Photography by Michael Sink

New Year’s Eve fun!!

2011-12-16T07:23:00.001-05:00

Come down to the studio New Year’s Eve for a free mini-session to get a Facebook Profile Pic!!

Geneva’s gift…

2011-11-30T18:56:00.001-05:00

(are you ladies listening? Gift ideas follow…)

Geneva wanted to do something very special for her boyfriend, so she contacted us about doing a calendar shoot. we sat down and brainstormed some ideas for the session and we put our heads together to find all the props and the locations and the wardrobe. This was going to be a birthday present that her boyfriend would not soon forget…

Tasteful images both in the studio and on location along with some very thoughtful props combined to make a spectacular calendar that John will cherish for a long time.

these are the 12 months from the calendar just as they were printed. Had to keep my mouth shut for a while as John’s birthday wasn’t for a few months from the shoot, but I asked Geneva to let me know what he thought of it when he finally got it, and she wrote this…

I can't thank you enough for the wonderful Birthday gift that you gave John. I got a picture of him with his eyes popping out of his head as he took a glance at the picture on the cover. It was so great, He didn't even know they were my boobs!!! :) His first question was, "who's boobs are those?, they are AWESOME!!!" My response, "Mine Duh" He loved the calendar and thought every picture was super sexy and tasteful!!! you and Angel did an amazing job, you can go ahead and post all pictures. I think they are all appropriate.

Thanks again! Can't wait to do it again!!

-Geneva”

maybe I get that picture that she mentioned and posted here as well one day!

Kelly and Aaron’s wedding!

2011-11-30T18:41:00.002-05:00

Kelly and Aaron got married at her parents home in Troutville, Virginia. The wedding was in the middle of June, typically the most beautiful time of year for weddings. Having the wedding outside always introduces a bit of nervousness in brides, this day was no different. They were calling for thunderstorms that afternoon right around the time of the wedding, and everyone kept the bride from finding this out, their was a media blackout for the bride! As the storm rolled in her mother and sister and all her bridesmaids sequestered her to the master bedroom with the blinds closed some music on and lots of good cheer. I cannot say enough about what these girls did for Kelly, she had no idea the downpour that was going on!

We got some extra time during the day to photograph the flowers and the rings as we waited on the rain to pass…

what an absolutely beautiful bride (some of you may remember her from this post http://www.michaelsinkphotography.blogspot.com/2011/08/kellys-bridal-session.html ) along with mom this is the team of girls that helped make Kelly’s wedding day so special (well Aaron helped as well, but these ladies were there to make sure Kelly had nothing to worry about)
stunning isn't she…and what a handsome fellow this guy is…as usual the guys had a good time and worried about nothing, cause that’s how we roll…after a short delay, and the rain cleared family and friends helped dry off all the chairs and we got things underway. This is the first time Aaron has seen his bride on this day what a beautiful smile!the storm created soft light for the whole wedding ceremony, and some absolutely unbelievable skies!I think it may have been impossible to take a bad picture of these two!at the rehearsal during the first dance the happiness poured out of them like the rain had from the clouds earlier…it is looks like these that you cherish forever, the love in both of their eyes is undeniable…and a beautiful and tasty cake…
we had an amazing time with two amazing families and tons of friends!

( to see their engagement session click here http://www.michaelsinkphotography.blogspot.com/2011/02/kelly-aaron-e-session.html )

Miguel Angel

2011-11-30T17:56:00.001-05:00

do you see that? Up there in the title. This little guy was named after Angel and I, how cool is that? Okay, so maybe his father’s name, and his grandfather’s name had something to do with. But that won’t keep us from claiming that he was named after his favorite photographers.

We had Miguel and his mommy in the studio the same day as Brendan (Kelly and Miguel had been here before to do maternity pictures a few months back), we had so much fun photographing this little guy, we kept trying to get him to disclose his eyes for a little bit so that we could get some traditional newborn pics. But he was way too interested in what was going on around him, we were all trying to be so quiet to get him to lull into sleep but he would have no part of that!

So after a while we figured out that he may need a little more noise than we typically create so we put an iPod on the stereo and pretty soon he fell right asleep. We learn something every time we do one of these shoots!

Mommies love these little detail shots, their babies don’t stay so small forever!

Don’t forget to contact us for your maternity and newborn session, we have a package deal if you do them both! Be sure to plan on your maternity session during your eighth month, and the babies newborn session within their first two weeks!

So much catching up to do...

2011-11-10T10:47:00.000-05:00

So much catching up to do!

We are having a Facebook Friends Portrait Party this

Saturday the 12th! from 3pm - 7pm

$20 for an 8x10 print and a digital image on Facebook!

Facebook Portrait Party

email here to register

and a little slideshow to tide you over to the next image post!

Elizabeth and Dustin E-Session

2011-10-12T07:28:00.002-04:00

I headed up to Roanoke College with Elizabeth and Dusty for their "get to know you session", Angel couldn't make it this day so we went ahead without her and had a blast. We roamed around the Roanoke College campus and found some beautiful spots to shoot at and generally had a good time, while getting to know these two and sharing a few laughs. They'll be getting married this Saturday in Salem with the reception at The Inn at Burwell Place.

Such a cute couple…

Elizabeth will make a stunning bride…

And Dusty will make a handsome groom…
Since Angel couldn’t make the first session we headed out again a little later and short a short session with them before having dinner just to get to know everyone a little better…Abbey Road?..

Brendan's newborn session

2011-09-08T20:25:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of having two newborns in our studio in the same day. Brendan was first in the studio and we had such a good time with this little fella. With a full head of hair and a pleasant demeanor Brendan was a great little guy to have in the studio. We started by warming the studio up so that he'd be comfortable, got all the lights set up and the props and then brought him in to a set that had been heated with a heating blanket as well.

Angel had a great time playing with him and posing him in the cutest ways...
Brendan looked so adorable snuggled up with the white fur,so angelic… Such tiny little parts we couldn't help but capture them beautifully… Mom and dad sat close by during the whole session, enjoying watching us work with little Brendan, before too long we asked them to join us to make some touching images of the three of them…

We can’t wait to work with the three of them again soon as Brendan reached three months, then six, and so on…

Lindsay & Cary’s Engagement Session

2011-08-20T18:11:00.001-04:00

Lindsay met us at Karolina & Chris’ wedding, she and Cary got a first-hand look at how we work on the wedding day. During the reception they introduced themselves and inquired about our availability for the following year, I told them we were available on that day and that we should meet to discuss everything. We met a few weeks later over coffee and had a blast getting to know on another and talking about their big day! We met for their Engagement shoot (get to know you session) at a neighbor’s farm for a little horseback shoot…

We headed into the woods and found a great fallen tree, all mossy like and had to stop for a quick shoot there…

At the bottom of the trail we had these crazy kids climbing on rocks in the middle of the river for some lovey-dovey fun!A super cute sequence!Horseback? Oh yeah, She’s got skills! Romantic? you bet!I love this candid moment…Next we got some sun-kissed goodness in the field…Add a giant strobe and you get this… (CD cover anyone? They rocked this photoshoot!) We can’t wait for the wedding day!A blingety-ring! (Nice job Cary!)So relaxed and natural, they are truly in love!Hang this one on the wall guys!

Kate’s Fashion Bridals

2011-08-19T06:48:00.001-04:00

Kate had worked with us a few years ago through Metropolished a local modeling agency. We loved working with Kate! She is so confident and beautiful, we wanted to work with her again. Like so many of our clients we formed a friendship with Kate and kept in touch through the years. After getting married on the other end of the state Kate asked us if we would do Fashion Bridals for her…

Fashion Bridals are otherwise known as “Trash the Dress” sessions! We immediately jumped at this and we all brainstormed some neat ideas and locations. Now, you may be wondering how fashion bridals are any different from regular bridals, I mean, we don’t really trash the dress do we?

No! We just take a different direction than your typical bridal session, a little more edgy, the dress my get dirty (not trashed!), but you get to wear what is probably the most expensive, detailed, elegant dress you’ll ever own more than once! And you’ll get some stunning images to show off forever!

We started off with some natural-light images to warm up a bit, Kate took the role of Super-model and ran with it!Kate had such a beautiful gown! We sat her here on the old stairs and wrapped her up mermaid style so you could see the beading/embroidery on the back…What a gorgeous smile!See, I told you the back was beautiful!The sun cooperated to give us an awesome sunset, and some great clouds!Grunge and glamour combine for Fashion Bridals…Had to get the shoes, I just had to…Clouds, thank you so much for your appearance!Kate, thank you for “bringing it!” You are a Super-Duper Model!

Veronica college graduation…

2011-08-19T06:26:00.001-04:00

Veronica contacted us to do graduation portraits for her when she graduated from college in the spring, she had discussed going to the studio and doing some images in her gown in front of a backdrop. After consulting briefly we both came to the conclusion that we could give her something much more interesting that would mean so much more…

Attending Mary Baldwin College through the Higher Ed center downtown we knew we had to showcase this remarkable building in some of the images so we met in front of the building when it would be lit just right by the sun…

And of course we had to have a little fun!

We almost always bring a studio strobe with us, this allows us to control more of the scene and the light to flatter you in every image…Then it was back to the studio for some more traditional graduation images……and more fun of course! (please let me pass, please let me pass!)Veronica rocked her shoot in Superstar fashion!

Kelly’s Bridal Session

2011-08-18T18:36:00.002-04:00

Kelly and Aaron were married in June and we snuck in a last minute bridal session just a couple of weeks before her big day. We had worked with Kelly before during her Engagement session (get to know you session around here!) and we knew she was not only gorgeous, but capable of some pretty, elegant looks, as well as some more sultry, vogue-ish ones! We headed up to the site of the wedding to capture these at 3pm in June (from a photography standpoint it couldn’t have been worse, hot, sun almost directly overhead, hardly a breeze, but Kelly rocked in true super-model fashion!)
see, I told you she was gorgeous! Then we opted for a little more drama and got this……I pushed it a step further in the digital darkroom later and… still beautiful and super-edgy!Elegant, beautiful, with eyes that draw you right in…A little more traditional now with the bouquet and a smile…The reception was being held at the barn so we made sure to utilize it in a couple…Even with the mid-summer sun beating down Kelly helped us nail this awesome image toward the end of the session…So fun, such a good sport to play with us in the heat, this might be one of my favorites from the session! That dress came from hereWe couldn’t pass up these french doors… Thanks Kelly for being so super-modelly!
Angel popped in for a test shot while helping Kelly keep cool, two smashing women in one image!

