Michelle Stoker Photography

Tampa Family Photographer

What’s in my shooting bag?

Personal

I was challenged by another photographer friend to share what’s in my shooting bag right now…so I pulled everything (well, the important things) out to show you! I recently purchased an Allison Jo Totes shooting bag and I love it! It’s a cute, solid purse with padded removable inside liners to protect my gear. This is the perfect bag for shooting engagement sessions, portraits, or just to carry my camera around for the day. It’s not the best wedding day bag because I can only hold one extra lens inside. It’s not quite big enough for all my wedding gear. I love how it comes with a padded strap attachment because that bag can get heavy!

Alright, check out what’s currently inside my shooting bag:VIEW POST

Jessica and Mike- Davis Island, Tampa Engagement

Engagement, Tampa

One of the best parts of my job is the privilege of meeting new, fun couples!  Jessica and Mike are both from Maryland but are new Tampa residents and they are loving their new sunny lifestyle! They love to swim in the beautiful beaches, go standup paddleboarding, ride their beach cruiser bikes, and enjoy the warm outdoors together. Check out their engagement photos taken at Davis Island and Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.

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Amy and Danny- UCF Orlando Maternity

Family, Maternity, Orlando

I’m going to start this post with a few throwback pictures to my (wonderful) college days at the University of Central Florida…

I met that super sweet red-head during my sophomore year at UCF when I rushed Sigma Phi Lambda, or “Phi Lamb”. She has such a sweet and humble soul. We experienced so many great times during our years at UCF, including celebrating birthdays, bridal showers and weddings, serving as sorority officers, and so much more. My favorite memory of Amy is watching her fall in love with this tall guy in one of her classes, Danny. They fell in love…hard…and really fast. These two are meant for each other and their love only gets stronger as the years go by. It was such an honor to meet them back at UCF and photograph this special time in their life. Amy is such a beautiful pregnant lady and Danny beams with pride as he looks at his wife. Enjoy their maternity photos.

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Married: Hannah and Harold – Anniversary

Tampa, Wedding

One year ago, on July 14, 2013, Harold and Hannah became husband and wife in a beautiful church in Trinity, Florida. These two have such a unique love story (falling in love in South Korea!) and now they have started a life together in Tampa. 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.

“Our pastor gave the ceremony in English and Harold’s father was translating the ceremony into Spanish for Harold’s grandparents. So when the kissing segment of the ceremony arrived, we got to kiss twice–first, after the English translation, then again after the Spanish translation! We love how this photo captures that funny memory for us so well!”

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Denise and Nick- Bradenton, FL Wedding

Tampa, Wedding

Denise and Nick, and their sweet little girl Kinsley, were joined with their closest family and friends on their June wedding day in Bradenton, Florida. There were so many helping hands that contributed to the beauty and success of their special day including the gorgeous handmade bridesmaids skirts, flower girl gown, officiating the wedding, serving the reception food, lending a backyard for the perfect outside reception, and so much more! This day was a team effort and I loved being a part of it. One of my favorite moments from their wedding day was during the Father + Daughter dance and the Mother + Son dance. While Denise was dancing with her Dad, she invited all of the other Father and Daughter pairs to join them on the dance floor. Nick did the same thing when he was dancing with his Mom. Since this was such a family affair, so many pairs joined them. It was so sweet! I also loved the lawn games that were available for the guests during the reception. This was such a fun Florida backyard wedding! Enjoy the photos!

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Announcement: We are MOVING!

Michelle and David, Wedding

From the very beginning of our photography business, we have served Central Florida: Orlando, Gainesville, and Tampa and we have LOVED it… but things are changing! We have the amazing opportunity to move and explore a new part of our country. We are so excited to announce that we are {temporarily} relocating to NEW YORK CITY! David’s job is moving us for 6 months from August 2014  – Janury 2015. We are SO excited to explore the Northeast, experience a fall and winter, take photographs in a new location, and meet new people. If you are in the New York City/New Jersey area soon, let me know and I would LOVE to meet up with you and take some photos! We are there for only a short time but we are hoping to photograph weddings and portrait sessions while we are there! Please spread the news that Michelle Stoker Photography is headed to the Big Apple!!!

