Welcome, Welcome!

Hey there! I’m so glad you stopped by Hayley Michel Photography’s Blog! I’m still adjusting to the blogging world, but mostly I post my most recent photo shoot sneak peeks, as well as my thoughts/commentary that tag along with it! Hope you enjoy some light reading by following my blog! Thanks so much!

May 5, 2012

This was the first occasion I had the pleasure of meeting this family and from the instant I saw baby Derek, I fell in love with him. He was just so adorable. You can’t resist his bright blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and mouth full of baby teeth. But more than that – his sheer excitement about everything. Everyone in his vicinity will know his excitement as he squeals with joy, while waving his hands around. Most hilarious thing ever. Secondly I fell in love with him because when I picked him up he instantly reached to take off my glasses just like my baby nephew. It was an instant bond. Ha. We became BFF’s. His parents, Ashley and Matt, were adorable and gorgeous as well. They’re quite the attractive blue-eyed family. Plus what girl wouldn’t want Ashley’s gorgeous, long, flowy hair! Hope you enjoy a sneak peek at this precious family!

Such a cute family.

And THIS is when lil' Derrek gets all excited! Hahaha! He might look like he's crying but I promise you - he's not. This is when he just gets so excited he wants everyone around him to know it.

Tickle time!!!!

I love capturing lil' boys discovering things.

Baby sandwich!

 

 

 

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May 5, 2012

There’s nothing I love more than playing dress up, especially with an adorable baby girl.  Girl’s are so much fun with all their frilly dresses, tutu’s, and hair bows. This sweet little girl was wonderful for her entire photo shoot. I can’t believe she’s already 3 months old! She was so tough too – did a wonderful job holding herself up for long periods of time! Hope you enjoy this precious lil’ one as much as I do!

I just thought this one was precious! Posin' like a true model in her Thunder gear.

THIS is the one she immediately makes me think of a baby doll. One because she's adorable, and two, because I can remember sneaking into my sister's room when I was little, sitting by her bed playing with her talking Cricket doll. (If you don't remember those dolls - they'd sit up on their own, even had their own lil' chair with their name on the back. They also had a cassette tape player in their back that would make them talk to you.)

I just love this face.

There is something so precious about every lil’ movement a baby makes. It’s quite ridiculous, but seriously – you say, “Oh look, they moved an arm.” “Oh, so cute – what they’re doing with their hand.” Makes you want to capture every single thing. So cute.

Lil' flapper baby.

Ha. This shot makes me think she's gasping, saying "oh dear."

 

 

 

 

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April 25, 2012

I adore this girl. That’s all there is to it. Some of the most hilarious things come out of her mouth every time I see her. My favorite of today was when I asked her about her Queenly duties and her first response was “you said doody – hahaha.” BAHAHA! Oh my. Just when I was thinking she was way too mature for her age she surprises me with this. That comment stuck with me all day. I love it. Currently Miss Alyssa is serving as Oklahoma’s Jr. Miss State Model and Glamour. She’s just a natural at posing for pictures. One minute she’s goofy and silly and the next she reels it back in to look way beyond her years. One thing I’m afraid she’ll never grow out of is her fear of bugs…this girl is certainly not an outdoorsy girl. Ha. From the tiniest ants, to the slightest buzzing, this girl is OUT. But she does enjoy the floral part of nature though. She kept wanting to pick up any flower petal, smell each flower, and try to incorporate flowers into her pictures. So I just had to include some of those on her blog post. Hope you enjoy this adorable beauty.

I think she looks like a mini-Farrah Fawcett

The whole shoot she was just dying to throw some petals in the air!

Poor girl. It was so windy, it made for a really chilly shoot. Half the time you can see her goosebumps in the pictures. But she was a good sport about it all. The rest of the pictures we took the very next day (when it was much warmer!).

Love her hair! Her mama did a great job!

Just for kicks. The girl loves her peace signs.

 

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April 16, 2012

I had the pleasure of kicking off Joe’s senior pictures at Moore’s football stadium and baseball field. Apparently he’s quite the athlete and someone must think he’s pretty great because we got special key access to the stadium, just for us. Pretty big stuff. At least I was impressed! Joe has also received numerous offers from several universities to play baseball. He has yet to make a decision – but with so many choices I can see how that can be difficult. After seeing Joe hold the football, I realized there was one thing he and I shared in common – we’re both south-paws! Whoot, whoot! (Had to add a lil’ shout out for that). I felt pretty bad for the poor guy because the day before the shoot he had a baseball game and injured his hand. We were about 30 minutes into the shoot before he mentioned anything! They postponed seeing a doctor just so they wouldn’t have to cancel the shoot. That’s dedication! (I did check in after the shoot and after his doctor’s visit they declared that his hand wasn’t broken. Thank goodness!) I love all these senior guys I’ve been photographing lately – they’ve all been consistently polite, handsome, and go along with all my suggestions! Makes my job so easy! (And side note- Joe is currently single….just tryin’ to help those ladies out). Ha. Hope you enjoy Joe’s senior pics!