Many thanks again!

2011-08-18T18:16:00.001-04:00

This is why we do what we do, the long hours, heavy gear, hours in front of the computer, etc. I get these notes and phone calls and facebook posts and I sometimes get teared up to think that people care so much about their photographers. We form a bond with our clients through time and genuine interest in their lives and dreams. We’re there for them on the wedding day when things may not be perfect to mend a dress, tie a tie, or sometimes rescue the day in ways you’ll never know with a thoughtful conversation or a selfless action. That’s what we do though, we build relationships that last…

Thank you so much to all the brides, grooms seniors, families, mommies, dads, to everyone we’ve worked with to share your lives with us, we feel very blessed!

These are just a few notes that I set aside from last fall and came across as I was cleaning up my desk…

I hope that we’ll see you all at our Grand Opening at the studio this fall, stay tuned for more information.

Kelly’s maternity session…

2011-08-18T18:07:00.001-04:00

Kelly was so excited to get her maternity session done while carrying her first child. We photographed her boudoir session last year and couldn't wait to work with her again! As with most of our clients we tend to form a friendship and Kelly was sure to let us know as soon as she found out she was pregnant so we could all plan to make some amazing images that convey the beauty of motherhood and the softness of this special time...

Miguel came in for a few frames to share this wonderful moment with us…

Stay tuned for the newborn session!

New stuff!

2011-07-28T15:03:00.001-04:00

We are still alive and kicking! Just a small update here (no images yet!) on what we've been up to!

We are having an unbelievable summer, we are busier than we've ever been with a wide variety of work. Headshots, Book cover portraits, Newborns, Maternity, Engagement, Bridals, Weddings, you name it!

With all of that going on (and more) we haven't had a chance to blog any on here (I know it's bad, but the customers come first!), if you take a look at facebook (become a fan by "Like"-ing our page on there to stay up to date!) we will usually post some teasers on there for clients before they see the full set of images.

I got some film for my medium format Yashica LM44 that I'll get to play with here soon!

From Photography by Michael Sink

Stay tuned!

Wedding Wire Rated again!

2011-06-27T16:18:00.000-04:00

Our awesome newlyweds have given us reviews on Wedding Wire again! Sign up if you're planning your wedding and see who we recommend to work with as well as our reviews!

Coming Soon!

2011-05-31T21:11:00.002-04:00

Our Annual sessions with Divine Dance Studio in Roanoke have wrapped up and their post will be coming soon!

Christina helped me with this teaser image!

Stay tuned for more!

Grand Opening coming soon!

2011-04-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

  I am working on the finishing touches of our revamped website and will launch that here soon, sorry for the lack of updates but the re-design of the main website has bogged me down (I've learned a lot though!)

  We will also be hosting a Grand Opening event for our studio space very soon, details will follow!

  Fan us on Facebook to keep up with the latest promotions and news, just click the link to the right!

Easter Special!

2011-03-15T09:32:00.000-04:00

We are having an Easter Eggstravaganza! Well, maybe it's not so much an eggstravaganza but a great portrait special anyway!

$55 for the session and 3 sheets of prints! What a steal!

April 9th and 10th only!

Easter Portrait Special! Call 540-871-4035 or 540-904-4980 with your preferred time and date and leave a message to book your session, or email me at info@michaelsinkphotography.com.

Book early to lock in your time!

Liane & Jimmy’s Wedding

2011-02-14T07:27:00.001-05:00

Liane and Jimmy were married at Mariner’s Landing at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia. Kerry Keeney was there to coordinate and did a marvelous job keeping everything running smoothly.

We started the day with the bride and her family in a beautiful suite overlooking the water. We got some shots of the dress before borrowing the rings and bouquet for a little close up action.

Gorgeous light fell on Liane here as she touched up her makeup before putting the dress on… Mom was there to help with the dress… Beautiful right? A quiet moment of reflection as everything comes together… Mom and Liane’s Maid of Honor helped cinch up the dress and make everything perfect… Reminiscent of a papparazzi shot of a movie star or rock star Liane loves this image, something about capturing the essence of that moment before the ceremony…

Jimmy and the guys waited as the rest of the bridal party entered, I have a series when Jimmy first sees Liane coming down the aisle and his “allergies started acting up”! It was a very sweet moment as he wiped a couple of tears from his eye. Liane’s Dad gives her a kiss as he gives her away… A stunning location for a beautiful ceremony with a great couple… Exiting it’s all smiles… The formals looked great on the dock overlooking the Lake… During the reception we stole the bride and groom away for a little quieter more intimate shoot with the two of them… A sandy beach, beautiful day, stunning couple what more could I ask for?

Liane and Jimmy, thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us!

Kelly & Aaron E-Session

2011-02-03T07:07:00.001-05:00

Kelly and Aaron are an adorable couple that will be getting married this summer at a farm in the countryside. They started as high school sweethearts and are now embarking on a new life together! We hiked up to the falls at Roaring Run to get some smashing Getting Acquainted images for these two.

From the top…We couldn’t help but grab a few images of Kelly’s beauty solo in this warm autumn light…Just a cute, relaxed couple, we can’t ask for any more, they were truly naturals in front of the camera!Aaron is such a handsome guy, and a genuine smile to beet, you could see how happy they were together all through the session!Walking down a path together in many ways…WOW! Kelly turn down the heat!Is it just me, or are you drawn straight to the eyes here?Kelly and Aaron, thanks for being so great to work with! We can’t wait for bridals and the wedding day!

Thanks a million!

2011-02-02T07:28:00.000-05:00

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Photography by Michael Sink stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Photography by Michael Sink for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Photography by Michael Sink is among the very best Photography within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/michael-sink-photography-roanoke/e81139f1ebc556cb.html

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Sara & Mikel Engagement

2011-01-13T07:11:00.001-05:00

Back at the end of Summer we met up with Sara & Mikel for their engagement shoot, they love the outdoors so we did the shoot at a small park in Roanoke County.

Our couples always ask “what should we wear?” to which we reply to wear something you’re comfortable in, that makes you feel good, and make sure that you match each other. No, no, no, not in a creepy “we are wearing matching sailor outfits” kinda way but in a “we both are dressed for night on the town” way, or “we’re headed out for a hike” kinda way… Sara and Mikel nailed it, both wearing casual but cute looks that could have come from a catalog shoot.

…with his awesome hat and relaxed smile, Mikel rocked this shoot.

Such a fun, laid back couple we couldn’t wait for the wedding day!

I love this, the way they’re looking at each other, the warm sun behind them lighting up the meadow…

There is a natural calm when they’re together…

Sara, Hollywood is calling, they need Jodie Foster back! I noticed it this day, but their wedding day she really was channeling Jodie! Check out the dimples, how cute!

See, relaxed comes right through the camera into the image…

So Happy!

Adorable, both of ya!

Rules were meant to be broken, even though, I love this image!

Stay tuned for the wedding images soon!

Boudoir

2011-01-12T07:22:00.003-05:00

Sexy, sophisticated, tasteful, beautiful, sultry, sensual
Every man thinks of these terms when describing the one they love. Unfortunately, most women aren't able to see themselves this way. We want to help you unveil your beauty by bringing out the most sexy part of you... your CONFIDENCE.

Let us match up your inner confidence and your outer most beauty with your first boudoir session. We will start with some fashion oriented images to help you get comfortable and natural for the camera. Then, we will direct you through some poses that will have you and your man doing a double-take. As a husband and wife team we have a balanced approach to your poses and expressions that add up to a great session!
Lastly, we'll help you select the perfect images for a private album for your partner to give as a special anniversary, valentine, or wedding day gift. Not only will you have these images for a lifetime, you will also gain a sexiness and confidence that will outlast your photo session and carry into your relationship.
Book your session now!!
Contact us at info@michaelsinkphotography.com
MaDonna and Kelly chose to book their sessions together, as best friends they had already been to get their nails done together, and decided to make it a girls day out…

This was their “tough girls” image!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T12:55:00.001-05:00

To all of our clients and family and friends, thank you so much for an awesome 2010 and let’s look forward to an unbelievable 2011!!

Wow, I already feel ahead of the game with this blog post to ring in the New Year coming in 20 days earlier than last years! As I was reflecting on last year I thought about my 101 in 1001 list that I made, (you know 101 things to do in 1001 days) and was feeling pretty bad that I hadn’t accomplished many of them… but upon closer inspection I found that I had started many more than I remembered and that I completed a few that I hadn’t even thought about!

Now, this isn’t some major-hanging-over-my-head to do list, just a list of goals to accomplish, they will change over time, evolve, grow and drop by the wayside, it is just a fun way to motivate myself for things I need to. Like the Polar Bear Plunge, jumping into freezing cold water to ring in the New Year, well, does it really hafta be New Years Day? Complete decorating the house, build a wall, paint different parts, just a chore list for me, but they’re pretty big things here…

On the completed end of the list…

make jerky again! yes, it was quite tasty!
subscribe to MAKE magazine, an easy one, but it ties in with completing 6 projects from MAKE!
Compete in a USPSA shoot with the glock, I didn’t come in last!! It was great fun and I’ll do it again this year!
Get an iPhone, we needed a better way to show off our portfolio wherever we were and keep up with emails and business. We got Android based phones (which fit who we are much better!) and a great plan to boot!
Learn more Spanish! ongoing, but I try to pick up a little here and there!
Join VPPA Virginia Professional Photographers Association, a great investment, monthly meetings, a great peer group, it’s awesome!

