Well if you enjoyed seeing little Annelise here AND here…then you will be thrilled to know that she is BACK and growing up so fast. I had the privilege of meeting up with the Topinka family right before Thanksgiving. It was about 20 degrees outside, but the sun was shining so we opted for random indoor locations around Downtown Tacoma. 
I got a chance to meet Brianne about 10 days ago on a drizzly Saturday morning…I took one look at her and said to myself this girl will have NO problems shooting in the rain. She has this AMAZING curly hair that I was secretly jealous of the whole morning 🙂 Needless to say the cold, damp drizzle didn’t phase her a bit. I loved looking back on all her photos and seeing the dramatic sides to who she is. And believe it or not ~ those blue eyes are 100% hers. Dang.
My friend Lisa also had a chance to accompany me to the shoot and several of these images are ones that she took ~ I was so blessed that she could be there with me!
Brianne…please start a band…and use this as your CD cover. K?
And I’d like to introduce the lovely & talented Lisa ~
Brianne ~ I hope you enjoy your Senior Year! You are an amazing a beautiful girl, best of luck in all your future endeavors 🙂
In the last 18 months I have been out to visit with the Trujillo family 4 times. They have been a complete blessing and I can hardly believe how fast these kids are growing up. Little Elle was not even walking when I first met the family 18 months ago, now she is 100% mobile and talking. Hunter was 4 when I first met him and this November he turns 6!! On my first visit to the family Holly told me that I was “stuck” with them, but I am happy to be called back again and again to see this family grow!
Our most recent outing was to a fire station that Holly nearly grew up at….AND as a double bonus Hunter LOVES anything fireman. It was so fun to hang out with the kids as they got a chance to explore the fire station and have some amazing fun first hand experiences there. What an amazing birthday gift as Hunter celebrates his 6th Birthday 🙂
Have the BEST 6th Birthday ever Hunter!!!
Caitlin called me the week before she was leaving to go to college. She told me that she was a ball of nerves and anxious excitement about going, but I couldn’t really tell. First of all you should know that she rolled up in this….
and I knew we would be juuussssttttt fine.
Are you kidding me?? this girl should have been born in the 40’s. A-mazing…
Caitlin, best of luck at college ~ I know you are going to love every second of it!! God Bless ~
Devon Michelle
Got a chance to see the Trujillo family, again. Love these kids…and they are growing up before my very eyes!!
In fact, today is Elles 2nd birthday!! I could have just eaten her up, she is so cute.
Her brother, Hunter is not to be outdone by his adorable little sister…and wanted to get in on the photo action as well.
the whole family was just ooooozing cute.
Thanks again for a fun day Trujillo family!! Can’t wait to see you guys again in November 🙂
ps. Elle’s cute little outfit was done by Main Street Bowtique
hey all….are you tired of the relentlessness of my postings this week??? NEVER!!
i met the Topinka family in February and here we are again in July ~ so much fun to see them again and little Annalise is getting SO big (in a good way)…
Becky (Annalise’s mom) wanted to know if we got any images of her baby’s blue eyes…
pure, unadulterated baby bliss.
until next time Topinka family ~ keep it real little Annalise ~ your lookin’ good 🙂
Meet Kendall, a Junior at Curtis High School…our mission was to take some photos that are not the “normal” photos for Seniors…
Last Friday I met up with Josh & Jill in Cle Elum to do their engagement photos. I drove one hour and forty five minutes.
They drove four hours. I’m so glad they made the trip…we had an amazing afternoon.
Okay, I dare you to find anyone as cute as Jill. Its just not going to happen.
Can’t wait for August Josh & Jill….Can’t wait 🙂 Thanks for sticking with me last Friday. You were brave. And I mean that.
Thank you Jon & Kolene for this amazing day…
No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you…these are, in fact, the shoes Kolene wore. I knew it would be a good day.
nothin’ like a fist bump to make is official. it was that kind of wedding.
Jon & Kolene, many blessings and congratulations on your marriage ~ I couldn’t be happier for the both of you. Thank you for having an amazing wedding day my friends!!
I am a photographer
I don’t just shoot photographs, I stop time
I search for those moments that make a statement
And I want that statement to be powerful.
I want to see.
Retell a story through images.
Last Saturday Shaun and I were walking through the farmers market and we ran into another teacher from Shauns school. I was introduced and we were chatting for a couple minutes when thus co-workers wife remembered that I was a “professional” photographer. I oh so humbly replied that I was working on it and would like to be a professional photographer one day. we had a little laugh, wrapped up our pleasantries and moved along to purchase out farmers market flowers.
Later Shaun, from what seemed to be out of the blue, turned to me and stated boldly…
“Devon, you ARE a professional photographer,
you have to give yourself more credit.”
Gulp. I know what Shaun said is true. And it’s getting more and more true everyday. I think part of me is afraid that it will one day be gone, that I won’t really get to be a photographer. But I know that I’m in it now, I’ve spent many hours pouring over developing who i am as a photographer…learning my style, my photographic signature to abandon it now.
Learning how to retell a story.
I was thinking about this tonight. I trained to be a counselor, spent so many hours reading and sitting in classes. Learning to facilitate groups, conduct individual sessions and asses for problems. I trained my ear, my mind and my heart to listen to someones story…to ask the right questions to draw a person out.
I can be a active and attentive listener so that other person can feel truly heard, and I didn’t do it so I could manipulate then, but because I wanted to know them.
Have you ever stopped to think about how rare it is that someone really listens.
Without trying to fix.
I use my ears to hear….I use my words to retell their story. It will always be in the fabric of who I am to listen.
I was blown away tonight as I thought about this. Now I get to use my eyes. I am retelling a story using MY EYES. Using images, not what I hear and not what I speak. How cool is that? It like I’m learning a whole new way to communicate to people that they are beautiful. They have worth. They are loved. That they have joy in their life…
Someone asked my a couple weeks ago what my philosophy is on taking photographs. I paused for a minute, I had never had anyone ask me before. And chuckled to myself as I said
“have fun”
devon michelle photography 