For the Love of Pictures: Photography 101 Workshop!

About 6 weeks ago I hosted my very first photography workshop! I was so excited to combine my teaching experience and love of photography! (I was a middle school teacher before having my children =) I had 7 wonderful ladies attend the 3 hour workshop. We spent the first 2 hours learning the basic concepts of photography (ISO, Aperture & Shutter Speed) and the basic setting on our DSLR cameras. The last hour was spent outside practicing our new skills! The packets of information they all received and were able to take home =) Workshop review, model release and gift card that were also in the workshop folders. Figuring out those cameras!!! Learning and taking notes. Our outside photoshoot. Can you tell is was cold?! The ladies did a wonderful job and left with a wealth of new photography information and were only a little bit overwhelmed ;) A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who attended and gave me some wonderful feedback. Because of this I have been inspired to create a Photoshop 101 workshop for them this fall! In addition to that I will be hosting another Photography 101 workshop (hopefully in June) as well as a "How to Take a Better Photo" workshop for those just looking to improve the picture taking skills regardless of what type of camera they have. This will be offered this May!!! I'm so happy and blessed to share all this wonderful photography knowledge with some amazing people! Thanks again and if you're living in SW Oklahoma and are interested in attending any of these 3 upcoming workshops please let me know!

For The Love Of Pictures Photography 101 Workshop

I am SO incredibly excited to announce that I will be conducting my very first Photography workshop!

My years as a teacher are combining with my love of photography into

For The Love Of Pictures Photography 101 Workshop

(Click on the Image to see it larger!)

The workshop is going to be amazing!

Please contact me (michelletravisphotography@yahoo.com) if you're interested in attending. Space is limited. You will be sent more information regarding the class (location, what to bring, etc) once you have registered and paid =)

Thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this new photography endeavor!

Dream Big Workshop Part 2- All In The Details

Wow, it's taken me a while to get back to the recaps from the amazing I Heart Faces Dream Big Workshop in Dallas. I already did a review on the entire workshop and preview the different customized photo shoots we had. In Part 2 it "All In The Details!"

Angie and Amy put together an adorable stylized bithday party for us to shoot. Before the little girls came we had the chance to take pictures of all the little items and details of the party. It's not something I've done before so I found it a bit challenging at first. After a while I started getting into it and I think I got some really nice shots!


Here are my favorites:






The cupcakes!









Invitation, cards and accessories.




Flowers!


The goodie bags.




Tablescape fun!




A beautiful party dress!


The best part is that I've since started paying better attention to all the 'little details' when shooting different events (including my sister-in-laws baby shower and my daughters upcoming 3rd birthday!)

Finding My Holiday Joy!

I recently signed up for another one of Kelly Willette's Finding The Joy classes. This one is finding your holiday joy! Woo Hoo!



She is posting different "assignments" for each of the 25 days until Christmas in order to inspire us to have a wonderful holiday season and of course, take wonderful photos of the entire process!



I can't wait to share our wonderful holiday images so please check back soon for not only Christmas pics in beautiful but freezing Oklahoma, I also have 5 new posts in the works for recent photo sessions and the 2 amazing workshops I've been able to attend in November!!!

Working Vacation

Hey everyone! I'm still on vacation in Phoenix, having a great time! But of course it isn't all a relaxing vacation....I've done 2 beautiful sessions and on Friday I'll get the chance to attend another photography workshop! (I know....I still have tons of pics to share from Dallas.) But I was finally able to confirm my reservation for the Val Westover "Capturing True Emotion" workshop. Here is some info on it from their website:

Beginners and experienced photographers welcome!

Spend some time with award winning professional photographers Val Westover and Stephanie Adriana and learn how to take control of your camera/photography. This workshop is perfect for those who want to gain a strong understanding of their camera.

This workshop includes:
1. Four intense hours of learning
2. Easy to understand step-by-step instructions
3. Basic photography principles
4. How to use all of settings on your camera
5. How to photograph like a pro
6. Artistic photographic theory

By the time you are finished with our workshop you will amaze everyone with your ability to take breathtaking images and your camera will now be an extension of your artistry!

This workshop will address:
1. Essentials - Preparing for success
2. ISO - Controlling the image sensor
3. Aperture - Controlling light and depth of field
4. Shutter Speed - Controlling light and movement
5. Relationship - Combining Aperture and Shutter Speed
6. Lighting - The creation of a photograph
7. Metering - Measuring light for the correct exposure
8. Composition - Arranging the elements of a photograph
9. Completion - Start photographing like a pro

Each attendee receives:
A four hour workshop teaching you how to use and understand all the settings on your camera with Val Westover's book titled A Photographers Guide to Success: How to shoot like a pro. This is a comprehensive workbook filled with tips and practice exercises.
Then after the 4-hour "classroom" part we have a break and then a 2 hour photo "safari!"
I'm looking forward to it! Lots to post when I get back!

Dream Big Workshop - Part 1

I think I've officially recovered from the amazing I Heart Faces Dream Big Workshop last weekend in Dallas. The workshop was on Friday from 8:30am-7pm! It was a fun and jam-packed day of photography! I have so much to share that I'll be dividing up the workshop into a few different posts.

I was honored to have the opportunity to attend the Advanced photographers workshop with 11 other ladies, 4 of the I Heart Faces contributors (Dana, Michelle, Jessica and Rachel) and of course, Amy and Angie, the co-founders! We had an amazing time and I LOVED getting to meet each and every one of these lovely ladies.