Started these, sometimes you’ve gotta recognize the small victories…

Viking photo shoot, scheduling issues kept this at bay in 2010, but I’ll get all the ducks in a row soon for this one!
I’m in the process of redesigning the website now, it’s not like new wallpaper and drapes kinda redesign, it’s more like tear out the foundation and start all over!
Decreasing electrical consumption has not been easy but we’re still trying!
I have not painted any of the exterior of the house but I did get the repair done that I needed to before starting to paint!
Recognizing the seasons, I made a point to stop and reflect at each of the major holidays and look at that time more in depth…

Ongoing from the list!

Love Life! Yes, everyday!
Continue to improve! Always striving!
Empower women through boudoir shoots (see my next post for more on this!)
Relax! yes!

Have a great New Year everyone!

Maternity

2010-12-20T07:21:00.001-05:00

Motherhood is such a beautiful time in a woman's life, bringing a new soul into the world, a growing family... We love to capture this moment at it's peak, around 8 months or so. Stephanie came to the studio to start her shoot with her husband with some classic maternity images…Anthony stepped in and lent a masculine contrast to the images……working with these two was easy, loving looks and embraces were the order of the day.This one has a real ethereal feel to it……and some dramatic lighting here to accent Stephanie’s pregnant form…A little belly dance attire for fun!One of our favorites….After the studio Stephanie wanted to head down to the river for some magical images…

Molly’s Senior Shoot…

2010-11-11T06:54:00.001-05:00

Molly is a freshman at Radford now, but she contacted us before her Senior year to do Senior Portraits with us, you know the cool ones, not the stuffy studio drape shots you get from the schools. On location, great lighting, edgy looks, grungy locations (or beautiful natural settings like these!). Molly had interned with us on a couple of shoots after we came to her school to discuss our craft with the Photography I and II students, lugging gear and helping setup lights, so when her shoot came around she knew what to expect.

We headed to a favorite location for the late summer sunset and started with some natural light shots to loosen up a little bit…

These stairs provided great contrast to Molly’s red hair, and some fabulous light!Soft setting sunlight…Beautiful! A little light from a strobe, a little light from the sun, perfection!Molly rocked every part of the session, like a model!Rich B/W tones have a timeless quality…

I couldn’t have asked for anything better!Work it Molly! What a beautiful smile!Windblown hair, great location, stunning girl, jean ad anyone? Abercrombie will be calling any day now I know it…Awesome…

Molly has another session coming soon, we just have to arrange schedules!

Thanksgiving...

2010-10-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

  Turkey, pilgrims, a cornucopia... ?

  No, although it is just around the corner, this is about real thanks...

  Today you see is my half birthday! Well, not my birthday, but my other half's birthday, my soulmate, my puzzle piece, my fuzzy spoon (ask if you want, it's a long story!).

  Today a few years (!) ago my Angel was born, a few years later we met and fell in love, puppy love, schmoopy, PDA-filled 14 year old love. A few years later we found each other again and we have been together ever since! We have been together longer than we have not!

  This is what a dear friend and bride had to say after her honeymoon last week...

Michael,
  Jimmy & I left the real world so quickly on Sunday that this is the first time I have had to send you a quick email to thank you and Angel. I am beyond impressed with your professionalism, teamwork and shared vision. I have watched you and Angel grow from that first wedding...at Coda (I think)...to the amazing "performance" at my wedding. You are both so talented and have an awesome gift...you really are soulmates!!

  I am truly blessed to have you as my friends and I am so thrilled that you took my photos. My family LOVED you two and I have nothing left to say but, thank you and I am on pins and needles to see the pictures!

Liane
(aww... thanks Liane!!)

And to my AWESOME wife

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Angela & Nathan, the Wedding…

2010-10-06T07:04:00.001-04:00

We are always excited about weddings, it’s a fun day full of emotions, from love to laughter. With a cool couple like Angela and Nathan, and a great supporting cast like Tripp and their friends and family, it makes it an even better day! Angela and Nathan got married at the Historic Fincastle Wedding Chapel right next to the Kyle house. What a beautiful chapel, stained glass windows, a bell-tower, situated in downtown Fincastle!

Angela got ready in the Kyle House with plenty of help from friends and family…

The light in the Kyle House is just so yummy! The men were handsome as ever in front of this rustic cabin… a proud father escorts his daughter to the chapel… Nathan was so happy to see his bride! Tripp waited patiently on the altar… Tripp helped light the unity candle, what a beautiful gesture… But the wax was hot! ;-) Don’t worry, Tripp was fine! Angela and Nathan had planned for a little time after the ceremony before the reception for a photo session… Rock stars?!? you bet, these two rocked it! Then off to the reception for Bubblecakes! The bouquet toss and garter!A quick session on the stairs… stunning yes? The big exit! We had a lot of fun that day, I’m sure we’ll see them soon for portraits, coffee, you name it! Thanks for sharing that beautiful day guys!

Angela and Nathan (and Tripp too!!)

2010-09-20T06:29:00.001-04:00

Angela, Nathan and Tripp met us for coffee one evening with Angela's parents and we sat down to discuss their upcoming wedding. Angela was very enthusiastic about her wedding, her eyes seemed to light up whenever she mentioned any of the details. Nathan was engaged as well and had several good questions for us (most grooms seem to be going along with whatever at this point!), you could see how in love they were as the meeting went on you would catch the glances that they gave the other while they were talking that they thought no one else saw, it was incredibly sweet!

The whole time Tripp was sitting there (he is 4 or 5...) bored to tears, but being quite a little gentleman, very respectful, just a good little boy. Fast forward a few months...

So we discussed doing their engagement shoot Downtown at a few different locations and Tripp came along for the whole 2 hours ordeal... and he was great! We talked as we moved from location to location and got to know the three of them. Tripp may act shy if you meet him, but he'll open up quick when you show just a little interest. Well, enough of my gabbing, let's see the images!

Just a leisurely stroll in Downtown Roanoke...

So in love… Boys will be boys… Tripp has some serious muscles, wanna see? Tripp is a sweet kid, it really shows here… Shall we dance? A fun one just for Tripp… Playing hide and seek, I think Tripp has a slight advantage here… Such a great looking couple together or individually… as well as a super-fun family!We had a great time hanging out with you guys!

Keep an eye out for the Wedding images soon!

A great year!

2010-09-19T12:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone we've worked with this year, we have been having a blast on photoshoots and at weddings!

This blog may seem... well... no one really wants to say it...

umm...

err...

~~dead...~~

No, no, no, it's not dead! Long live the blog! We have just been really busy with client meetings, phone meetings, shoots, weddings, etc. I don't see this letting up any time soon either (well maybe in December!) I have plenty to blog about...

An awesome Wedding in July with Angela & Nathan! as well as their engagement session!

More boudoir images!

A super maternity session with Stephanie!

A newborn session with Cora (Stephanie's daughter!)

An awesome Senior session with Molly!

We'll be shooting quite a few E-Sessions in the next few weeks, some portraits, and some personal work in addition to the weddings over the next couple of months!

I have started a "gear" blog as well, people ask all the time, what camera should I get, what do you use for this, etc. Well now I will have a repository for that info as well, look here http://msphotogear.blogspot.com/

More coming this week...

Photovision...

2010-08-19T16:07:00.003-04:00

This is primarily a post for up and coming or aspiring photographers...

I have quite a large collection of books on posing, lighting, Photoshop, etc. and they have all been instrumental in my development as a photographer. I have to say that seeing things unfold in real time is a big boost to putting everything together.

A couple of years ago I discovered the PhotoVision line of DVD and started a subscription to their semi-monthly DVDs. Wow! Basically you get about 2 hours of video every month (or-so) that is the next best thing to hanging out with a pro shooter! From shooting to studio setup ideas, to sales, to post production you get a taste of it all! There was even a cool series where they went on a wedding shoot with the uber-talented Parker Pfister and then followed him back to the studio for images selection and fine-tuning!

A great DVD series from a talented group of people!

You can get a deal here http://fansof.photovisionvideo.com/Michael/026955

Divine Dance Studio…

2010-07-31T15:16:00.001-04:00

Here locally we are lucky to have such a talented group of teachers and dancers located at the studio over on Brambleton Ave. at Divine Dance Studio. Amazing, amazing dancers who work hard, have a lot of heart and are great kids!

This year Riley contacted us to shoot the studio portraits of all of their groups (48 that we photographed) as well as individuals for those who scheduled a time during the week leading up to Recital. We met with Riley and discussed how everything should work, how to make it flow better and when everything would take place.

We got everything setup and waited for our first dancer to arrive, we joke around some with them to loosen up a little and then get down to helping find a few poses that worked out well for them in that particular costume and the magic started happening. A collaboration between dancer and photographer took place that showed off their capabilities and beauty in a still image…

Ballet… Christina rocked her sessions! Little bears! Dancers from all time periods! Adorable little kitties!

Attitude, they has it! Sisters!

Dorothy showed up! Attitude, oh yeah! See, I told you! So graceful… Talented… you remember Jessi right? Starr was able to hold some amazing poses way longer than should be humanly possible!

Someone mentioned working with little ones was like herding cats, well here is a well-behaved bunch of kittens! Divine + Attitude = Hip-Hop! Annie! Broadway here they come!

Rodeo! A big group that would NOT fit on the backdrop! An amazing dance, beautiful but sad… The Wizard of Oz, so cute! Coffee Break! I’m totally not a tap dance fan, but when the kids performed this routine to the White Stripes song Seven Nation Army I got a little emotional… Awesome routine, great make-up!

The staff at Divine (from left to right) Elyse, Riley, Sammi, and Tamarah!

Thanks for having me!!

Here was the setup! AB800 in a 30x60 softbox for main, AB800 with a grid for hair, and ABR800 with umbrella for fill!

