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Recent High-School Senior lifestyle session photographed in beautiful downtown Columbus. Congrats, Anna! And don’t you just love her hair?

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Photos taken during the making of the Wonderland Film…. “this day in may”.

Booking Wonderland Video Sessions throughout the end of fall this year! All video sessions come with a box of proofs to carry with you as a reminder of the day

$500 for 5 min custom film of your child cut to a personalized DVD and 10 printed 4×6 proofs of your choice. Booking these now for just $300 for a limited time. 

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This Day in May. from Michelle Black on Vimeo.

 For more details, click the GROW Image (above) to download the Info .pdf

Gradually, change happens. Gradually, we adapt to new directions, twists, and turns in our lives.

We don’t often ask for the support we need, as human beings, to get through.

Sometimes we tell ourselves we’re strong enough on our own, we don’t want to bother anyone with our concerns.

But the truth is, we need one another.

Join me, along with Amy Parrish and special guest Rachel Lauren, to discuss transition, growth, and meaningful connections in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable: Asheville, North Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Asheville is the place I’d gone to contemplate some of my life’s most pressing questions, and came away with more than answers. I’d like to share my thoughts and discoveries with you. While I’m forever grateful for the experiences I’ve had as a photography instructor, I’m excited to announce that I am no longer a photography-specific mentor. This premiere retreat, called GROW, represents the future of  Nature-and-Self Awareness Sessions I will be offering (for both groups and individuals), designed to help you achieve clarity and gain new perspectives. This is not a self-help class; you won’t be asked to expose your weaknesses and we won’t harp on the things that have brought you to a low point. This class is forward-focused, designed to help you find your strengths in the face of your challenges, and discuss optimistic viewpoints together as a group. I remember a low-point in my life when I was reading “self-help” books, and while they did offer some comfort, I felt as if I was victimizing myself rather than getting up, getting out, and taking action.

So, who is the class for?

• Are you going through a transition in your life? 
• Would you like to develop a deeper awareness of yourself and others? 
• Have you been contemplating making a major change in your life? 
• Do you need some extra encouragement about a certain direction you’ve taken on? 
• Would you like to engage in deeper, more meaningful relationships? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this weekend session is going to be a great starting point for you.

[ Please click here to take a moment to look over the GROW Itinerary and Information Sheet.  ]

Contact information is provided on the last page of the .pdf document if you would like information on registration, or if you have additional questions regarding your weekend with us.

Amy, Rachel, and I are looking forward to getting to know you

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Recent session in the Worthington / Powell, OH area

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My mother and I haven’t always been close. Without getting into the circumstances surrounding that, it is important to note that without putting forth effort, no two people can ever understand one another. And even after communicating, you may not understand the other person completely, but an appreciation is born. Ultimately, love is bigger than any circumstance, and many times we use circumstances as an excuse not to try.

I did this session with my mother in late February and I’m so glad I did; we really bonded that day. With one studio light and my “wind machine,” we created these, a collaborative Mother’s Day gift to her this year, even though I feel like I’m the one who was given something

xo,

Michelle

On behalf of the AMPt Community, our AMPt Facebook Team would like to announce a Global Earth Day initiative. This April 22nd, 2013 we encourage you to be a leader in your community and join with each of us to organize litter pickups and/or recycling drives in your area. We also encourage you to upload photographs documenting your efforts on Earth Day and adding them to our #ampt_community pool. We would like to harness the power of technology and illustrate how it can be used to bring people together for a greater good — this has potential to make a difference on a global scale, even if just a few of you participate! All you have to do is decide how you’d like to help, and get a willing group together that will hit the trails on Earth Day to clean up, recycle, and generally show some love and gratitude to our beautiful planet. We’re looking forward to your contributions! Thanks so much everyone, and thanks to the AMPt Community for being such an amazing, inspiring place! #mobilephotography #earthday

*If you are in the Columbus area and would like to join the effort, please let me know!*

WONDERLAND

In October, 2012 I flew to Savannah, Georgia to work under the guidance of Josh Branstetter on a concept I’ve been brewing up for the past year-and-a-half-ish. It doesn’t get much dreamier than Savannah, Georgia — which turned out to be the perfect ‘Wonderland’ backdrop for the promo films. With the help of two very special little ones, Josh and I created two examples of what this vision entails. I decided to call these ‘The Wonderland Sessions’ to represent those fleeting moments in a child’s time of exploration, wonder, and adventure. What’s not to love about a beautiful HD video of your child, complete with a keepsake box filled with beautiful bordered prints taken during the filming? I wish I had one of my son when he was younger, although I will be creating one this spring at his current age of eleven young years.

Assisting in the filming was Derek Scearce | ImageryStorm (another prodigy).

Photographs from the session

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I also wanted to re-share my first film experiment before hooking up with Josh… I filmed this project for Vintage Child:Modern (now FleurandDot) in 2011.

vcm test from Michelle Black on Vimeo.

Regular pricing information will be added to my current Childhood Rates list, but I am offering a special introductory rate for the first five bookings of the year. U.S. availability only. Please contact me if you would like more information on booking… and thanks for watching.

Thanks again to Josh and Derek for your collaborative support and I’m excited to see the direction you’re each moving.

Well, this was such a fun little giveaway! I’ll be doing more of these ‘intimate style’ giveaways and already have the next one lined up for March!

The winner of the February giveaway is Karrie Drake… who is also a photographer. I wanted to show off some of her beautiful work in addition to the congratulations.

Kerri, thanks for entering and I will be in touch to get your personalized inspirational text written and gifts sent out to you.

Have a great week… and stay tuned as new personal work will be posted on the blog over the next couple of days

Michelle