*{If You're Reading This...}*

If you're reading this, it means this is your friendly reminder to update your RSS reader!

Come on and join the party at my new blog:
NEW BLOG!!

The party here is dead, but from the word on the street the fun is over at the new blog and Facebook Fan Page!

Thanks again for your continued support...
xoxo-
m

*{THIS BLOG IS DEAD!}*

I am incredibly proud to announce my NEW BLOG:

Please go to www.michelleocampophotography.com/blog

I will no longer be posting on this blog, so please update all of your RSS feeders. And I'll see you on my new blog!

*{Fashion Friday}*

It's Fall! FINALLY! My tip this week...I believe heels always make a lady look taller and leaner. And did you know heels force you to have better posture?! Personally, I'd go for even higher heels than these! But then I'm a girl that loves to be a little bit of a Carrie Bradshaw now and then! ;)

You don't necessarily need to wear them your whole shoot...you can switch them out with some ballet flats half way through if you'd like. But why not show off those legs ladies?!

Have a fabulous weekend!



Stay Extraordinary,
m

*{Bundle of Joy}* MCLB Barstow Photographer

Last week I had so much fun meeting up with this family to shoot their precious newborn, Natalie.

I'm absolutely in love with the images we captured! She was only 10 days old at our shoot...and I love every bit of "newborn-ness" about her! And I think she may have a future as a hair model...look at that head of hair!!

I wish you all so much happiness in the years to come! Your world has just changed...for the better!

Here are just some of my favorites from the session...



Are you kidding me?! She is THAT precious!

And below is possibly my favorite newborn images I've ever taken. I love so many things about this shot. Look at all those wrinkles! I think this one photo captures the essence of a newborn perfectly.


Look at that foot! She had the longest little toes and fingers!

Lovin' this shot of mama! You look awesome girl!


Thanks for the wonderful session! You all were a pleasure to work with!

Stay Extraordinary,
m

*{Daddy and the D-Word}*

So it's not a big secret...most of my readers know we are a military family. It's the path we've chosen for our family. It's a complete lifestyle, not just a job. But it's one that we wouldn't trade for really anything. We move every 2-3 years...which just boggles some people's minds. To us, it's normal, and do I dare say...FUN! To me, I'm itching to move someplace new after a year and a half at each duty station...no matter how much I love it there! We've been so blessed to live all over our country...places we would have never imagined. We are a proud military family and love this life.

And just like ANY job out there, there are pros and cons. We knew it was about time...my husband had been home for a couple of years. Yes, the D-Word was upon us...another deployment. We did not receive much notice this time...it was like ripping the band-aid off and just getting this over with! However, it is the first deployment where our girls really have a sense of what a deployment means.

Telling the girls...YUCK. Little Miss Sunshine took it all in and wanted to see on the map where daddy was going. When I asked her how she felt about all of it, her 6 year old response was, "I'm sad daddy has to leave, but I'm happy he gets to help the people." Now if that doesn't melt your heart, I just don't know what will! And our Itsy Bitsy seemed confused and went into some tears knowing she was going to miss daddy and this wasn't the typical business trip.

So the kiddos' ONE AND ONLY request...they wanted a photo shoot with daddy. They were very serious about this request and they were going to make sure we didn't forget! So the night before daddy deployed, we took the kiddos to the baseball field near our home and captured them playing around together. The girls said they wanted pictures so they could see daddy's silly face! And in the first picture, I'm sure you can see what they are talking about...I can just hear him, "THE CLAW!"

Here is just a handful of what we captured that night...






And here is something fun for you all that I put together...if you are military, I hope you get a laugh relating to this!

TOP TEN: You know you're going through a deployment when-
1. Your child hears what they DON'T want to hear, and immediately starts to cry, "I want daddy."
2. Trash days are key! You count them down...every week when you roll those trash cans out, you think to yourself, "one more down!" Followed by, "the husband should be doing this!"
3. No fighting for the remote at night. My nights have been filled with Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, Keeping up with the Kardashians...and not once have I watched Myth Busters!
4. When you shower, your cell phone is on the counter in the bathroom. And at least once every couple of months you swear you hear the phone ringing mid-shower and turn the water off promptly with shampoo in your hair, just to realize you were imagining things!
5. Weekends mean NOTHING. 'nuff said.
6. Retail therapy is a valid excuse (by the way, you'd love the new Anthropologie lamp shade I just bought)!
7. Laundry is seriously cut in half!
8. Cereal for dinner is completely acceptable when feeding myself and two kids!
9. If we are at a restaurant and one kid needs to use the restroom, ALL three of us need to leave the table to go to the restroom. I'm always afraid the waiter will think we're bailing on a check and leaving the restaurant.
10. You daydream about the vacation you will take when your loved one is home again.

Feel free to add to the Top Ten list in the comments!

Until then,
Stay Extraordinary...
m

*{Fashion Friday}* Fort Irwin Family Photographer

One of the biggest topics of concern when a family books a session is, WHAT DO WE WEAR?!

I'm going to start Fashion Friday. On the blog, I will try to post some clothing ideas for you!

I always tell my clients you want the colors to compliment each other...you DON'T want to be matching. And here is a perfect example!

Enjoy and have a fabulous Friday!
m

*{BUCKEYES}* Fort Irwin CA Family Photographer

BUCKEYES! That is all I'd have to say and our little Mr. Gavin would get a big grin on his face. His family is raising him right by instilling those hometown values! And his Ohio State jersey is proof!

I had a blast last weekend going around post with this family. And ahhhhhh...the nice cloudy sky. A photographer's dream...gorgeous diffused light. I haven't seen diffused light in over 2 years now and it brought me back to my Washington photography days! Seriously, it is the very first session I've had while living at Fort Irwin that was not in the full blazing sun. And it actually FELT like Fall outside...Heaven!

So here are some photos of our session together. I love candid photos of families having fun...'nuff said.

Oh Mr. Gavin, you just KNOW you are the center of attention, don't you?!
LOVE this big grin on Mr. Gavin's face...can you tell he is so proud of his daddy?!


Superman! Of course he is!
And I'm convinced this last shot is my favorite of the day. I love the wind blowing her hair and the moment captured. Remember this moment Mrs. B when he's eighteen!

Have a fabulous Thursday Fort Irwin!
Stay Extraordinary,
m

*{Newborn-palooza}* Fort Irwin CA Newborn Photographer

Knock, knock...anyone there?!

So I have a confession...I've been bad, okay...HORRIBLE, about blogging. And I'll be totally honest why. I've been going through a rebranding process, and I have a fun new blog that is 80% ready to launch and a fancy new logo that is going to be fabulous...but I refuse the launch the new blog without my fancy new logo and rebrand. And I'm not going to lie, this blog has been wonderful to me, but I want my big girl blog! I don't want to use BLOGGER anymore! Hence, the lack of motivation to blog, especially when I know there are fun things around the corner. :( But I feel bad for my clients that haven't had a chance to see their smiling faces on my blog lately.

SO...I'm going to try to perform a round of CPR on this blog until I get my new one out to you all. I'm hoping my designer is finished with all of my goodies soon so I can share the fun with you all! I want to launch the new "me"!

But until then, I have blog catch-up to do! Here are a couple of newborn sessions that I've had recently. And I have another one tomorrow...something must be in the water out here!

Here are two of my favorites from this session...I love the relaxed newborn sessions that I offer. It is so nice to go into the client's home and capture the family just relaxing with their newborn. And I think the new mama's like it as well...they avoid the 30 minute production of packing a diaper bag before leaving the house for a session! And you never have to worry that you "forgot" something!!

So on to the pics...I love this photo of the parents in awe of their little guy! And this newborn was amazingly alert! OH MY!! And this session was done within the first 10 days of life, and look at those eyes looking at me!! And do I dare say it, but I think that's a smile folks! Mr. Caden, you're going to be a heartbreaker!

Precious.sleeping.baby. So cute!

And onto our next newborn. Mr. Connor was so much fun. He was literally PUTTY in my hands. I had so much fun playing around with this little guy at the session. I mean seriously, look at those hands under his chin and those cute little lips!

And if you look closely, you can still see the pricks from the hospital on the bottom of his foot! I love it when I can capture that in newborn shots.


Tips for parents in preparing for a newborn session:
* Schedule your newborn session BEFORE you deliver. The session should be all set and on the calendar when you go into the hospital. And then I will work around you when the actual delivery comes. Many times my newborn sessions shift and that is fine. I've received many emails and phone calls from the hospital that the baby has arrived early, and I am more than willing to adjust my schedule to get that beautiful baby photographed within the FIRST 10 DAYS!
* First 10 days is key...honestly, anything after that is not a newborn. Trust me, they change that quickly!
* If your photo shoot is going to be right after you get home from the hospital, consider keeping that hospital bracelet on. If you want to take that tag off your precious cargo, consider mom and dad keeping their bracelet on! One of my favorite newborn sessions-to-date is one in which the dad still had his bracelet on! He was so proud, and it made the most amazing photos of dad holding baby and you can see his hospital tag in the shot...so cool!
* Your baby will pee. Seriously! It's a good thing, all systems are a-go! So please don't fret. Your baby will pee on my stuff, and I am completely okay with that! I think I've only had 1-2 sessions where the baby did NOT pee! It's sort of that moment where you are officially embarrassed by your child for the first time, I get it! But don't be! I am totally willing to work around pee if it will give me fabulous photographs!
* Plan on feeding the baby around the time I arrive. We want the baby nice and sleepy. And no clothes on when you feed! We don't want to ruin all that hard work of getting the baby to sleep by taking those clothes off!
* Which leads me to my next point, the "birthday suit" is the best outfit for newborns. BY FAR! Don't worry about an outfit...you will be more thrilled with that newborn skin!
* Just have fun. Relax and enjoy the moment, they aren't a newborn very long!

*{San Diego Fair Photography Exhibit}*

As a kid, a summer was not complete unless we made a trip to the "Del Mar" Fair. Yes, old San Diego will call it the Del Mar Fair and you can always tell the "new" San Diego because they call it the San Diego Fair...am I right people?!

Anywho, I spent many summers shopping in Bing Crosby Hall with my mom or watching the Demolition Derby with my dad at the good 'ole Fair. I also always remember being amazed by the photography exhibit. To me it was completely cool! So when we moved back to CA last year, I thought to myself, "Self, how cool would it be to have your own pictures in the very exhibit hall you roamed as a kid?!" So I made it happen...or I hoped I would.

I know the San Diego Fair is a decent sized fair--I was told by officials one in every three submissions make it into the fair. So I was hoping at least one of my three entries would even MAKE it into the fair. There is some insane talent down there. I only dared to tell my husband I was entering so I wouldn't be embarrassed when nothing was accepted!! And I was completely ecstatic when I found out two of my images were accepted into the exhibit hall! And then as the "cherry on top", my image in the My Best Friend category received an honorable mention! WOOO HOOO! Seriously...I get to toot my horn on that one! It made my childhood Fair dreams come true!

So I had to make a pilgrimage down to the San Diego Fair (whatever...I'm still made they renamed it...it's the Del Mar Fair people)! Here are the two that were accepted into the show and me with a good old thumbs-up sign next to my honorable mention.

So thanks for sharing in the fun...and thank you for all the picture texts from friends that visited the fair and shared in the excitement!! You all are the best!

Until next year San Diego,
m

*She is insanely gorgeous and this is still one of my favorite images to date.
*My Best Friend category... (family pets)

*{Apple of her eye}*

So when I flew out to NYC recently, I had the opportunity to do a quick mini-session with Lindsey! Sidenote, check out her blog...she is hysterical! Anywho, I could not possibly go to NYC without pulling my camera out for someone! So we headed to the DUMBO district in Brooklyn and took some quick pics to commemorate baby #2!