Prom 2010

2010-07-24T14:31:00.001-04:00

Our Godson Erin and his friends were headed to prom and gave us a call to ask if we could do a few pictures for him and a few friends before they headed out to dinner. We gathered up some gear from the office and looked around outside and settled on a corner of our neighbors backyard…

Erin played the guinea pig for me with a test shot, and obviously he approves! ;-)

Jackie stepped in for some cute images of the two of them…

Very Mr. and Mrs. Smithe here

Stunning, great smile, beautiful girl… Jackie tellin’ Erin like it is!! A dashing young man… Adorable… Cute smile, confident… A quite handsome fella… A little fun… The whole gang, this one’s for the parents… And these two are for the kids, very rockstar don’t you think? Working it, the coolest kids at prom!

Thanks for having some fun with this guys, we had a blast!

Kara (boudoir, fashion bridals…)

2010-07-15T07:25:00.003-04:00

Kara replied to a casting call that I posted on a modeling site regarding boudoir images…

We have found that every woman we have ever photographed (brides, maternity, seniors, family portraits, etc.) is VERY self-critical before and during the beginning of the shoot, but by the end of the shoot they always feel better about themselves, seeing themselves in a new light (no pun intended!), to see this transformation is amazing, the posture is a little better when they leave, a little smile stays on their lips, an air of confidence surrounds them.

We are adding boudoir sessions because we feel it will be a great gift for brides to give to their fiancé as a pre-wedding gift the day of the wedding, or for an anniversary, birthday, and so on. Imagine the look on his face when he sees these tasteful images of you, a very special gift for him merely hours before he takes your hand in marriage. Now imagine how good you’ll feel having been posed professionally and images captured with dramatic lighting that feel like they could be an ad in Vogue or Elle…

We met Kara and discussed what we would like to get for our portfolio and she for hers, where the locations were, what clothing to bring etc. This pre-meeting also gave us a chance to get to know each other a little bit, joke around, and loosen up a week or so before the shoot. To make things a little smoother we started the shoot with a sun-dress outdoors downtown…

Kara braved the bugs and heat with us to capture some fun images…

Now, a little more sultry, turn up the heat a little…

Pow! There we go, that all comes together for a pretty smashing series!

Next we wanted some images in a wedding dress that we picked up a while back. To shoot some ~~Trash the Dress~~ Fashion Bridal images, so we stayed downtown, reset lights while Kara changed (in our pop-up changing booth) and she helped us create these images…

This one was just begging for some sepia…

Flirty fun in front of the municipal building…

Ummm… WOW! Kara pulled all the stops for this sultry look…

So, these are NOT your mother’s bridal are they? We thought not! The dress is barely dirty but you get some great images in it that you probably won’t get on your wedding day…

I love the blue sky in these as well as Kara’s beauty…

This has a bit of a grungy dirty feel to it…

After that great warm-up we headed to some space that I have available to shoot the boudoir images. I had previously set everything up to save time and get right down to shooting…

A simple white shirt, some great lighting, we’re off to a great start… Some bedroom eyes, a black and white treatment, wouldn’t your man love to have images like this of you?.. …shirt off the shoulder, flirty smile, direct eye contact… did she catch the scent of your cologne on the shirt to trigger memories? More direct, fun, sassy… Wow! Well Hello, Kara! A very simple yet high impact pose here… Kara had asked if we could get some shots that showcased her tattoo (that she designed) so we started with an image that shows off the design but also has a soft feel to it… Then we got a little more dramatic with the lighting and brought out the tattoo more… and finally a less direct gaze and a wonderful set of images!

Thanks Kara! We still plan on a trip to see you and shoot some more soon!

What do you say Ladies? Are you ready to feel great about yourself? Celebrate your upcoming wedding? Your anniversary? Give your man the perfect gift? Want to celebrate a milestone in your life? Let us know, we can meet and discuss your session!

A great site...

2010-07-13T19:52:00.002-04:00

I have been following this photographer's blog for about a year now and have found some great tips there, he's got a newsletter now with even more info, signup here...

I'll have a boudoir post up soon, so keep an eye out!

Wedding Wire Press Release!

2010-07-07T11:05:00.001-04:00

Thanks everyone! Review us here if you haven't already, thanks!!

Photography by Michael Sink is now WeddingWire Rated for 2010 Roanoke, VA - 07/07/2010 - WeddingWire, the nation's leading site for wedding reviews, just announced that Photography by Michael Sink is WeddingWire Rated 2010 for Photography. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program for wedding professionals based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews. WeddingWire Rated, the industry's first formalized review program, is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to locate wedding businesses. The award program recognizes wedding professionals across the country, like Photography by Michael Sink, that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service. Photography by Michael Sink has 4 reviews on WeddingWire. These reviews have been written by past clients of Photography by Michael Sink, and include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions of the newlyweds' experience. From quality of service to overall level of professionalism, these reviews showcase the high level of service newly engaged couples can expect from Photography by Michael Sink. "We are excited to unveil WeddingWire Rated, now in its fourth year, as a way to recognize wedding professionals for their commitment to service," said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire's CEO. "WeddingWire Rated allows wedding businesses to clearly differentiate themselves in their market, while providing engaged couples an easy way to find the best services for their wedding." Photography by Michael Sink would like to thank their past clients for sharing reviews of their weddings on WeddingWire. Reviews for Photography by Michael Sink can be found across the entire WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. For more information, please visit Photography by Michael Sink on WeddingWire at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/michael-sink-photography-roanoke/e81139f1ebc556cb.html. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 100,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com, ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands).

Jessi…

2010-06-27T10:59:00.002-04:00

This post is about more than just images, this is about collaboration with an unbelievable artist. It’s about a long relationship with a sweet beautiful girl and watching her development in dance and in life. Jessi is an amazing dancer and makes my life as a photographer easy… no, really. Jessi is so aware of the graceful lines she forms as a dancer and of her expressions it’s like working with a professional model or actress, and she’s a sweetheart!

After seeing Jessi dance at her recital a few years ago I was floored (by the whole recital) these kids were pouring their hearts and emotions into dance and sharing it with the world, I teared up a few times during the recital (I’m a big softie!). We asked Jessi (and her parents) if she’d like to help us make some unique images in some out of the way locations. Stark contrast of beautiful dance dresses and costumes in the woods or grungy areas, sounds like a good idea… It was a great idea!

We started with Jessi at sunrise (in the middle of the summer, that’s really early) and a bit cool, but Jessi was a trooper…

After our sunrise fun, we warmed up a little in the car and headed to the woods for more ballet themed images…

These images are from a while ago and we contacted Jessi to go out again… These are more senior portrait-like, but have a dance feel to some…

piercing eyes…

love the contrast of the red, and Jessi’s fierceness

breaking loose… loved the grungy wall… my favorite!

After seeing our work with Jessi (and the website), Divine Dance Studio contacted us to do portraits for their annual recital as well as group shots of all the dancers, this is for a later blog post, but I’ll share a few of Jessi’s here…

such elegance and grace and attitude to spare!

We’ve already discussed another session when her dance schedule and our shoot schedules slow down, I’m sure it will be amazing!

Whew!

2010-05-21T08:26:00.001-04:00

Alright, so a bunch of shoots back to back (almost) and a trip to the beach and I’m just now getting caught back up from the beginning of the month! Well, keep an eye out for another dancer shoot coming (thanks Jessi!), a boudoir shoot (thanks Kara!), a senior shoot as well as Prom (thanks Erin!). I’ll work on getting these up soon!

What? You didn’t know we did boudoir? Well, there is a big gallery on the site… …no wait, there’s not a gallery, well not yet, we are doing some free boudoir shoots through the summer in hopes of launching boudoir in late summer, maybe early fall. Do you want to feel good about how you look, empower yourself as a woman, embrace who you are?? Let me know, we’re still looking for help in this area.

Until later,

Michael

Something different…

2010-05-01T08:40:00.002-04:00

I am a people photographer, interacting with people, bringing out their personality in the photo, coaxing out another personality they want in the photo, it’s half of the fun. Oftentimes people walk away from a photoshoot feeling better than when they arrived, more confident, sexier, their head held a little higher maybe…

I know a lot of photographers who are great at their craft, very talented people, but won’t photograph a human to save their life!! But the landscape images and flowers and macros and still-lifes they create are amazing. Every once in a while I force myself to try to see the personality in something that I can’t talk to and coax it out of, sometimes I succeed, sometimes not…

These flowers seemed to be basking in the last rays of the sun, aching for it’s warmth before the light gave way to darkness and cold…

In the shade of a stand of trees this little one spread its petals as wide as possible in a desperate plea for attention, this bright tiny (about a 1/2” across) flower screaming to be known…

This last one stood confidently in the sun, strong and tall, showing off it’s clean lines and almost European good looks…

Do you think that any of them walked away from their session more confidently? Take a look next time you see them and let me know…

Michael

ps: when is your session?

Karolina and Chris E-Session

2010-04-23T07:34:00.002-04:00

We will be at Saint Andrew’s again later on this year with Karolina and Chris, so to get away from the Downtown/Metro scene we headed up on the parkway for the engagement session. I scouted out the site for Explore park two days before our shoot was scheduled and looked around, a nice place but not quite magical…

Cue Karolina and Chris to enter from stage left! Suddenly this old park (no longer in use) takes on a new life for their images, great smiles from Chris, cute flirts from Karolina and POW! her is what we get!

The light was right, the mood was there, we had a great time with them and can’t wait for the wedding in October!

Whitney and Daniel slideshow…

2010-04-17T10:53:00.002-04:00

From Saint John’s Lutheran to the Woodland Place we made a magical journey with Whitney and Daniel…

Garrett & Ben slideshow…

2010-04-17T10:51:00.002-04:00

from their wedding in September at the Kyle House

Rebecca and Brian – Wedding

2010-04-17T10:24:00.002-04:00

Rebecca and Brian were married at Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church during one of this winter’s many storms. The weekend made everyone a little uneasy with it’s forecast, ranging from 8-12 inches of snow to sleet and freezing rain. The timing of the storm was questionable as well… With guests from out of town a decision was made that the Friday night rehearsal (which we always come to!) would now be the ceremony itself! Arriving at the Hotel Roanoke 2 hours before the wedding we drove through an inch or so of slush on the streets of a deserted downtown Roanoke. We met the family and our hearts warmed (and knocked the chill off this cold day!) as we got to know Brian and Rebecca’s families in the suites they had booked at Hotel Roanoke.

