Janece and Greg met us last Saturday afternoon for an engagement session, they will be exchanging vows in about a month and a half. Greg is a Redskins fan as well as a collegiate referee, and Janece is in Sports Medicine, their paths crossed on the field one day and the relationship built from there. They’re quite a cute couple as you’ll see in the photos as well as their personalities if you know them. We had fun at the Arboretum with the happy couple as we tored around all of the neat little nooks and crannies of the place…

A hidden vantage point…

Is that aGQ model there? Greg looking handsome as ever, gazing at his future bride…

We’ll post more from this session later…

Sean and Kim are the cutest couple, fun, silly, and goofy all in one. They really enjoyed themselves as we walked around downtown taking advantage of some cool architectural elements and an enthusiastic couple. You’d never know it from these shots, but it was 97 degrees out in downtown with no breeze, humid as van be (isn’t it always in the valley here). We all had fun and we can’t wait till September for the wedding at the Maridor on Grandin Road.

Look at how cute they are!

Sean’s Grandfather worked for the Railroad, so we thought we’d incorporate that into some shots…

This is the sweetest shot! That grin he has is so sincere and loving…

The sunsnuck into this one (in the middle of a series) and warmed things up quite a bit, a happy accident but we love this shot!

The couple loves black and white photography, so I formulated a special conversion to have a very film-like look…

At the end of the session, this is one of my favorites!

Feel free to leave feedback for us, and you can always email me to book your session anytime.

-Michael

I was asked to photograph the dress rehearsal for a local dancer performing with Divine Dance Center. I arrived with gear in hand (and on shoulder) to a darkened theater with Moms and friends scattered about. Finding a place in the middle of the theater in a position that wouldn’t be in the way of others I setup with a good zoom lens for low-light conditions, cranked up the ISO and settled in with a sports-oriented mindset (look for the action, shoot like mad, repeat…). What I found was that this was going to be a deeper experience than that, the motion, grace, form, and emotion of the dancers poured out onto the stage. I was spellbound, capturing images at a relaxed pace, concentrating on shapes and movements and beauty. What a surprise! Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had respect for dancers, but my enthusiasm for this art form took me by storm…

A very talented group of people, my hat is off to you!

We will be photographing Kim and Sean’s wedding this September at the Maridor on Grandin Road. Kim and Sean are a really sweet couple who are both musicians (Kim’s band (Level 6) is playing First Friday’s in July, so come out and see them!) and have a real love for each other (you can see it in their eyes!) Lots of fun to work with, and the two of them are quite cute together! Well enough of that, here’s your teaser…

More to come in the next few days…

Michael

Billy, Sarah, Josh, and Jason (aka: The Wading Girl) played at 202 Market this past Friday, and boy did they play! Billy and Sarah put so much emotion and energy into their singing it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment with them. With Josh on the Banjo (and the Guiness) and Jason on drums they really rocked out down there on the market.

202

Josh, Billy, Sarah, and Jason

Sarah can really belt it out (her parents came to this show!)

Billy is such a crooner!

The dancefloor upstairs…

Well The Wading Girl is on a short tour right now, I’ll show you more of these cats when we get down to doing a proper photo shoot.

For anyone who has not been down there yet, it is a hip restaurant, nightclub, and live venue on the corner of Campbell and Market St. in downtown Roanoke. Cool lighting, great food, atmosphere, it all works together for a nice upscale feel.

Last night…