Thanks again for everything Lindsey! I had a blast with you and will always remember that trip!

Stay Extraordinary in NYC~
m

The first picture is so perfect for this New York baby! I almost feel a bit of the Real Housewives of NYC coming through on this shot!



You look great girl!

*{Waterstop King}* Temecula Corporate Headshot Photographer

Yes, he is the Waterstop King!

I had the pleasure of doing some corporate headshots for Mr. Poole this past weekend. His company, JP Specialties, Inc. is doing amazing things to prevent the type of catastrophic events you are seeing in the Gulf right now, but on land. Their company focus is the containment of on-land hazardous waste spills. In going through Mr. Poole's blog, I found an interesting article written by him regarding the regulations for land vs. water containment of hazardous waste--specifically regarding the recent B.P. oil spill in the Gulf. So head on over to his blog and check out his June 3rd post...it is quite interesting.

Mr. Poole will be speaking at the Temecula Library on August 21st. Here is the information regarding the event. If you are interested in the local Temecula water and how the larger scope of our water affects you, I encourage you to check it out.

Thanks again for allowing me to be of service to you, and keep up the amazing work!

Stay Extraordinary,
m

*{California or Bust}* Southern California Photographer

One of my BFF's decide to fly out here with her kiddos to visit me from Ohio this summer! It was wonderful to see each other again. We were both stationed at the ever-so-lovely Fort Polk in Leesville, LA together back in our pre-kid days! A matter of fact, she was in the delivery room with me when I had our first-born. My hubby was deployed to Iraq at the time, and she was there giving him the play-by-play on the phone so he wouldn't miss a beat! So when I say BFF, I'm not joking. She knows me in a way that not many people know me!! I wouldn't trade our memories together at Fort Polk for anything. And we have always remained close. So I was over the moon when she said she wanted to come out for a visit and see CA for the first time!

We went to The Tonight Show together and even ate at The Ivy that evening so she could have the complete Hollywood experience. And then we both trekked around Disneyland for 3 days with our kiddos. I think we officially wore them out beyond belief...at least I know *we* were worn out beyond belief! And since we were out here, we both knew we were going to have to do pictures! So we went down to the Santa Monica Pier...OMGosh. It was crowded beyond belief. Mental note-never try shooting at the pier on a weekend! Trust me photogs! But we did a quick mini-session and definitely came out of it with some gems.

So here are some pics of Miss Jenny and her munchkins. We love you all with all of our hearts. And thank you for traveling all the way out here!! I can't wait for our next time together!

Stay Extraordinary,
m

The munchkins...



You'll probably want to kill me for this one Jenny, but I know the kids will love it! It's their "crazy face" shot.


Love this one...cotton candy makes everything better!

*{PROJECT: MATERIAL GIRL | Take 2}* Fort Irwin CA Photographer

Bubble gum, Pop Rocks, cotton candy, crimped hair, and breakdancing...I'm thinking this is the ultimate session!

I had so much fun with Miss M and Miss M^2 ("squared" for those of us that have been out of school for awhile)! It all started at my place where we got together for hair, lip gloss, and nail polish. It was the perfect setting for my little models to get to know each other a bit and have their first few giggles together. And then we were off, with my little divas, for such a fun shoot. We went to just two locations on Fort Irwin that I thought were perfect for this funky shoot.

One of my resolutions for this year was to style a shoot, one that was just for me. As a photographer, it is always fun to do a shoot for yourself every once in awhile. And I thought it would be so much fun to have a bit of a throwback concept where girls are just dressed up and having fun...because we all know "girls just wanna have fun"!

So here are several of my favorites from the shoot. Thank you so much Miss M and Miss M^2! You both were terrific and you made my week. And at the end, don't miss the slideshow--there you will see the vast majority of our shoot.

Stay Extraordinary Girls,
m




WORK IT Miss M!