We started off the day with brunch and the wonderful, Rachel Durik teaching us about lighting. We even had the opportunity to play with some off camera, studio lights! It was a lot to take in, but I'll definitely be looking into what will work for me in what I want to accomplish with my photography, personal style and of course, budget! =)

Angie and Amy had some really cute props for us to use while we played with the lights and backdrop. Get your own props and other printables at Amy's shop: Printables by Amy.

Here are some favorites:

Angie and Amy!

A great group of ladies!

Me and Michelle Johnson.

My dreams! (Hopefully, the Air Force will move us to Colorado one day!)

Thanks to Rachel for those images!

We also went outside to work with the lighting. We did a lot of talking about sunflare too!

Amy being our model ;)

Later we had a chance to talk "business" with Angie and Amy. They had some really great ideas and things we all have to think about. That conversation definitely got me and a lot of the ladies thinking and possibly changing things about our business. (Is that a teaser or what!)

Then we were able to have a nice lunch while having our own personal shopping session with Bill & Angela from Arlington Camera! A bought a bunch of goodies including a new camera strap from Mod, a 5-in-1 reflector along with a reflector stand and holding arm. I really wanted a Speedlight and a new camera bag but my budget wouldn't allow it.....yet!

During our lunch & shopping break we also had a nice surprise, a massage!!! Oh, it was much needed!

Someone (Rachel maybe) got a picture of me enjoying the massage ;)

After lunch we Rachel taught us about her work flow in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS5. I consider myself quite proficient in PSE, so it was great to see the differences in CS5 and most of all Lightroom! I've used the trial version before and liked it, but wasn't sure exactly what it could do for me. Having Rachel and Jessica Paige there (Um, hello...One Willow Presets!) was great and they have inspired me to go out and get LR3!

After that we headed outside for portfolio building photo shoots!!!!

I have so many pictures from the 3 shoots that I have to divide them up into separate posts. But here is a sneak peek:

All In The Details.

Adorable Stylized Birthday Party.

Gorgeous 'vintage style' Couple.

It was an amazing, tiring and inspirational day. I can't thank Amy, Angie and all the ladies enough for teaching and inspiring me to be the best photographer I can be! I highly recommend everyone to try and attend the Dream Big Workshop next year!

Thanks for stopping by and please come back to see more from the Workshop and my photography adventures!

Long Delay & Off To Dallas!

Hey everyone! Sorry for such a delay in posts. I even had to skip a few of my favorites blog hops and challenges this weekend because we were ALL sick! Some how my 2 children and I ALL got sick (all something different no less) this weekend while my husband was out of town. UGH! It was terrible!
But thankfully, my hubby is back, my daughter and I are fully recovered but my son, poor guy, is still suffering from a fever and some kind of throat infection. =(

I am working hard on another family session and I even had the opportunity to photography my first sports team! It was a lot of fun and took me back to my coaching days! =)

But the biggest excitement is that I'm leaving tomorrow for DALLAS and the DREAM BIG WORKSHOP!!!! All the ladies that are attending have been getting in contact over the last day or so and we can't even say how excited we all are to have this day of fun and photography on Friday!

I promise to take lots of notes and no doubt TONS of pictures and share it all with you when I return!

But if I could ask for 1 favor, please say a little prayer that my son has a full recovery by tomorrow so I'm not constantly worried about him this weekend, and for a safe drive for myself and all those traveling to Dallas!

Talk to y'all again soon!

~Michelle~

Workshops!!!

I am SO excited! Wait, let me say that again....

I AM SO EXCITED about the photography workshops that I will be attending in November!!!

First and foremost.....
I'm thrilled to say that I'll be one of only 12 ladies who are attending the 'Dream Big' Advanced Photography Workshop in Dallas. This workshop is sponsored by I Heart Faces. The two lovely co-founders, Angie and Amy are the hosts of this one-day, 10 hour class!

Here is the official link.

But here's a brief overview of what we will cover:

~Ideas for Posing clients and interesting "detail" shots.
~Natural Lighting techniques
~Off Camera Flash (I need help with this!)
~Basic Studio Lighting (ooh, yes. This will be interesting too!)

~Photoshop and Lightroom tricks!
~Optimizing images for the web and prints
~Work flow ideas
~Creating slide shows

~Business marketing ideas
~Legal "stuff"
~Blogging (woot, woot!)
~Balancing family and 'work'


Oooh, and the "extras":

~Portfolio building (adult and child) photo shoots!!!!
~Time to ask questions (this is priceless!)
~HUGE goodie bag! (Oh my I'm so excited!)
~More doorprizes =)
~Discount shopping trip at Arlington Camera. (are you kidding me?!)
~Food. (Hello, a bunch of ladies....we need to eat!)

I can't wait to go. My hubby and kids will be going to Dallas with me so not only will I have an amazing day of Photography fun. The rest of the weekend is a family vacation!

Then a few weeks later, I'll be at a different workshop in Phoenix, AZ. To be honest, I'm not quite as excited for this one (as it's much less personal) but hey, a day full of photography is good enough for me! I'll be attending the Val Westover Photography Clinic. It's a 2-part session, with the morning be a classroom-learning type thing. Mostly photography basics....it's always good to get a refresher. Then in the afternoon we get to have a 2-hour photo session. I'm not sure of all the details on this one yet. But being back "home" it should be a great time!

I can't wait to tell you all about these 2 amazing days of PHOTOGRAPHY!