I love this smile....it's like he's trying really hard not to smile, but just can't help it.

Great smile.

He's looks pretty intense here. So hardcore.

This is his model shot! For sure!

His brothers got to join in for a few shots!

Love this.

 

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  • Billy Haddox says:

    Hayley you were a Godsend for us and such a pleasure to work with! I love what you done with these shots of the boys and your comments here really made me smile! This was perfect!

  • Stephanie Knowles says:

    These pictures are fabulous!!! Great job!

April 14, 2012

This guy was TALL! Seriously. I felt like a little kid standing next to him. Oddly enough he doesn’t play basketball either – I asked. (And apparently he gets that question a lot). He does however play football and baseball. He’s actually accepted a scholarship to a university in Kansas to play baseball there after he graduates. Brett was a super polite guy, with a great head on his shoulders. He was easy to work with and willing to go along with any of my suggestions. He even laughed at some of my jokes…even if he secretly thought I was ridiculous. Ha. AND he’s a good-looking guy to boot. (And yes young ladies out there – he IS single. Ha. But not currently looking.) Hope you enjoy the glimpse of his senior pics!

SUPER tall!

I think he kind of looks like Paul Walker...anybody else think that??

Rockin' the cowboy boots. I love it!

Seriously gorgeous blue eyes. And I loved his lil' forehead wrinkles.

Love this shot. Just chillin'.

 

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April 7, 2012

I would first like to start off by bragging that as soon as Joel brought the babies in, I guess which twin was which and I guessed correctly! (Joel can totally attest to that). I was so proud of myself! Babies are so funny and cute, but when there’s two of them, it’s twice as entertaining! A. It’s funny to watch one twin alone, B. It’s really funny to watch them interact together. I.E. – when one is super happy and giggly and the other is looking at them like they’re a crazy person, C. It’s extremely funny watching the entourage of people it takes to make two babies smile at the same time. Ha! Not sure who had to work more, the babies or the family! Although apparently if you want your kid to take a good nap, have them get their pictures done because as soon as they’re over; they crash! Now, I would like to bring up a quote I wrote from my post from their newborn pictures: “I can’t wait to see these two start to grow up and develop their personalities even more. I’m putting in my bet that Aiden will be the reserved, calm, more practical one; while Easton will be the hyper, entertainer, social butterfly.” And I think what I noticed the most was Aiden sitting back, chillen’ just waiting for us to entertain him, while looking at us most of the time like we’re the crazy ones. Whereas, Easton acted like he just wanted to hop up and join the fun! You certainly had to give each boy equal amounts of attention, otherwise they felt left out of the party. Ha! They were so cute and so fun! Hope you enjoy these two precious baby boys!

 

This is their serious, model face. Joel worked with them on this one. (As always, Aiden is on the left and Easton is on the right).

Easton. So adorable!

Oh my goodness. Love this one of Aiden.

Had to show this one. I just love how serious Aiden looks...and adult-like with his big boy polo shirt and shorts, not to mention his lil' comb-over! But seriously - it's not fair for boys to have such long lashes!

Oh my goodness! There were SO many of these boys giggling - it was hard to choose just one. It was hilarious to watch. Joel would basically scare the BUH-Jesus out of these two and they absolutely LOVED it and would just go into a fit of laughter. Cutest. Thing. EVER.

I love this - especially with their lil' feet just chillen' there.

Easton, grabbing onto his Easter basket.

Love this. Serious lil' Aiden.

Easton already wants to walk!

(I won't torture you by not telling you which twin is which in these black and white photos). Mama with Easton.

Mama with baby Aiden.

Love this shot with Aiden.

Dad with Aiden. I love this lil' lip expression he's doing. Ha.

Dad with Easton - he's being rather serious in this one. Dad must have told him to do his model face again.

Such a beautiful family.

 

 

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HAPPY EASTER, everyone!

  • Megan Atchley says:

    Hayley, you are amazing! I love all of the pictures! You are so talented and sweet. Thank you for everything!

April 7, 2012

These two are high school sweethearts from my old stompin’ grounds, WHS. Whoot, whoot! They graduated just a few years under me – small world! They’ve stayed together the past few years and now reside in Tulsa. This lovely couple made the drive from Tulsa just for this shoot. So awesome! At first we were nervous about the weather (as March is rather unpredictable), but it turned out to be a perfect overcast day! It was a tad bit windy (as I’m sure you’ll recall Marissa), but she rocked that Oklahoma wind! Ha! They were an easy couple to capture. Very cuddly, affectionate, and giggly – totally my taste! Hope you enjoy this adorable couple’s pictures!