It wound up being an absolutely beautiful ceremony at two of Roanoke’s most famous landmarks…

Rebecca, a beautiful bride!

The boys all ready to go, Brian has a very cool confidence…

The rings and bouquet were begging for attention

A stunning example of Victorian Gothic style…

A very proud father and a beautiful happy bride!

An adorable moment during the vows…

So happy and so cute!

How could I resist this image in this setting!

With sleet still pouring down we headed out onto the steps for a few images…

…and then to Hotel Roanoke for the rich dark luxuriousness of the Pine Room Pub

Where we captured some beautiful relaxed portraits of the newlyweds

…and one final image showing off Rebecca’s awesome style with her boots and wedding dress! Rock stars they are!!

We're winners! Thanks a million!

2010-03-24T07:03:00.005-04:00

I received a phone call back in December from The Knot wedding magazine and was reluctant at first to call back. We get calls from magazines, websites, and other publications looking for us to buy advertise with them. For those of you who have met with us we have probably told you that we don't advertise (except for rare exceptions involving a favor or acquaintance), that all of our publicity comes from word of mouth (my absolute favorite!) and Google.

So I reluctantly called back and spoke with Kimberly at The Knot, she told me that we had been picked by Knotties (brides on The Knot website) as a favorite photographer for Virginia! Then she got on into the advertising spiel! I then asked her how these "favorites" had been chosen and she informed me that all brides with weddings in 2009 were asked who their favorite vendors were for their weddings. I kept an eye on the newsstand for the DC/Maryland/Virginia issue of The Knot Best of Weddings issue and picked up a copy to check out. Their were only 47 photographers in that area picked (most from DC and Maryland), so I am flattered and proud, and a flood of other emotions!

This is a description and FAQ about the best of weddings http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/planning-a-wedding/articles/best-of-weddings-2008.aspx?MsdVisit=1 , they have a list up on the web as well here.

Here are a few snapshots of the magazine...

Page 18 baby!

Carley's note regarding the idea behind it...

Ta Da!!

Thanks you sooo much to all of our brides that are on The Knot!

Some other local vendors that made the list...

Amrhein's

Casey's Cakes

Gail Wilson

Foodies

Mary's Party Works

Schaal's - great food, and a professional staff, Jim has been great to work with!

Kidd Carter

RSP Entertainment - Roy and his crew have worked several events and have kept the part alive!

Cuts Creative Florist

The Woodland Place - Awesome venue, great outdoor wedding space and plenty of photo ops!

Hidden Valley Country Club

Thanks again to all of our brides!

Camera News...

2010-03-17T10:33:00.003-04:00

Our new camera (the Canon 5D Mark II) has become quite popular in the film-making industry, and is sliding into the mainstream video world. Using a full-size 24x36mm sensor and Canon lenses you get very "film-like" video effects from this digital slr! We stepped up to this camera for it's high ISO/low-light capability and the super smooth bokeh that the larger sensor gets you. Fox will be shooting some of the hit series "House" on these cameras! Always a house fan, I'll be looking to see if I can tell which was shot with which...

http://www.cinema5d.com/news/?p=2818

Whitney and Daniel

2010-03-11T11:19:00.005-05:00

Whitney and Daniel were wed at St. John's Episcopal on Brambleton on a chilly mid-January evening. We showed up early (as usual) to get the bride getting ready and some images of the bridal party before we were in the dark! Family and friends were awesome, helping Whitney and Daniel every step of the way.

Kinga helped Whitney with her makeup...
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The dress was next (how beautiful!)
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Mom helped with the ribbon
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Whitney was a gorgeous bride! We hope to work with them some more!
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The girls were ready to Rock it like divas!
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Allison was workin' it with a "fierce" look worthy of any runway!
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The men came out in the cold to play for a minute as well, Daniel has a great group of guys behind him here
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Once we headed inside it was time to round up the rings and get going
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The reception was held at The Woodland Place in Vinton, one of our favorite venues. The first dance is such a magical time in the evening
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so sweet...
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Dad was NOT going for the "slow-dance" and tears routine here
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Paparazzi were all around! (Alisson actually got some pretty awesome shots with her iPhone!)
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We had such a great time with everyone, we hope to work with this family a lot more in the future.

Whitney was kind enough to share her thoughts on the experience as well...

I would recommend Michael Sink Photography to anyone! I spent weeks researching who we were going to use to photograph our wedding. We knew that this was something that was very important to us, that we had to find the right person for. Right when I saw Michael's website with all of his pictures on it, I knew I would be contacting him. I emailed Michael and had a response the next day. My husband and I went and met him for coffee and to see some of his work. Everything was great. Needless to say, we booked him! We signed the contract and a couple of months later, changed the date, time, and place on him! We were worried this would present a problem, but Michael worked with us and was willing to do whatever we needed him to. We met for an engagement session and found him very easy to work with. We just had a good time and it was nice to be able to warm up to him before the big day. Our pictures turned out exactly the way we imagined! A week or so before the wedding, we met up with him and Angel (who is GREAT!) just to discuss how the day would go, etc. Wedding day, they were there right when we had planned. They made sure they were not in the way and were very respectful to our family and friends. They truly went above and beyond. Pictures turned out awesome and we got them FAST!! Michael Sink will definitely be our photographer for many other milestones in our life.

Coming soon...

2010-03-01T10:33:00.002-05:00

We have photographed 2 wonderful weddings so far this year, we'll be posting images from them here soon, stay tuned!

The Wrights...

2010-01-27T11:18:00.003-05:00

Julie and Brian are great friends of ours (that developed from us photographing their wedding and families through the years!) that have a beautiful family and some MAD poker skills! We had them over the other day (December!) to do some family portraits with Noah again and the newest member of the family Charlie! Some of you may remember Noah from his trip to the barber shop last spring! We had fun shooting this session as well as hanging out with this wonderful family...

Noah and Brian cracked up some...

Then Julie and Charlie brought their beauty in front of the lens...

Charlie and Noah hammed it up for us!

Mom and Dad had some fun time with Noah...

Julie and Brian make such an adorable couple...

Then some time together...

This was actually one of the first images we shot (this was the idea in my head when we started, then we progressed from there) but I had to save it for last...

New Year

2010-01-20T14:45:00.003-05:00

The New Year is here! (I know, I know, I'm about 20 days late with this one!) We had a great year last year finishing up with portraits of one of our favorite couples in the whole world (their post will be up soon!). While we had everything setup we had my Dad shoot a few shots of us that we'll be using on the website...

Awww... I love my girl!

Thanks to Dad for letting me tear apart his dining room to setup the lights and background (it's actually almost perfect!) and for shooting these and being so supportive, I wouldn't be the person I am today without you there.

Thanks as well to all of our clients (some who have become friends as well), we'll keep you posted of upcoming opportunities through the year, keep an eye out here and in your email box.

We have already shot our first wedding this year with another just around the corner in February! We are booking quickly for the latter part of the year and have inquiries from North Carolina for weddings! If you have sent someone our way, let me know and if things work out (we book the client) we'll send you a surprise! (No, it will NOT be a framed print of the wife and I from above, I promise!)

We have plans for this year to be a blockbuster as far as sessions, and events, and innovation are concerned!

Being the first of the year most people are resolving things, you know writing resolutions for the New Year. How often have you kept them all? It's totally hit or miss for me as well, I found a West Coast photographer that I follow that does 101 in 1001 lists every three years... What is that, you may ask? 101 things to do in 1001 days (I'm rounding up to three years for simplicity).

I'm going to share this list with you, some of them are business oriented, some are personal, some tread a fine-line, and some are mental health associate (you'll see!). All of these are attainable, some are very probable, some are downright easy, I've just gotta do it!

Click here to view the list

Some of these I'll need help with (know any Vikings?) if you can help let me know, if you read the list, let me know what you thought... I'll be updating it with dates as things get checked off.

Family Portraits!

2009-11-30T09:00:00.004-05:00

Whitney had met with us concerning her wedding in 2010 and booked us right away! We met downtown for an engagement shoot that was very metropolitan and pretty hot to boot! After family saw the E-Session images they inquired about a family portrait session that would feature the fall colors.
We lucked into a beautiful day with the sun streaming through and warming us all up!

We can't wait for the wedding!!

From earlier this year...

2009-11-30T08:49:00.003-05:00

We attended the Roanoke Machine Gun Shoot at Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club this past spring. Everyone had a blast (literally) firing tons of legally owned fully automatic weapons under close supervision. Everything from .22 caliber Uzi machine pistols to Thompson sub-machine guns to an M-2 .50 caliber! Great fun and good honest people (do you know how difficult it is to acquire a license for a Class III machine gun?). We put this slideshow together for the club.

Can't wait until next year!

Remember them?..

2009-10-23T16:14:00.003-04:00

Huh? You know, Natalie and Matt, they got married at the Woodland Place in Vinton? Just look back a couple of months here in the blog and you'll find them. I had a little time and wanted to do something for them, so I put this together...

No more holding out...

2009-10-22T20:07:00.004-04:00

Annie is a Senior from Franklin County that we have been working with. She wanted edgy, fashion oriented Senior portraits that didn't look like everyone else's, so she called us. We utilized our fashion background and found some awesome locations for her first shoot.

Here are a few favorites...

We put together a little slideshow as well, feedback is always appreciated!

The Day After...

2009-10-18T10:42:00.002-04:00

We have talked to many couples about doing a "Day After Session" or "Trash the Dress", and it usually needs a little explanation...