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Styled Shoot: Emily and Thomas – Tampa, FL Photography

Tampa

“I’m sooo excited! I need more Tampa friends… and they are photographers?! This is perfect!!!” Those were my words as David and I drove to meet Emily and Thomas for brunch at their place a few weeks ago. Emily and Thomas are young, beautiful, talented photographers, and so in love!! Our morning brunch date quickly turned into lunch and a lovely afternoon talking photography tips, tricks, and lessons learned. As David and I drove away, I said “My heart is so happy. They are going to be our new best friends!” and…. that’s exactly what happened. 🙂 Emily and I text each other all the time and somehow during our conversations, we came up with the brilliant idea to style a photo shoot together and use each other as models!  The best part was Emily said she would let me use her Contax film camera!! I LOVE the look of film. It is so soft and dreamy. The colors are so lovely. I love digital photos but I was very excited to shoot film!

The morning of our styled shoot came and it was a very warm, humid day at Philippe Park in west Tampa. We brought all of our props: lemons, flower crown, sunflowers, lemonade, old books, mason jars, a blueberry lemon cake and so much more. We had such a great time photographing each other (and our boys!). I learned a lot about film…. the camera body is hefty, the manual focus ring can be tricky, and mostly, that I had to be intentional on every shot. Each click of the shutter costs money and uses up the roll, so I had to create the exact image that I wanted. This was definitely a learning experience and I’m excited to try again with film! Enjoy our styled shoot! (All of the photos below were captured on a Contax 645 film camera and are completely untouched. These are the original scans.)

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Married: Anna and Martin – Anniversary

Wedding

One year ago, on June 9, 2013, Anna and Martin committed their lives to each other in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Delray Beach, Florida. Anna and Martin were both so relaxed and elated to start their wedding day! Their ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so fun! To celebrate their first anniversary, I asked the happy newlyweds to look back on their wedding pictures and to pick a few that mean a lot to them.

“We love a couple of photos- the first one is our first kiss. We love this photo because not only was it our first kiss as husband and wife, but it captures our family and friends in the background. Our wedding was so much fun because of the people who celebrated with us and I was glad that they were a part of this special picture too!

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Christina and Ruben- Winter Garden Wedding

Orlando, Wedding

Christina and Ruben became husband and wife in late March at the beautiful Tanner Hall in Winter Garden, Florida. Before the ceremony, this sweet Bride and Groom decided to have a First Look in downtown Winter Garden. I LOVE First Looks! It’s such a sweet, intimate time to truly enjoy your soon-to-be spouse before the craziness of the day. Ruben had the biggest smile on his face when he saw his beautiful bride for the first time. This wedding was full of love, support, dancing, family, and friends. I hope you enjoy these images from their wedding day!

Bed and Breakfast: The Historic Edgewater Hotel
Venue: Tanner Hall
Catering: Cocktails Catering

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Family: Happy Mother’s Day 2014

Family, Orlando, Personal, Tampa

I love the month of May! Spring is here, there’s a week to appreciate teachers, David and I celebrate our anniversary on the 13th, and of course, we show our sweet Moms how much we love them! Happy Mother’s Day!! I am so so lucky to have three sweet mamas in my life. I appreciate these women so much and the love and support they have given me over the years.

Happy Mother’s Day to my sweet Mom, Linda.
Thank you for supporting me in all my crazy adventures and for loving me along the way. You always know how to keep the party going and to find the Sunshine in every situation. You are my biggest fan, Momma Mouse!

Happy Mother’s Day to my older sister, Carissa!
You are Mama to two sweet little girls and I have loved watching you mature and grow over the years. I have learned so much from watching you!
I hope you get a nice long nap today.

Photo by KT Crabb Photography – May 13, 2011 VIEW POST

THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS