Perfect, Just the Way You Are

 
 

Portraits

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Whether it’s a promotional photo, a head shot, senior photos, or family or engagement photos, click below for a gallery of some of Michelle’s favorite portrait work.

Weddings & Events

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Looking for an idea of what it might look like to have your event photographed by Michelle? Click below to see some of Michelle’s favorite wedding and event work.

Art & Design

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Want to get your photos off the computer and onto your walls, on into a printed album? Michelle’s got you covered. Click below to see more.

 
 

Why should I hire Michelle?

-You’re looking for something that feels like “you”. You want a low-stress, heartfelt, comfy photo experience. You want your photos to look like a documentary of the best days of your life. You like the idea of new photos, but don’t like the extra work that comes with ordering photos, albums, or wall art (Michelle can take those stresses off your shoulders, should you choose to let her)…

 
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BIO

When you meet Michelle Waters, you’ll feel like you’ve known her your entire life.

Combining a fine art background and the heart of a storyteller, Michelle has a strong desire to love people as they are, and enjoys making honest, artfully composed images that feel fresh, personal and full of energy.

Michelle has been working in the professional photography and art worlds for 20 years, and was the first female, fine art, digital, “lifestyle photographer” in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Since then, her work has been featured in and on the cover of several local and national photography and art magazines, as well as local, regional and national musicians’ and organizations’ promotional pieces, and has dozens of local and regional fine art exhibits and festivals on her resume…

Continue Reading…

 

See What’s New on Michelle’s Instagram Feed:

When it comes to love, do you want: A) A spark and magnetic force, B) A sure and constant love, standing the tests of time, C) Why not both? For Day 17 of the #30daybusinesschallenge from @visitpkb , I chose to showcase a couple I feel demonstrates “C” so beautifully. Photographing my friends @brianandreas and Fia in their home was one of my absolute dream sessions.
2 out of 3 people who take photos with their personal cameras never step in front of the camera, themselves. The people you love want to see you in their photo memories, too. Make a promise to yourself to be in more photos with your people. Also, that stat may not be founded, but it’s pretty close to true, maybe. Also, now I need some pie... #30daybusinesschallenge Day 16: Attention Grabbing Statistic (it didn’t say it had to be true). Finally, go to @cornercafewv for some of the best pies on the planet. That last part is completely true.
Day 16: A Recent Event. There are so many reasons to love living in the Mid-Ohio Valley. One of my favorite reasons this past weekend was the @downtown_pkb Downtown Throwdown, which was a night of BBQ, beer, and so many people I love. I was lucky enough this year to be the staff photographer for the Downtown Throwdown, as well as the extremely fun @visitpkb Paddlefest! I don’t advertise it often, but I love, love photographing live events (conferences, workshops, festivals, parties, fundraisers, concerts, and any events where I’m challenged to take in the overall tone of an event by tuning in and still going with the flow). Look for some of my work with the Parkersburg CVB and Downtown PKB, who are both doing so much for our town, and keep up with other great events happening in the area by following them at their tags, above. 🙌 #30daybusinesschallenge
The MWP Customer of the Month is Sterling! He makes my heart explode with creativity and happiness. We basically play together for an hour for his session, and it’s awesome. Every year for his birthday, we make unique photos and some image transfer, encaustic-coated art pieces from his session images. This year, Sterling asked if he could wear a costume to his upcoming session. For the record, from here forward, if it ever occurs to you to ask me if you can wear a costume for your photo session, you will get an enthusiastic YES, if you do. Any single day of the year. Ever. #30daybusinesschallenge #customerofthemonth
“This world is not made of shades of grey. It is made of colors like azure and coral and emerald and marigold. But it insists on painting everything in black and white and fitting it into boxes that it understands. Do not do that to yourself. Paint your personality a million different colours. Leave them scratching their heads, unsure of how to handle the magic that you are.” - @nikita_gill #30daybusinesschallenge Day 13: Share a Quote ❤️ I love watching children live their own kind of magic.
Day 12: #tbt to when I was a little film-shooting nugget in college. I thought I had the world figured out. I still don’t have the world figured out, but I do still have that sweet camera. #30daybusinesschallenge
Day 10: A Favorite Book. This summer, I’ve been reading “How to Be You”, by one of my favorite humans, @thejeffreymarsh . The book is about tuning into who you really are, and not being afraid to share that with the world. Over the past two months, I’ve been unpacking a challenge in the book that I’ve dubbed the “Week of Letting Go”, where each “day” has a different theme for something to let go of in your life. If you want to see any of my process of letting go, inspired by this book, it’s all on my personal page: @michellewaterss . I’m sharing this book with you on my business page, even though it’s not technically a photography or business book, because I feel any book that helps you grow as a human is vital for improving your art and your business. This book has exponentially exploded my creative self and removed years and years of anxiety from my mind in such a short amount of time, it’s mind-blowing. If you want to push through any fears and insecurities you feel are holding you back, I highly suggest reading “How to Be You”.
My name is Michelle, and I’m not great at perfection. I love to photograph wild and free children, animals and grown-ups, and make art about what it’s like to leave behind the ideas of being perfectly refined (leaving room for what I see as “real beauty”). I love the challenges of shooting on-location, and I rarely bring studio lights or lots of camera gear, because I don’t like to feel tied down to my “things”. Years ago, I used to do formal posing, airbrushing, and studio staging, but it’s just not the right fit for me (though I have mad admiration for anyone who does photograph that way). I much prefer the adrenaline rush of keeping alert for those really gorgeous moments of connection and honesty that I think are happening way more often than we realize. It’s my job to help you feel as comfy as possible around me, so I can catch those moments a bunch with my camera. I’m a sucker for Black and White images, where no one looks like they’re in the exact spot they “should” be in. If everyone is snuggled and collapsed into each other, it’s a bonus! I swoon for toothy smiles, dimples, dancing eyes and snorting laughs. I swoon for these things, because they’re the things I cling to in my memories, when I’m missing someone. And also, trying to be perfect just wears me out. I don’t feel like perfection has room for dancing eyes and snorting laughs, and I don’t want to live in that place. Have I mentioned I’m just not great at being “perfect”? Thanks to the @visitpkb #30daybusinesschallenge for Day 9’s theme of “Sharing Your Story”.
Legit, probably what my accountant thinks I do 😬 (All caught up on my #30daybusinesschallenge with the @visitpkb ! This is for Day 7: Funny Stuff) Tomorrow we’re back to one post per day, and the next theme is some Personal Story. Sweet. 🙌