 

 

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April 1, 2012

I had the pleasure of meeting this lil’ one last summer to do her 4 month pictures. Her newborn pictures were done in the hospital she was born in. It amazing to see how much a baby grows their first year. They always look totally different. What I love even more is seeing their personality develop. And this lil’ thang is a DOLL! I adore her. She seems really advanced to me, especially because she’s already running around even those she’s just days over 1 year old. She love smiling, clapping, waving, playing hide-and-go-seek, and blowing kisses. I could have just played and taken pictures of this cutie for hours! She was nothing but smiles and giggles. And the way this one devoured her birthday cake, she is sure to love sweets for the rest of her life. Ha! Hope you enjoy this lil’ princess.

This is when her grandma showed up for a surprise visit. It made someone very happy.

Ha. The bitter-beer face.

This is her saying "I don't know." But it looks like she's posing for me. Ha.

She's gettin' jiggy with it!

This girl loves her cake!

 

 

 

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March 23, 2012

I loved everything about this wedding! Paige has great taste (you too, Blaine). I especially loved her dress (which had pockets by the way! = awesome!) but also her shoes, and jewelry. All these details that were put into the wedding were absolutely precious as well. These two are a fun-loving, laid-back, kind, artistic couple; it was truly a pleasure to meet them. More than anything, I feel so blessed to have witnessed these two’s wedding vows. So beautiful. It seriously brought tears to my eyes (which makes taking pictures awfully difficult). I think almost everyone in the room had tears of joy, especially the bride and groom. The love they have for each other and the Lord was clearly evident in their ceremony and their vows to each other. I just know amazing things will happen for this couple, who so earnestly serve the Lord. Hope you enjoy this lil’ preview of their lovely wedding.

 

It was a family affair for sure. The bridesmaids were Paige's sister and sister-in-law and Blaine's groomsmen were his brother and sister.

So cute. Aren't they?

This was probably my favorite moment from the ceremony. Paige pulled out this feather (from her nifty dress pockets) and explained a story of how Blaine mailed this to her while he was in Africa. It's from some type of bird that spends it's whole life with only one mate. It was a really special story and moment - it was the point where I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Beautiful.

Blaine's father did the ceremony. It was really sweet. My favorite line of Blaine's was "I always wondered what my wife would be like...and wow!" Ha. And Paige's letter to Blaine started out with "my dad told me never to date anyone with long hair, earrings, or tatoos, and well..." Ha! Everyone had a pretty good laugh over that one.

I saw this in their guest book. Thought it was pretty cute. It was written by Blaine's niece, one of their flower girls.

Her band was her mother's. I thought that was pretty neat.

High-fivin' everyone on the way out!

 

 

{Vendor Highlight}

Videographer: Hunter Meek Videography  Super great guy to work with. Great eye for video. Totally my taste. Check out the video from this wedding at:      –>  http://vimeo.com/38694352

Catering: Simply Scrumptious Gourmet Catering I didn’t really get to sample anything myself, but from the look of what was left of the food, everything was a complete HIT! I especially loved the cheesecake bar concept!      –> Check them out on their Facebook fan page for more info!

MC & DJ: Adrian at Nexus Productions Inc. Reception pretty was hopping. He had an excellent sense of crowd and kept things flowing well the entire night.     –> facebook.com/normanokdj

Centerpieces/Decor: Nicah Lowry Nossaman She had some really lovely stuff. Great taste. And everything totally fit the bride and groom perfectly!

March 23, 2012

My nephew’s first year shoot sure seemed to be without a dull moment. He really made me work for my shots. And (sorry Heath) but he was quite the cranky-britches. He’s cutting teeth (and as all mother’s know out there) those are not fun times. Ha. But he hung in there and let us torture him a bit by trying to keep him still. Makes it a bit more difficult when they’re on-the-go. He just wanted to crawl everywhere! Who wants to sit still and take pictures?! Certainly not Colin (I need to work with him on that). But as a typical boy, he loves his toys and as the smart boy he’s going to be, he also loves his books – so we were at least able to get some pictures of that!

Now I know I posted a lot of pictures, but come on, it’s my nephew! It’s a must! Can’t help myself!

My lovely sister and her two favorite guys. Aren't they just the most adorable blue-eyed family?

He's such a serious lil' boy. Cracks me up!

Annnnd on the go...

This is what he does the second he has a chance to grab his socks! Ridiculous. But he loves shoes. Odd.

So serious. Course it's because he's about to get mad that his truck isn't moving because he's going up hill on grass. Tehehe.

I love profile shots. And my sister loves his elbow dimple. Ha.

Such a good lil' reader.

How can anyone resist that face?!

Standing so well! Should be walking in no-time!

Now for the cake-eating. Wasn’t quite successful. Kid barely touched it. Just didn’t have any interest. Hopefully that’s attributed to his hurting gums and not his lack of taste for sweets! Enjoy.

 

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