mila | family . goodmote

family photography keeps me on my toes.

• you can't always tell kids what to do or where to be ... so "posing" is out the door.  creative positioning is in.
• asking kids to smile can get you anything from the big cheesy grin to the unsure lopsided smirk.  finding that genuine laugh requires carefree fun, lots of energy and attentiveness on my part.  admittedly i can sometimes go trigger happy.  i don't care - judge me.  i call it finger exercise.  
• keeping parents from stressing about their kids is a biggie and is waaaaay key.  so i try keep the kids entertained while my mommy senses  (pushed to the max) tries to keep track of where they are and then my customer service demeanor is set to red alert to keep parental moods in check.
• timing is everything.  staying sensitive to everyone's moods, demeanor and limits is essential.  know when kids need a break or a diversion.  prepare everyone for the possibilities of pouts, tantrums or just exhaustion.  be ok with it and know when to call it a day.

i get a lesson EVERY time i shoot one of these.  so yeah... i'm not giving up family portraits anytime soon.  

here's some photos of a family that made my job incredibly easy.

mila | from right to left . getting married

it was finally time to change my name.  yep, we finally did it.  don't pout that you didn't get an invitation.  we actually weren't even gonna invite anybody but our siblings wouldn't leave us alone.  we didn't even tell anyone.

today, surrounded by our family, curtis and i moved our rings from our right hand to our left to symbolize the final step in our commitments to each other.  today i became michelle ford.  today, on our anniversary ... we got married.

oh and here's some amazing pictures of my lil family taken back in november by the awesome and new mommy to be jessica claire.  congratulations jess!

mila | giddy!

next week is wppi week.  i'll be in vegas for what is pretty much one of the largest photographer conventions annually.  SQUEAL!  it's my first year so i'm extra excited.  in '09 i was in the philippines and last year i was due to have kaya so while all my friends were busy tweeting about the fantabulous time they were having i was pacing at home eager to have a baby but pouting about missing out on all the fun.  to add salt to the wound my photographer friends from the philippines were also tweeting about being in vegas for it!  now it's my turn!  la-LAaaAA!!  i'm looking forward to meeting a bunch of fb friends, hearing some platform speakers and partying with my heels on!

some images i took at the last workshop with scott robert.  i think my craft is definitely evolving.

michelle | v-day

i actually don't celebrate valentine's day ... coz i usually celebrate my birthday and today i turn 38.  it's officially the 24 month countdown to 40.  how the hell did i get here?!  actually, single or not, you should celebrate v-day everyday.  love yourself!  and if i did celebrate ... this is what i would do.

what did YOU do for your valentine today?

 to view my portfolio just click on these links mila|weddings by michelle or mila|portraits by michelle. to book sessions please send me a message through milaPhotography.com or contact me via michelle@milaphotography.com | 949.734.0604