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:

How to Unstick Photos: Over the weekend, I realized some of my kiddo’s school photos had become stuck together. Likely some moisture got behind the glass and softened the coating on one of them, making it sticky. If this has ever happened to you, I’m ‘bout to tell ya how to separate those photos! Before we get started, I wanted to mention this has been tested on lab-printed photos. Pro lab prints, even from 1-hour labs, should all work with this method. I can’t promise the same for home printer/inkjet prints. It might seem counterintuitive to use water, but that’s exactly what we’re gonna do. In the case of these photos I’m using, they only had contact at the very bottom. In small surface contact like this, you can actually spray a small amount of water on them, right around the area that’s stuck. Some people suggest using distilled water. I’m good with what I had (filtered tap water). If you have photos that are more completely stuck together, you might want to soak them in a tray of water for at least fifteen minutes to a half hour. When you use a spray bottle for a small surface, you may not need as much time as you would for a full tray soaking. I think I let the sprayed water sit for maybe 10 minutes. After the photos have soaked for a bit, slowly and very gently peel them apart. That’s it. Don’t try and rub them dry (that photo coating/emulsion is super tender right now). Lay them flat or hang them on a clothesline to dry. Don’t try and press them while they’re wet. You can flatten them between heavy book pages or heavy, flat objects once they’re fully dry. Again, that emulsion is fragile when it’s wet, and you’ve probably removed some of the protective coating when you’ve separated them. As you can see from this example, there’s some difference in the finish in the areas where the photos stuck together. Still way better than trying to peel them apart while they’re dry. 🙌 If you want to make it extra protected, grab a can of UV protection spray from the craft store and give ‘er a coupla coats after everything is dry and flattened. And you should be good to go! I hope this helps you save some photos you thought you’d lost, forever. 😊
I get to photograph some of the coolest artists. I love every single @gogo_buffalo performance I’ve ever seen. Ever.
Absolutely in love with the behind-the-scenes video my friend Lauren caught of my session with her amazing kiddos at @hiddenhillsorchard . It’s so cool to get to remember the way we worked together as a team to make some photos of their cuteness.
Ohhavemercy, I was snuggled upon by a hairless kitteh during a recent family photo session, and I don’t know how to be happier than I was in that moment. 😻
Look Mom! I’m 2nd Street Famous! It’s art show opening night at Riverside (Marietta, OH), with some of my photo transfer art. 🙌
What do these four bands have in common? Besides @horseburner , @dinodriverock , @lungtheband and @thesmalldisco being some of my absolute favorite musicians, they’re all playing my BIRTHDAY PARTY on Black Friday, and you’re ALL invited. Yep. More details to come. Please save the date (Friday, 11/29). Free cake, neat music!
Congrats to the Polaroid Session giveaway winner, @reeseglimpse ! You were randomly selected for our Polaroid Mini Session, to share with the one(s) you love! Message me to set up your appointment! Thanks to everyone for following along on the past 30 days, and for supporting my art. Stay tuned for more photos, tips, giveaways and randomness in the future. Also, this is my kid in this photo. It was her first Polaroid ever, and I’ll never forget her face, watching it develop. ❤️
GIVEAWAY ALERT! Win a free Polaroid Mini Session. For a chance to win a 15 minute session with 4 BW Polaroid Instant Prints: 1) Like this post 2) Follow this page (@michellewatersphoto) 3) Tag someone you want to share this session with That’s it! Happy Liking and Tagging! Winner will be announced at 2PM on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019. Winner will be randomly selected. Only one winner will be chosen, but the session may be shared with another person, group, or pet. Session will be scheduled in November of 2019, in Ohio or West Virginia. Polaroid images will be BW. 4 images will be created and the instant prints will be immediately delivered to the winner after Michelle takes a digital photo of each Polaroid for her portfolio. Thanks for joining MWP in the @visitpkb #30daybusinesschallenge !
Day 29: Little-Known Holiday: Yesterday was National Save Your Photos Day. I’m not one to follow the rules, so I say any day can be Save Your Photos day. Even if you start by backing up your entire computer and cell phone albums onto a fresh new hard drive, you’ll be ahead of the curve. It can never hurt to make an extra copy of your digital memories. While you’re at it, if you’re feeling fancy, maybe pick one or two to print for your walls (or more), or make a quick printed album from your summer memories. It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing in one day. Here’s some great suggestions (in the photo) from @clickinmoms about saving your photos. Ftr, yesterday was also National Ghost Hunting Day, which I also plan on celebrating late. 🙌 #30daybusinesschallenge
Fun Fact: All of my portrait sessions include fast editing turnaround. When you schedule your portrait session with me, I also schedule my editing time into the same week. You can rest assured that photos of your baby will be delivered to you while they’re still “baby-sized”. Portraits of all types are typically ready for online preview within 7 days. Weddings usually take up to 2 weeks. Need something sooner? Lemme know. Also, can we take a moment to soak up this sweetness? #30daybusinesschallenge