Michelle Stoker Photography

Tampa Family Photographer

Hiii, my name is Michelle Stoker…

Michelle and David, Personal, Wedding

I’ve had this blog for over two years and just realized that I’ve never done a fun “Get to Know Me” blog post! You know my work through my photos but here’s a chance to get to know a little more about the lady behind the camera. Hiii, my name is Michelle Stoker, I am 25 years old. I was born and raised in Orlando and lived there for 21 years. My loved ones call me “Mich” and I love it. I instantly feel like BFFs if you call me by that name. I graduated from UCF with my Elementary Education degree and have taught Kindergarten for 3 years. I started my photography hobby towards the end of 2008 and my official business in 2012.

I purchased my first DSLR camera in May 2008 and the photo on the left was the very first click on the camera. I thought it was so artsy and creative. Ha! I was a sophomore in college and was so excited about using my new Canon Rebel XT to document my world, including lots of selfies with my niece!VIEW POST

Europe Travels: Bologna

Travel

David and I are officially living in Milan, Italy! I am so fortunate to be able to accompany David on his last rotation. We spent our first week settling in, catching up on sleep, and exploring our new city. On Saturday, we boarded a train to Bologna to visit the Armentrout family! I met this family four years ago in Fort Collins, Colorado. Right after David and I got married, we moved to Fort Collins for David’s internship with Intel. I worked at a kid’s summer camp for Campus Crusade for Christ. The oldest daughter in the Armentrout family was in my class. She was the sweetest, most articulate five year old I’ve ever met. Fast forward a few years… Keri and Karl and their three kiddos have uprooted their lives and are committed to serving Italian students in Bologna for the next two years. Their job is to make relationships with the local university students and to show them love, lead them to a church, and share their faith. David and I had such a good day exploring Bologna with this sweet family. I’m so glad that I brought my camera along so I could capture some portraits and city shots! Here’s our day in Bologna…

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Married: Kathryn and Chris – Anniversary

Tampa, Wedding

On February 22, 2014, Chris and Kathryn became Mr. and Mrs. Loboda at the Sanderling Club in Siesta Key. Their waterfront ceremony was so beautiful. Chris and Kathryn were such a calm, confident couple. Their joy was contagious! To celebrate their first anniversary, I asked the happy newlyweds to look back on their wedding pictures and pick a few that are most meaningful to them.

“We can’t tell you how hard it was to pick just one of our favorite pictures. We have looked at these photos a million times since our wedding because they are just so beautiful! We finally decided on this photo, because I feel like it captures our wedding day perfectly. I remember exactly how I felt in that moment with the sand inbetween my toes, hearing the waves crash behind us, kissing my new husband… thinking this is everything I have ever wanted. We both look so happy.“

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Kerem and Luke – Kraft Azalea Orlando Maternity

Family, Maternity, Orlando

In early 2013, I had the pleasure of photographing Kerem and Luke for their engagement photos. Later that year, we documented their beautiful wedding day. And for the first time ever, I got to photograph the same couple for engagement, wedding, and maternity photos!! Kerem and Luke are expecting a sweet little boy in April! They are going to be parents!! I am so excited for this sweet couple. Kerem and Luke, thank you for allowing me to document these wonderful moments in your lives. Thank you for always laughing and enjoying each other in front of my camera.

(Top Left: Engagement in February 2013 – Bottom Left: Wedding in December 2013 – Right: Maternity in February 2015)VIEW POST

Stoker Adventures from November to January!

Michelle and David, Other, Personal, Travel

As I write this post, our living room is full of moving boxes. Our time in NYC has come to an end. Tear. Sad face. It has gone so fast but it has truly been incredible. In the middle of November, I wrote a post about the experiences David and I have had while we are living in NYC. We moved up here in August for David’s third rotation in his leadership program with Nielsen. The first half of our time here consisted of a lot of awesome weekend trips and outdoor activities but as we transitioned into winter, we stayed more local and explored more of the indoor things of the city! This second recap shows some of the memorable things we did from November until the end of January. We have one day left here and then we are going back to Florida for two weeks (yay family!! and a wedding!!). Then on Valentine’s Day (awww), we are saying “see ya” to the good ol’ USA and are heading to MILAN!

*The photos below are all iPhone pictures — no fancy, professional pictures below. Just fun adventures!

Follow along on Instagram — Click Here! 

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 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade! We got up verrrry early and got a great spot on Central Park West. It was a beautiful day!

