To My Brother, on His FIRST Father's Day

You've been a father for about 6 months now, and it still amazes me. I remember when YOU were still in diapers, and here you are now, changing diapers on a son of your own. Sometimes that's incredibly scary to me, and other times, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. There's this sense of wonder that has come alive in you, and it brings (happy) tears to my eyes.

And I can't wait to see all the adventures that will follow.

There's this tiny little person looking to YOU now... for guidance, for protection, for love... (and for clean socks)

And I know you're up for every challenge (and reward) that comes your way.

I can't wait for the day you get to hear him call you by your new name... Daddy.

love always, your big sis, Chel.

ps: make sure to tell Kelan... I will always have gum.

your very own iPhone app

You know how it goes... you're at a party. You WANT to show off the latest pictures of your kiddos, and (woohoo!), the *perfect* opportunity just arose. You tell your friend, "speaking of such-and-such, you've GOT to see this picture of [insert-your-fabulous-child's-name-here]. " If you're super old-skool, you reach for your purse, dig through to locate your wallet, then sort through your receipts and various papers (ooh, a coupon!) trying to find the wallet-sized print you just KNOW is in there... somewhere.

Or, you could reach for your phone. But still, you have to search. Pull up your photo album and start scrolling... and scrolling... and scrolling... and realize that you've still got pictures from LAST Christmas on here, and should really synch your phone again soon. (oops.)

If you're a social (networking) butterfly, you might think to pull up Facebook to show off your latest pics. But wait... there's no service where you're standing. And suddenly you're doing the "swing your phone like a magic wand to find a pocket of service somewhere above your head" dance...

...all while your friend (im)patiently waits for that oh-so-wonderful picture you've promised to show her. (oops!)

I PROMISE you, there's a better way.

Be a rockstar with your own custom iPhone app and have INSTANT ACCESS to all your favorite photos!

Picture this: your favorite photos from our session together, all stored on your very own app. One touch and voila! You can show off in style. (And pssssstt... unlike Facebook, you won't need internet service to see your pictures, so you have access to them anytime.)

There are also buttons to easily share your app with friends and family via email or by posting straight to your favorite social networking sites. Easy-peasy, I promise. And your friends will be soooooo jealous...

Here's how it works:

Want to see for yourself?

Click here to see my sample gallery. Not only great for your mobile devices, it's also perfect for viewing online.

Pretty cool, huh?

Ready for an app of your own? Contact me to get started with setting up your photo session.

boys will be boys // stylized camping shoot

They were loud. Boisterous. All over the place, wanting to touch, move and PLAY. And sooooooooo different from the group of girls that I had just finished photographing. Ha!

They were all boy... playing off of one another's energy and constantly trying to out-do one another with their noises, movement and stories.

I witnessed other photographers struggle to get the boys to do what they'd already envisioned in their heads as the "perfect picture"... they directed, cajoled, and grew more and more frustrated as the boys grew more and more antsy.

But I just smiled to myself, stepped in, and took a different approach.

I watched them PLAY.

I encouraged the boys to pick up the props and PLAY with them. No... don't worry about posing... just PLAY. Can you make a sound with that horn? Can you find US on that map? Those flashlights can double as light-sabers, you know?

It was beautiful to behold. All of a sudden, their energy was channeled somewhere, they were excited to welcome me into their game, and their personalities just SHONE.

And once they were relaxed, and without them even realizing it, I was able to get some pretty awesome posed pictures, as well.

Here is MY TAKE on the "camping trip":

Images were taken during the Sweetlight Collective workshop held by Work of Heart Photography.

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Ready to PLAY with a styled session of your own? Good news... my stylized portrait parties are HERE! Contact me to get started.

As Seen on: Fashionably Geek

I never truly realized I was a geek until I got older. Long after the girls around me began to focus on makeup and boys, I'd still loved my cartoons and superhero movies. So when I met my husband, it was a match made in heaven. I mean, come on... during our first date we were even singing some of their theme songs together. Ha! Tony helped me delve even further into the land of geekdom, and I have since fallen in love with many of his passions, as well. I can tell you which character is of what universe (talking Marvel vs DC here), why the new Star Wars trilogy never should have happened the way that they did, and can fully defend my position on why Batman and Iron Man are possibly the best "superheroes" ever, even though they're not actually superheroes at all (hooray for the self-made man!). Tony also introduced me into the world of Cosplay, where people dress in costume to pay homage to their favorite characters, shows and the like. With his amazing design skills and my mother-in-law's mad sewing skills, they created this beautiful Steampunk-Lady-Iron-Man costume for me to wear at WonderCon. It was soooooo incredibly fun, and I felt amazing in it. Almost like a superhero, myself.

So, especially on the day that Iron Man 3 hits the movie theaters, imagine my delight to see that my costume and I had been featured today on the website Fashionably Geek.

Click here to see the full article.

I'll be wearing this again at ComicCon in July, so if you see me, PLEASE come say hi.  Hope to see you there!!!

Vintage Spring // Stylized Mini-Sessions

Lately I've been playing around a bit more with the concept of "styled" shoots. In the photography world, you might see these type of shoots referred to as "editorial," or "commercial/catalog" if done for a particular client. I've been embracing my inner artist, doing a lot of pre-planning and coming to the table with a definite vision... setting the scene with props, accessories, clothing, and certain poses/looks to capture a particular mood about it all. I'm still ME, so of course there's still a lot of PLAY involved. But the real magic happens in getting what I see in my head come to life before me, and transform into something even BETTER through the personality of the person I am photographing. The entire process is amazing, and sometimes takes my breath away.

I want to share the experience with you all, starting with my "Vintage Spring" stylized mini-sessions, created with the kids in mind.

And I'm offering my first round of Vintage Spring mini-sessions just in time to create a fabulous gift for Mother's Day! Sessions take place this Sunday, and there are only a few openings left, so click here to reserve your spot now!

Click the image below to see my e-zine and read/see all the details!

Stylized Session; Vintage Spring

By Michelle Carrillo in the Suitcase Studio

20 pages

Let me assure you, this isn't the typical photo experience, and you won't end up with the typical prop-based photos. No cheesy grins or fake-ness here. Instead, I will be creating one-of-a-kind keepsake portraits that make your child look as if they just stepped out of the latest magazine spread.

One last chance...  click here to reserve your spot now!

to remember.

Today is a day of remembrance for me, and I wanted to (re) share some of the most important words I've ever written.... and also a BIG reason why I do what I do. The blog post below was written 2 years ago, but too important not to share again:

That’s ME in the middle of the picture below. The one with bright maroon haircut in the shape of a bowl.  The one who hadn’t yet discovered the art of eyebrow waxing. The one who still suffered heavily from acne. I cringe when I look at myself in this image. But I wanted to share it, along with a few others, for a very important reason. Please read on…

These images were taken in March of 1999, during my trip with the Fullerton College Choir to China. It was a very interesting trip, complicated by the fact that I had gotten sick with bronchitis on the plane trip over there. And for 10 days, I lived off of NyQuil and DayQuil. But I DID it. I visited places I never thought I would see in my lifetime. I got a chance to perform a song, sung in a Chinese language (Mandarin), to actual Chinese people (no pressure there...). I even climbed the Great Wall of China, bronchitis and all. Because I could either embrace this opportunity for all it was worth, or give in, give up, and go back home. So I stayed, and gave it all I got.

And so, I have an album filled with grainy images from my trip to China. Bad haircut, bad skin and all. But these images are even more precious to me than you might think…

Please take just a second to notice the other person featured in all of these pictures I have posted here. This was my good friend, David Lam. Unfortunately, I have to say “was,” because about one month after returning back home from our trip, David was killed in a car accident. This happened 12 years ago, today… April 26, 1999. And as I get older, and my memories fade with each passing year, I look to these photos to help me remember him. Seeing these images triggers my memory to dig a little deeper, to draw to the surface what might have otherwise been lost. And suddenly I can see us both in the moments when the photos were actually taken… I can hear the sound of his voice, see the way he moved and facial expressions he wore… things that made up who he was. And I can remember.

My bad haircut is forgotten. It’s not important here; I don’t even notice it anymore. Instead, I will forever be grateful that I stopped for just one moment to have these photos taken. So, the next time you find yourself thinking, “I don’t want to have my picture taken because I don’t look good today,” or “I want to lose 10 pounds first,” or “I simply HATE having my picture taken,” please stop and think of this. It doesn’t matter if you don’t look perfect. This is your life, and you, or somebody you love, might want to look back on this very moment and remember it.

So, whether you get professional pictures taken by me, or you simply pick up your point-and-shoot or even your iPhone to capture your days, please do it. I can promise you that your bad hair day won’t even be an issue.

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One last thing to show you just how much pictures really matter… here is an image of Dave while we were in China. He had actually brought a framed picture of Catherine Zeta-Jones along with him so he would have something pretty to look at. I’m totally serious.  : )  And it still makes me smile.

simple beauty // stylized children's portraits

I wanted to share a bit more from my the Sweetlight Collective workshop I attended recently. Not only did I fall in LOVE with this style of photography, but I also learned a whole lot and would love to share a simple tip with you now: The stylized session doesn't have to be complicated. Simplicity is beautiful, too.

Take this setup, for instance: a bike, wooden fence, banner and some fresh flowers.

And, of course, a child with a beautiful smile. (And a really cool headpiece by Love Crush Bowtique.)

Sometimes it's the simple things that take my breath away. Take away the props... the banners, the bike, and even the beautiful green surroundings. And there's still something there... beautiful, soulful, wistful.

I had just finished editing these two images (below) when I was overcome by emotion. I immediately stopped to soak it all in, and then wrote down these following words before the feeling had passed:

"Currently editing photos from last week's workshop, and I keep tearing up. It's an amazing feeling to see what I envisioned in my mind come to life in imagery before me. And to KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that THIS is how I should be spending my time..."

My heart feels so amazingly FULL right now.

Such a simple thing to make me feel this way, and yet, so beautiful.

Inspiration & Creation // Sweetlight Collective Workshop

Tears spring to my eyes, my vision blurring as I stare at my computer screen. Hands quickly dashing the tears away so I can see what's in front of me. Only to have the tears come again. This is a good thing.

I did this. Wow... I did this? Yes.

I did this.

My heart is so full it feels it might burst through my chest. My mind is exhausted but still racing... planning, thinking, creating.

It was a process. I'd forced myself to slow down, to take the time to envision. Create it, direct it, mold and shape the scene. Then add touches in post-edit to complete my original vision.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like a true artist.

And I'm excited to see what other creations await.

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I am still reeling from my photo adventure last week. I'd attended a 2-day Sweetlight Collective workshop held by Skye Hardwick of Work of Heart Photography, where the focus was completely on learning to stylize children's portrait sessions, as well as incorporating posing techniques for the full effect. (Which will definitely be utilized in upcoming offerings of mine... hint, hint.)

On Tuesday morning, 12 photographers arrived at the Condor's Nest Ranch in Pala (just past Temecula)... bright eyed and eager to learn. By Wednesday evening, we left with smiles on our faces, but were bone-tired, knowing we had given it our all. It was fantastic.

Not only had Skye set up beautiful scenes for us to photograph, but had provided fantastic models, to boot. It's still strange to think of them as "professionals," but they were very much so. The kids ranged in age from 3 to 15, and most of them had been doing this for years.   You might even recognize a few from Gap  or Ralph Lauren ads.

That's not to say they weren't still kids. I fell in love with one girl in particular, who held herself in such a soulful way... until the cameras went down. THEN she'd launch into a crazy song and dance about a cheeseburger, or runaway lips, and I couldn't help but laugh right along with her. (I'm happy I pulled my camera back up to capture a few of those moments, as well.)

These two days with Skye and the others have been instrumental in helping me find just what I need to make my latest ideas come to life. Inspiration, execution, and all the in-betweens.

There are soooo many amazing photos that I want to share from this experience that I will be adding them to several different blog posts instead of simply adding them all here.

Enjoy the journey.

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psssst: if you haven't heard yet, I will SOON be offering stylized sessions of my own. Make sure you're signed up for my newsletter (click the red tab on the left) to be among the first to find out when this new service is launched.