Basically, on your wedding day you will be REALLY strapped for time, sometimes stressed, and always ready to PARTY at the reception! With most people scheduling the posed photos after the ceremony and guests/family anxious to start the reception (food and drink are important)tensions can run high as guests wait at the tables for the bride and groom to return from the photo session. Daylight may be fading or weather may not cooperate, so scheduling a Day After session can make the day less stressful and get some AMAZING images!

We always work hard to find the most beautiful, or edgy, or cool places for your photoshoot no matter where we happen to be, but imagine a shoot in the woods, or in an urban setting, or in the water at the beach for your wedding images. How many of your friends did this for their wedding? We have a few setup for the future and can't wait to meet with these couples again to create some artistic images.

Brides may wonder about how their dress will fair after something like this and that is a valid question. We can take it easy and be very careful with dress and where you sit, stand or lay. Or we can go all out for some amazing imagery and make the fashion world jealous with what we create with you. What are you going to do with your dress afterwards anyway? Will your daughter want to wear it 20 years from now? Did you wear your mother's dress? Why not? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should take it to goodwill the day after the ceremony, I know the investment you made in that dress, wouldn't you want to get a little more use out of it? A good dry cleaner will have most of them as good as new (unless you go all out with mud or grease or something!)

We'll show off some as we do more...

Holding out...

2009-10-18T10:03:00.003-04:00

Yep, that's right, I've been holding out on you...

Between meetings and shoots I've left you hangin'... Well let me see if I can fix that...

Early at the arboretum Shannon turned on that beautiful smile...

then we headed on to a beautiful wooded setting...

...where Shannon turned into a fashion model and rocked the runway (...err, woods, I mean)

She worked every angle with her dress!

and straight out of Italian Vogue...

Wow! I still need to post their wedding images for you blog readers, and we are looking forward to a Fahion Bridal session with her and Jeremy that should be uber-cool!

Well, well, well...

2009-10-09T11:00:00.004-04:00

I've been busy working on a couple of Senior portrait sessions, an engagement session, a wedding, a family session, whew!! My blogging schedule is not working, but my clients are happy!

Some of my older posts are not fitted to the new blog layout, so I'll work on that soon (the Mabry Mill shoot with Shannon and Jeremy)...

Here are some teaser images from Garrett and Ben's wedding...

Garrett was a gorgeous bride!

A beautiful dress (Mom and Paige assist with the ribbon!)

Ben and the fellas hangin' out on the street

Whoa!! Is this from an issue of Vanity Fair? Where'd these beautiful ladies come from? Check out their runway skills!

Garrett & Ben E-Session

2009-09-17T20:06:00.004-04:00

Garrett and Ben met with us early this year to discuss their wedding plans at the Kyle House in Fincastle. We hit it off immediately with the two of them, laid-back, funny, lots of smiles, we were excited to be working with these two. As the summer approached we setup an early engagement session in downtown Roanoke. This serves two purposes: 1. to create some beautiful images for the couple, and 2. (possibly more importantly) we create a rapport with the couple so that by the day of the wedding we're like old friends (only they're the ones with the funny stories about me, climbing on unstable stuff, almost falling, etc.)!

We found a dark alley to play around in, and Garrett worked it!

Ben gripped his fiance in a tight embrace and dipped her, check out that smile!

See, more hugs, more smiles, I think there's a pattern here!

Happiness filled the air that day!

A super-attractive couple dodging traffic downtown!

Just before the smooch...

(kinda has a vintage feel to it huh?)

They will be wed this Saturday the 19th, lotsa love, family and friends!

PS: a little bonus reel!

Uh oh! (some peronsal work too!)

2009-09-14T17:19:00.006-04:00

Okay, I apologize, that was really rude of me!

...what? you're confused now? Alright, it has been almost three months since I blogged last! Well, I meant to, I mean we've had a great summer, weddings, engagement shoots, seniors, I even uploaded the images to blog about! And then...

...nothing...

I have a bunch of stuff coming and a schedule now for blogging so keep an eye out for that. I have been updating facebook pretty regularly (a lot of the images are for clients on there, so they've seen all the nice new stuff).

Jessi will look familiar to most of you guys, we have worked with her to produce headshots two years in a row for her dance competitions as well as photographed a recital. It was during that recital when I was rather overwhelmed with emotion that I got the idea to do some dance related images with Jessi. These images are only the starting point for this project...

such grace and beauty...

we had been up a little arlier that day and captured this...

Jessi's beauty is matched only by her talent...

Many thanks to Jessi for getting up so early to help with this, we'll setup another session after a while.

As always comments are greatly appreciated, either here or via email, let me know what you think!

Easy work!

2009-06-24T07:07:00.003-04:00

Typically the two words in the post title above don't go together very well, but I had a taste of that the other day as I did headshots for two beautiful young ladies at a local park. Jessi is a friend of mine who is an extremely talented dancer who is really going places (literally). She asked me to capture some images of her and another skilled dancer for a national dance competition that she will be attending soon. We had worked with Jessi in the past and knew that we would have an easy day ahead of us, so we headed down to the park to get to work. While we captured a ton of images that day, these were some of our favorites (I may post more later as time allows)...

Sarah was a joy to work with...

Jessi's classic pose and beauty deserved a classic B/W treatment...

...and in color, just as stunning!

a vintage look seemed to suit this one...

we will be working with them again in a series of artistic images where their dance skills are the focus in the future... stay tuned!

Jennifer & Michael's Wedding...

2009-06-24T06:54:00.004-04:00

Jennifer & Michael asked us to photography their wedding in Fairfield, VA at a church that her Grandmother had attended for many, many years. We arrived at the church on Friday so that we could be there for the rehearsal and see how everything would happen the next day, the GPS got us there with no worries, but I'm glad I didn't blink or sneeze, otherwise I may have missed the whole town! This beautiful little church is nestled in between some mountaintops and farmland in the town, and contains some absolutely beautiful woodwork inside!

Enough of my rambling and on to the images!

(note, due to the load times, and the average viewers monitor settings, I'm going back to smaller images...)

Jennifer's Dress was simply amazing!

The ceremony was performed by Michael's friend Nathan and was beautifully written

no caption needed here!

while not a technically perfect image, I really love this one...

moments like this are why we love weddings!

Shannon and Jeremy at Mabry Mill

2009-06-10T09:53:00.005-04:00

Shannon and Jeremy asked us to meet them at Mabry Mill for their E-Session with us a few weeks back...

The mill has quite a charm (some old-school sepia treatment doesn't hurt!)

And a more modern treatment...

Next, the couple turned on the heat for some fun in the woods (they could totally be models right?)

Then we stopped by an old structure for a quick bit...

And Shannon's shoes stole the last shot (how could they not!), Jeremy got mad props for picking these out! What will Shannon be wearing on the big day?!? We can't wait to see...

You'll be seeing them again soon after the wedding, and Shannon will be doing bridals before to long.

Natalie and Matt's Wedding

2009-06-10T09:25:00.010-04:00

Two days after their engagement session we photographed the wedding of this beautiful couple. We had seen them on Thursday for their E-session, Friday for the rehearsal, and most of the day Saturday for the wedding, we were really beginning to feel like old friends!
A beautiful ceremony (at The Woodland Place in Vinton, VA) involving a ribbon binding the couple to the friends and family that were there, a sand ceremony, and the release of doves all worked together to create a very moving day!

Natalie's sister Julia did a stunning job with her hair and makeup...

We took the (beautiful) ladies outside for a little bit

Then Natalie alone...

Matt and his crew had a turn outside...

What a handsome bunch eh?

During the ceremony the release of doves!

Outside again, this couple worked it like they were modeling for Vogue...

And at the end of the night, after lots of dancing and fun...

Natalie and Matt's rush engagement session...

2009-06-10T08:54:00.003-04:00

Natalie and Matt contacted us last summer to book us for their wedding this spring. We had a blast at the meeting talking about all sorts of things and generally having a ball over a cup of coffee.
As with any couple that books with us, we like to do an engagement session with them so that we can all get to know each other before the big day. This makes it all go a little smoother on the wedding day. As time went on last fall, the leaves fell off the trees, and the New River Valley took on a grey-ish tone. Natalie and Matt wanted to do their session at the War Memorial at Virginia Tech, but with more green, so we waited...
We waited for the green of spring to arrive and color the campus at Tech, a call to Natalie revealed that she now lived a few states away! "Well, let me know when you'll be in town again" I said, and checked back frequently through the spring. As the wedding day approached I called Natalie to check on her schedule again and she remarked that she would not be back in town until the week before the wedding! As we do all of our shoots outdoors (well almost all) I worried about the weather and everyone's schedule during that busy week! Well, we first scheduled Wednesday the 6th for the session, and the weather was dicey, BIG scattered thunderstorms all afternoon and evening, so we looked to Thursday for our salvation...
Thursday came with storms and rain and thunder and lightning... but it looked as though we might have a shot, a hole in the clouds, just maybe we could work with it...
After the drive to campus the sky was a beautiful blue (with some dark clouds screaming though), so we headed to the place that Matt had proposed to Natalie, on top of the chapel at the War Memorial...

We took some portraits of each of them individually (with his striking good looks I thought I had Sean Penn in front of my lens!)

Natalie has a quiet, natural beauty about her...

We found a beautiful niche (our specialty) in a stairwell nearby (complete with trashcan!)

And finished up where they had their first date at Cabo Fish Taco!

So, on Friday when we showed up for the rehearsal (as an added bonus we do this whenever possible to see how things will flow, talk to the officiant, and set a gameplan for the big day, think of it as advanced scouting) we delivered a set of prints for them to show off at the rehearsal and reception the following day!

A great couple to work with, as they come back though town we plan on doing a fashion bridal (aka: Trash the Dress) session!

Still here...

2009-06-05T14:22:00.002-04:00

Yes, we are still here (busy as can be though!) We have a headshots/portrait session to post here as well as an engagment session, and two weddings, I just have to find the time to write something witty, cute, and funny to go with it! None of those things comes out of my tired brain, so I'm mentally preparing them before I sit down to write...

Stay tuned...

Fashion with some great models!