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Announcement: We are MOVING… again!

Michelle and David, Travel

You may remember a blog post I wrote about 6 months ago announcing our temporary move to NYC. I can’t believe it’s already been half a year and that our time in the beautiful Northeast is coming to an end! We have had such an incredible adventure up here, with photographing two gorgeous weddings and three beautiful engagement sessions in the city, each of us working full time, experiencing the season changes, and exploring on the weekends. It has been unforgettable. We are sad to leave NYC but we are so. so. SOOOOO excited for what’s to come.

My hard working hubby earned a coveted position in his leadership rotational program with Nielsen… he is being sent to… drum roll please… ITALY! Ahhh, the Stokers are moving to beautiful Milan, Italy!! We will be there from February until July! We are so excited to experience the Italian life, explore Europe again, and be immersed in their beautiful culture, especially in Europe’s fashion capital. If you’re planning a trip to Italy, you have a place to stay in Milano! I would be more than happy to take your picture, too.VIEW POST

Behind the Scenes in 2014

Engagement, Orlando, Personal, Tampa, Wedding

Happy last day of 2014! Our year was full of incredible adventures and beautiful photographs! We started our year with beautiful weddings in Central Florida, lots of gorgeous engagement sessions in the summer, and spent the second half of the year shooting in New York. We navigated our way through Central Park, photographed in front of the NYC skyline at sunset, and froze our fingers during a winter wedding. SO many new experiences in 2014. Thank you to all of our 2014 clients. Thank you for inviting us to document these extremely important moments and for trusting us to provide you with beautiful images. We are honored to do this job. Before we ring in the new year, I wanted to reflect back on this past year and share some behind the scenes photos of Michelle Stoker Photography. Here’s a look back at David and I working in 2014…

Who knew that we’d be shooting in SNOW and on a NYC metro this year??

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Lauren and Rushad – Snowy Albany, New York Wedding

Wedding

Lauren and Rushad had the most beautiful, magical winter wedding in Albany at 90 State in late November. This sweet couple and their bridal party braved the freezing weather for some INSANE shots in front of the New York State Capitol Building. One of Lauren’s friends commented on Facebook that “Rushad married an ice princess.” Love that! I can’t wait for you to scroll down and see their gorgeous outside photos! It was such a privilege documenting this wedding for two sweet people, who just happened to meet on their first year of residency in their ER rotation. Enjoy the story of the new Mr. and Mrs. Juyia…

Thank you Wedding Wire for featuring this gorgeous winter wedding!

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Married: Rachel and Taylor – Anniversary

Orlando, Wedding

One year ago, Rachel and Taylor said “I Do” in a gorgeous ceremony at the Lake Mary Events Center near Orlando. I had been looking forward to this wedding for years. David and I first met this sweet couple in high school and got to watch their relationship grow through college. I was SO excited when Rachel and Taylor got engaged and then when they asked me to photograph the wedding, I cried!! Their wedding was filled with love, support, and gorgeous details. To celebrate their first anniversary, I asked the happy newlyweds to look back on their wedding pictures and pick a few that are most meaningful to them.

(Left) It was so incredibly hard to pick out my favorite photo because there were so many of them that encompassed all of the raw emotion that I felt that day. This one is one of my favorites. Taylor and I made sure that we had time to pray together during our ceremony. More than anything, we want our relationship and our love for each other to reflect God’s love. This picture captures this beautiful moment during our prayer right as the sun is about to set.

(Right) This is also another favorite of mine! I have never felt so much love, joy, and support by so many beautiful people at one time and this photo captures everything that I was feeling at this very moment. Mich and Dave, you all are wonderful!

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Exploring the Financial District with @nyc

Other

Are you on Instagram? Do you love New York City? If yes to both, then you need to be following @nyc. The face behind that handle is very sweet and talented Katja. She posts snapshots of this beautiful city on her insta a few times a day to her almost 400,000 followers! Whew, this girl has a dream job. She hosted an Instameet this past weekend for photographers/instagrammers to meet and explore the Financial District together. The event was held at the beautiful Gild Hall, a Thompson Hotel and hosted by the connecting Felice Wine Bar. The event was a wonderful time of networking, eating, drinking, and sharing insta photos! We ventured out and explored the corners and hidden gems of the Financial District. I brought my Canon camera and my 24-70mm L lens for these shots. Enjoy our views of FiDi!

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