - an inspiring local photographer. Her link would be the one titled "my all time favorite". I was floored and flattered that she took the time to contact me and offer some encouraging words. Her work is amazing. Also, some encouraging words from Meegan Littlefield, another inspiring photographer whose work I just adore. Just what I needed after a long weekend.

Ok, so of course, we took a billion pictures. We had a chance to catch a sunset, have a picnic, and dig our little toes in the shores of Lake Michigan. We had a great time, but there's no place like home!

Overwhelmed...again.

2007-08-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, once again, feeling a little (ok, a lot) overwhelmed with this whole process, and I need to share. Sometimes, I just want to pack my bags and run away!

This seems to happen every time I stumble upon an amazing photographer's blog and/or website. Ahem...http://maplethree.blogspot.com/ Yep. That's the one. Amazing. Brilliant. Inspiring. Anyways, what am I doing here? I have so much to learn! Ok, taking a deep breath...better. And thank God I went to Yoga tonight.

Switching gears, I saw a great quote today. It goes something like this...

"If you live to be a hundred years old, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I will never have to live without you" By none other than Winnie the Pooh. This is how it translated for me...
I immediately thought of Jillian. I definitley feel this way about her. Oh, and Sara called this morning. "Stop making me cry with your darn photography!"

Braedyn and Kobyn

2007-08-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today I had my first official "unofficial" photo session with my best friend Sara and her boys. It was a great learning lesson - they move fast, and getting them next to eachother was nearly impossible! We went to a park in A2 and had a really great time. I'm so lucky to have a best friend like her, she went all out for "picture day" and is always my biggest fan. She's comissioned me on a couple of projects, I'll be busy for awhile! Here's a few of my favorites from my first photo session (with someone else's kids!)

Oh, Ms. Jillian

2007-08-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

How were we be blessed with such a sweet little girl? She's so much fun in front of the glass, even for daddy. Here's a couple of shots from a walk in the park today.

Flower Fun

2007-08-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Who knew a white flower would be so much fun? I took these tonight before dinner, and J and I had so much fun shooting with this white flower from Grandma's house. I can't forget to get it back to her! I couldn't pick a favorite, so I'll post a bunch.

Bliss

2007-08-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

I need to decide on a name... to use my name or not, that is the question. May be a good thing or a bad thing here in Taylor, hmmm.
And of course, a cute pic of Jillian. We all went to a wedding tonight. Daddy dressed her while I got ready, too. I love this shot, she was cracking up at Jeff. This picture sort of got my wheels turning, she looks so blissful! By the way, we had a great time, and she was such an angel.

Light

2007-08-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

I've been working with different types of light and trying to figure it out. Hmmm. Pretty pics, though. Still a little dark and not quite as sharp. Oh, and a new lens :) Canon 50mm 1.8 prime. Nice pics so far. Also, a cute pic of another special girl in my life, Libby.

First official blog and pics

2007-08-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

So, I'm just getting into this whole blogging thing...

I've been focusing on taking better shots and doing less editing. Jillian and Libby are my favorite subjects so far. Libby photographs perfect every time because of her contrast. And it's been tough getting Jillian to smile. The only thing that seems to do the trick is to sing her the WonderPets song. She is truly nuts over those guys. She's been great over the past couple of weeks with a camera in her face. I think she sees her own reflection in the glass, and it intrigues her.

I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with this entire process. I can't stop thinking about the possibilities, and I want to be really good at what I do. I am truly inspired by some of the photographers I've seen out there. Their work is amazing and it moves me. There are shots i see and I actually have to catch my breath. I will take shots like that someday, I'm sure I will. But for now, I'll practice and gear up for some photography classes. I haven't decided if I want to do it online or in person. My schedule at work is pretty hectic right now.

It's late, an I should climb into bed now. So I'll leave you with this pic I took of Jillian today on our walk...I wonder what's going on in that sweet little head of hers...goodnight.

The sky

2007-08-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

I took a couple pictures of Jillian at the park today.I love the way the sun catches her face and how you can see the sky in her eyes.

Inspiration

2007-08-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi there,and welcome to my photography blog. I started this blog so that I could share my journey with you.

Where do I start? Motherhood has changed me in so many ways. Inside and out, it's been an amazing year. Shortly after I had Jillian in December, I quickly remmbered how much I loved photography as I took picture after picture trying to hold onto each and every little moment, smile and milestone she reached. I was in awe how quickly she changed form day to day. As I snapped away, the wheels started turning, as they say. I started to wonder if I could turn my love of photography into something more, something that I would always have, and something that would let me give back to my friends, family and those around me. So... I took a deep breath and brought my ideas to Jeff. It's true, he never ceases to amaze me. The encouragement and support I got from him was the extra push I needed to set things in motion. I've been searching for a creative outlet for a long time. To some of you this may be a surprise, but to those of you who know me well, it is not.

My plan is to become a photographer. I'd like to be an "on-location" photographer, going wherever it is that my client is comfortable. I want to focus mainly on children and families and the connections they have with each other. I want my images to move you and tug at your heart when you look at them. I want my images to say who your child is, not just what they look like. I want to capture kids and families in their own environments where they are most comfortable and free to be themselves whether it be at home, a park, the beach, wherever. As a mother, I know how quickly babies and children change. Children grow, memories fade, but a photograph preserves them forever.

So, I won't be quitting my corporate job, have a studio or do weddings. I'll stay close to home, right here in Taylor. I want to take my time with this, and do things right. Over the next year, I'll be getting some technical training, working on a portfolio, and getting a lot of practice! I plan to have my website up and running by Spring 2008 with galleries of my work, and seamless online proofing and ordering. In the meantime, I'll share my journey here, post some of my work as I learn, and may need to borrow your kids from time to time!

Again, this wouldn't be possible without the support of my amazing husband, loving family and faithful friends...and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.