2009-05-05T11:11:00.003-04:00

We worked with Metropolished again the other day and it seemed like the AC was definitely NOT capable of keeping up, it was getting hot...

(this brief fiction section gives me a little creative freedom with my writing, nothing more. the models were merely acting or posing under our direction.)

Jerrod had to finish up a little business before we got started...

...then the AC was on the fritz...

...or, it could have been Danielle's modeling that heated it up...

...why not take advantage of having two talented (as well as great-looking) models on set at the same time...

then Jerrod whispered a little something to Danielle...

and pulled her in for an embrace...

Wow, that was a great day behind the lens of the camera, we had a blast with Susi at Metropolished as well as all the models that day!

ps: we'll have some Senior portraits and Engagement Sessions coming up on the blog soon!

New blog width, bigger images coming soon...

2009-04-23T12:29:00.003-04:00

Jennifer & Michael E-Session

2009-04-19T10:36:00.004-04:00

I have been a little behind on my blogging lately as we have gotten into the busy season of the year for us. Designing sample albums, meeting with couples, scouting locations, all in addition to the shoots that are the meat and potatoes of our business.

Well speaking of shoots, we had an engagement session session with Jennifer and Michael (whose wedding we'll be shooting in May). They are an extremely cute couple, who are great to work with, they toughed it out through the wind to get some great shots with us a few weeks back. So great to work with, and you can truly see the adoration they have for each other in their eyes when they're together. Well enough of my rambling, let's get to the images...

A very special day...

2009-03-03T19:07:00.004-05:00

The other day, we shared a very special moment in a special friends life...

click here for an HD version (look in the lower right side for HD version)

Noah got his first haircut on Saturday morning and we were asked to be there to capture this important first with him and his family. The Grandin Road Barber Shop was the scene for a total of three first haircuts! Hazel took care of trimming up Noah's lockes that day. Two other boys were there for their first too! Noah has taken one of many small steps toward becoming a big boy, and we were there to share it with him!

Kate and Matt's Engagement Session

2009-02-25T13:45:00.001-05:00

Kate and Matt accompanied us up to Mill Mountain for their engagement session with us last weekend. We met at a coffeeshop, chatted for a while over our java and then headed up for the shoot. I think everyone had a great time and we can't wait to work with them again!

Vote here...

2009-02-09T11:06:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! I'm busy working on a years worth of taxes reciepts and invoices (ummm, after this headache I'm on it this year, no procrastination!) I'll have some images to put up here in the next week or so, but for now I need some help. The Professional Photographers of America (PPA) are hosting a contest for the best blog, take a look here http://www.ppmag.com/fresh-blog-09/ and vote for me (entry 391 I believe).

Thanks in advance everyone! We'll see you soon!!

-Michael

More edgy playtime...

2009-01-06T13:44:00.003-05:00

The boys at the Lodge...

Shaguar at a car show...

...a very nice one by the way!

Coulda been Bond's...

Holiday portraits...

2009-01-06T13:37:00.002-05:00

My nieces needed a shot for their Christmas Cards, so I stopped over for a quick shot in front of the tree...

All three girls...

Chrissy...

and Lauren...

More work with Metropolished...

2008-12-12T10:17:00.005-05:00

We are having a blast working with Susi and Val at Metropolished Model and Talent Agency, these two are creative, caring, and overall wonderful people. We've been busy shooting for headshots and compcards for their models on a pretty regular basis. If you're looking for an agency to represent you give them a call and see what they can offer, if you're in need of models for an event, look no further as they have some great talent in their ranks (we know because we've worked with most of them!) Well, on to the images (these are from a variety of days and shoots)

Anne-Marie

Geneva

Aimee

Kristen

Morgan

These are just a few of the models we've worked with over there and we'll post more (surprisingly the website is more updated than the blog!)

Silly, but I'll show you...

2008-12-12T10:12:00.003-05:00

Angel and I were playing around with macro shots and she captured a great shot of my eye...

click here too see it in all it's glorious detail!

Angel's work...

2008-12-12T10:00:00.003-05:00

Angel has embarked on a couple of projects recently for school and fun...

Our Godchild put on her Mother's wedding dress and headed out into the freezing cold to capture some images with us, even through the cold she was quite beautiful...

I'll post some more as she gets them finished up...

A little trip to the state capital

2008-12-12T09:20:00.005-05:00

We went to Richmond the day after Thanksgiving to take family portraits of Lauren's family (see the wedding slideshow below) and headed out to Byrd Park near Carytown in Richmond. What a beautiful setting for some casual family protraits. As usual, we showed up a day early to scout and found some great areas to shoot in, all withing a VERY short walk of each other...

Everyone is in this one (and Carter hasn't warmed up to us yet :-)

Then we had small groups for a much tighter composition, here Carter and Kristen gave us a fabulous pose...

We walked about 100 feet away and posed everyone on the terraces of this amphitheater to take advantage of the nice lines there (later we learned that Grandad played music at that amphitheater when he was younger)

Around 70 feet from there is a rock bench that we had each couple sit on for us, Daniel and Lindsey are such a cute couple!

We used the stairs there to pose all of the daughters with the parents on the stairs

We had to sneak this candid of Lauren while she was on the stairs with her sisters... (even squinting into the sun she's beautiful!)

Each couple got a turn on the srairs as well...

Mom and Dad got featured in this one with all the kids behind them

We took everyone to a pond nearby for shots of each couple, then Carter by himself...

Thanks for looking and I'll be updating again soon (I hope!)

A little tidbit...

2008-11-25T21:03:00.004-05:00

A while back I attended a car show in downtown Roanoke in the rain. Dodging in and out of alcoves and covered areas as the rain passed over and came down, I was able to capture some decent images of some really nice cars, some that were rather rare! I have recently re-processed these with a more artistic/experimental flair, see what you think...

This Cadilac was really sweet...

I can't remeber what this engine was in, but under the hood was detailed to perfection and the blower stack was pretty impressive too!

These fellas were hanging out near their 40 coupe and using the remote to roll down the windows and open the doors when innocent onlookers would lean in for a closer look. They were getting a real kick out of it! When I approached with my camera they struck up a conversation and I had to tack a photo with the fisheye lens on and show them what it does, they were quite surprised at the image (this one was just about 6" from his nose when I released the shutter!

This old Willys Jeep was restored to mil-specs...

I thought you all might enjoy a different look on here, feel free to let me know what you think.

The website is updated

2008-10-29T17:55:00.003-04:00

Take a look at the main site at www.michaelsinkphotography.com and see the updated site. It's not quite finished but I like it so far! Let me know what you think!

-Michael

This will take a while...

2008-10-21T13:57:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am now working on getting caught up on blogging, so these will come out quickly keep an eye on the page and go back and make sure you haven't missed something (some of these will be out of order...)

Between a full time day-job, raising a 16 year old, and having a wonderful marriage with my junior-high sweetheart, blogging has taken a backseat. We have been working, just not sharing recently. Between weddings, post-processing, model shoots, and commercial work we've been quite busy!

Well, here they come so lookout!

Lauren and Justin's Wedding at Avoca Museum

2008-09-06T16:00:00.004-04:00

Lauren and Justin got married at the beautiful Avoca Museum in Altavista, VA (we also did Lauren's bridals there earlier in the year. As a surprise for the couple I put together a slideshow on DVD that they could share with friends and family when they get together (it's also on youtube for use on facebook and myspace, etc.)

The day was beautiful, the couple's friends and family were awesome and the bride and groom were beautiful and handsome!

Lauren had some great things to say about us that we'll share later, we've also got a trip planned to Richmond to do family portraits for everyone up there, we can't wait!

Janece and Greg's Wedding

2008-08-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

Janece and Greg invited us to share the day with them as they recited their vows at the First Presbyterian church on Jefferson in Roanoke. You may remember seeing Janece's bridals a while back...

Tyler escorted the mothers in and out of the chapel...

Greg's first look at his bride, you can see the adoration...

The kiss!!...

Happy newlyweds stride out of the chapel. I always think it's cool to see the strut that every groom has as he leaves the altar, it's kinda cool, I wonder who all notices that?

A few details from the day...

And the couple's session during the reception...

A great couple to work with and a beautiful church adds up to some great images to share with you from an early wedding on Saturday.

Fashion shoot...

2008-08-07T19:22:00.003-04:00

We had another photoshoot with some models from Metropolished this past weekend. The girls were great to work with and helped make some awesome images, we've been inspired and will probably be contacting them to do some more shoots soon. These shots are mostly fashion oriented, we'll share some more as time goes on, we'll be heading over there again this weekend for some headshots too.

Before I get to the pictures let me tell you about a fashion show at 202 Market this coming Thursday night. The folks (Susi and Val) over at Metropolished will be organizing and coordinating everything as well as bringing the models to the Star City. Take a look here for more info! We can't wait to see you there!

Well, now to the images...

Susi is absolutely amazing as a make-up artist, from a natural look, to high fashion, to stage and TV Susi can rock out with the brushes and powders! Val is such a bundle of energy during these shoots too, bustling with ideas and suggestions, as well as standing in as a model from time to time.

We started off outside with a few headshots as well as bathing suits, Kaili really turned it up for this shot...

Then we headed inside for some high fashion shots with some really fabulous dresses from Patina and of course Susi's impeccable styling. Gracie possesed quite an elegance in these gowns, she gave everything we asked for that day and it shows in her film...

...then we took Gracie in another dress and used a little more dramatic lighting for this shot...

Wow, you should have seen how Christina rocked this dress with perfectly matched styling by Susi! ...oh wait, I can show you!

Well, that's it for now, feel free to share your thoughts here. By the way, Susi is availabe for styling for your portraits, let me know if you're interested.

-Michael

Janece's Bridals

2008-08-05T21:30:00.004-04:00

Here are some more images from Janece's bridal session a few weeks ago. She's getting so excited, less than two weeks 'till the big day! Janece is such a pretty woman I can't wait to see her on her wedding day, I'm sure she'll be radiating beauty!

Keeping my promise...

2008-08-05T21:13:00.004-04:00

...well as I promised, here are more images from the wedding on the 19th of Paul & Kathy Barrell...

the beautiful bands...

Paul getting some last minute adjustments...

Kathy and her beautiful bridesmaids!

The men are ready to go...

Kathy's brother gave her away on behalf of the family, what a gorgeous bride!

Paul and Kathy along with their niece watered a newly planted tree in the front yard in honor of their parents during the ceremony

As the couple arrived at the reception...

Shortly after delivering to Kathy and Paul I received an email inviting me to use this on the website...

"Paul and I were married outside our home on July 19, 2008. We were very excited when we found out that the photographer and his wife had been past students of Paul's. We knew we wanted a few pictures taken during the wedding and the typical bridal party shots after the wedding but we had no idea what else we wanted or who we wanted to include.We also did not want the hassle or time taken away from our guests for pictures. Michael and his wife, Angel put our minds as ease. They came to the rehearsal on Friday, just to get ideas of where they could be, that would cause the least amount of distraction during the ceremony and still be able to get some wonderful pictures. We immediately knew we had hired the right person for the job. It was a relief to know that we had found someone we could trust to do a fantastic job.
The day of the wedding Michael and Angel came early and took pictures before the actual wedding. Not all of the pictures were your standard "family-bridal party pictures". I was amazed at some of the settings that he came up with for us individually and as a couple. He took pictures of us on the steps inside the house, looking out the bedroom window at the wedding site, coming out the front door, etc.
I can't say enough positive statements about Michael and the job that he did for us. We were extremely pleased with his friendly nature and ability to make us feel comfortable, as well as , his professionalism, expertise and creativity that he shows in the pictures that he takes.

Kathy"

I want to thank them again for letting us share that beautiful day with them and their friends and family!

-Michael

Woo Hoo!! 13 Years of Bliss!!

2008-07-29T12:38:00.003-04:00

Wow, today is our 13 year anniversary!

My wife Angel and I were Junior High School sweethearts that met when we were 13 years old! Those are some pictures from the past few years from friends weddings, Chuck E Cheese, the Mall's photo booth, and a night at Metro downtown. We are just as schmoopy as we look in these photos (sometimes more so!) and thoroughly enjoy our lives with each other, we spent about 30 minutes last night laughing at Scare Tactics, America's Funniest Home Videos, and my own silliness (don't ask!). Looking back on the past 16 years, these have been the happiest of our lives!

I love you Sugarbear!

Michael

A busy weekend! (Justin Cash, do not scroll down!!!)

2008-07-21T11:17:00.004-04:00

Wow, we had a busy weekend! A wedding on Saturday and Bridals in Altavista on Sunday.

First the wedding... I had been contacted by an associate of mine to photograph a wedding for a local school administrator. The bride and I spoke on the phone and discussed some general information, after agreeing that we could accomodate their needs I setup a meeting at their house (also the wedding location). Upon arrival I knocked on the door and was greeted by Kathy, after showing me to the dining room where we would meet Kathy turned to the stairs and beckoned, "Paul, Michael is here...". I thought to myself "No, it couldn't be, that would just be crazy" I had seen a truck in the driveway with a license plate that referred to volleyball, my old coach's name is Paul, he's a volleyball nut, nah... that would be a huge coincidence. "Coach Barrell!" I said as he came down the stairs! Sure enough, I was here to discuss the wedding of my Junior High PE/Health teacher who was also my Baseball Coach during that time. Not only that, but he was also coach and teacher to my two older siblings! What a small world! Well, Kathy put together a beautiful ceremony with readings, poems, song, a tribute, and personal vows. As I watched the ceremony unfold I could see that these two were perfect for each other! Well enough of my mindless blathering, here is their teaser image...

We'll see more from this wedding in the coming weeks.

Well, back to the busy weekend, we then traveled (on Sunday) to Altavista for a bridal session with Lauren who will be getting married in September of this year. The ceremony will be held at Avoca museum in Altavista, this Virginia Historic Landmark is an excellent example of 19th Century American Queen Anne architecture. We can't wait for the wedding day to arrive, this place is wonderful! Lauren's beauty definitely steals the show from this location hands down. We toured around both inside and out utilizing every area we could in the time we had. This image is using natural light in one of the living rooms of the house, while beautiful by itself, just wait until you see the rest!

A Bridal session with Janece...

2008-07-16T11:59:00.003-04:00

Janece and Greg will be married in mid-August at First Presbyterian Church at the base of Mill Mountain. We photographed their engagement session a few weeks ago and got to know them during that time. We had a chance to get to know Janece during her bridals and we worked together to get some great images of this beautiful woman in a gorgeous dress. So after the E-Session with her and Greg, and then her bridal session, we will all feel like old friends when the wedding day get here which makes for relaxed images, genuine smiles, and overall a great time with some oustanding images! Well I won't delay anymore, here is a sample image from her session...

We will also post some more from their E-session as well as more from the bridals as the big day approaches. Well, that's all for now, we have a wedding on Saturday (a very cool couple to be working with might I add, I'll explain more after the ceremony) and bridals on Sunday for Lauren who's wedding we'll be doing in the fall of this year.

-Michael

Dark and Scary anyone??

2008-07-14T20:34:00.003-04:00

So I've been looking at images that I've already created trying to find an area of improvement... I was trying some new techniques and just kept going and going... While this is far from perfect (or finished) I liked the final image here (so far)and thought I'd share it with you...

Original

and After

Oh yeah, by the way, this was from a photoshoot for Metropolished Model/Talent Agency that we did the other weekend, Kyle is an old friend making it big in Cali!

I left the camera at home...

2008-07-05T07:55:00.002-04:00

I love fireworks!! Although as a youngster I had my time with bottle-rockets, firecrackers, saturn rockets, and roman candles, right now I'm talking about BIG displays... Like Roanoke Times' display at River's Edge. WOW!! Did you see it? It was amazing, this year's display was by far the best I've ever seen from the Roanoke Times. Starting with a remarkable "low-flying" dispaly with showers of sparks, turrets of fast firing rockets, and lots of "ooohs" and "ahhhs", followed up with a large, extremely colorful, well choreographed, big-bang, high shootin', display.

Oh, by the way, I didn't forget the camera, I left it at home. I had fun with my wife, son, and family enjoying the show, celebrating our freedoms, remembering those who protect it, and loving life. Next year we'll have an army of cameras, tripods, and enthusiasts to capture the display...

Here's a couple of images from a few years ago...

Something different...

2008-06-26T15:19:00.006-04:00

...well different for me. We were contracted to shoot headshots for a new Model/Talent agency in town called Metropolished. We will be working with Susi and Val from time to time doing headshots and fashion shoots. Here are a few samples from a recent session...

As with our recent engagement session we'll post more in the next few days. We will be offering more edgy shoots for portraits and seniors who desire more of a fashion look.

E-Session with Janece and Greg

2008-06-26T15:19:00.002-04:00

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...

A Surprise...

2008-06-18T13:31:00.005-04:00

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!

Sean and Kim's E-Session

2008-06-18T13:31:00.002-04:00

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

Woody's Birthday Bash...

2008-06-12T15:21:00.002-04:00

A friend of ours (Woody) turned 30 ;-) this past weekend, and wanted us to come over and take pictures to document this momentous occasion. We showed up, setup lights, weathered the heat (along with the guests) and had a great time. Take a look here to see the images. If you need a vehicle be sure to stop by and see Woody at Brambleton Imports!

A sneak peak at what's coming...

2008-06-11T06:20:00.003-04:00

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

Taking care of people...

2008-06-10T11:20:00.003-04:00

Ok, so as I look at my blog I realize that it gets a little stagnant from time to time... So I wondered why, and looked at the hours of the day, and workloads, and blogging, and realized that I do not blog frequently enough, but more importantly I realized why. I always put you first! Just as I should. I will neglect my blog for weeks at a time and it may appear that I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs (not nearly as much fun as making images!). But I have a tendency to edit images, retouch, put in orders, and schedule meetings...

So no excitement today on the blog, but I will tease you with an update coming very soon... think "tomorrow morning"... think "fun party pics"... also think "cute, fun, engagement shoot"... concentrate, visualize it... you are getting very sleepy... go to bed, wake up and check the blog and you will be rewarded tomorrow!

-ok, so that has to be one of the silliest posts on here to date, but I'm in a rather jovial mood!

-Michael

A storm's a brewin'...

2008-06-02T14:47:00.005-04:00

Last night...

The Wading Girl at 202 Market

2008-06-02T14:47:00.002-04:00

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.

Work, work, work...

2008-05-24T16:33:00.003-04:00

This last week and a half has been lots of work! Not photography work so much, but building a desk, erecting shelves, moving stuff around. We've been remodeling our office, and transforming it into an editing suite, so we had to move furniture out of the room and prime and paint, then build a desk from a countertop and 2x4s. I am bushed! We will now have a central repository for all of the gear that continues to amass throughout the rest of the house as soon as I finish the shelves. I'll put images up when it's all finished so you can see where the magic happens!

As far as images go, I've got them, I need to blog them, and they're coming soon...

We've also been swamped recently with meetings and emails and phone calls so things are going very well! For those of you who have referred clients to us, you will be compensated soon with some very special treats (you know who you are!)

By the way, I'm going to "back-date" the new posts so that they fall in chronological order, so they'll show up below this one...

Promenade...

2008-05-17T17:28:00.002-04:00

No, not like lemonade! I dislike the tendency that we have as a culture to shorten words un-necessarily, prom. Promenade sounds a little more formal as well it should and these couples show just how formal it should be...

The first couple of the night was a Senior client of mine Daniel...

and his girlfriend Lindsey...

they hammed it up for the camera too

later on Luke, Faith and their friend Daniel stopped by and thought we were shotting a movie poster

Then we had them split up so we wouldn't be overwhelmed by their unbelieveable coolness :-)

I want to thank all the kids for stopping by and share just how beautiful the girls looked and how handsome all the fellas were.