Apologies, I have been majorly neglecting this blog – the whole site actually. I’ve been pretty busy lately and just haven’t been able to find the time to devote to it. Since it’s the new year and I have a little personal and professional news to share I figured I’d stop in and do a little update.

First off, I got engaged in November. (Told you I’ve been neglecting!) My fiance, Brandon, and I met in high school after I stalked and creeped on him for a couple years without him knowing I even existed. We became friends, started dating, and have been together since. It’s been 10 years. We went to Boston to celebrate our anniversary. Before that day, I had a feeling this might be coming but on the actual day, we were so super busy with my nieces birthday party in the morning, heading to Boston, getting dressed and ready to go out on the town, that I had sort of forgotten about the notion. We went for a walk on the Charles River near our hotel and long story short, he popped the question. I won’t go into details because I’m a little bit of a private person. But it was chilly, it was dark, it was pretty (I had just taken a photo of the awesome Boston skyline view), and I cried. Which I did not expect would happen. All in all, it was memorable but not public and both of those things make me happy.

So really, since November, we have been telling people the news and beginning to make plans, more so since after the holiday rush. We haven’t decided on much yet but there will be a wedding in 2012. It’s going to go quick, so I’ve been already researching like a madwoman. Unlike many women, I haven’t been dreaming about a wedding since I was 3 years old, so I have a lot of catching up to do. In the end, I’ll be marrying my best friend of 10 years and that’s all that really matters. So as you can assume, just with this one thing, I’ve been kind of busy.

On top of getting engaged and the holidays which are always kind of nutty to keep up with, I’ve started researching and getting a portfolio together for a new venture I am pursuing professionally: real estate photography. I’ve talked with many pros in the field and they have all been extremely helpful and honest with me which I can say I wasn’t expecting. The responses I’ve gotten from emails to strangers (who I will be, in some cases, in direct competition with) have gone above and beyond what I expected when I wrote them. On top of that, they all suggested a flickr group and community website where I have been welcomed and given sound advice countless times already. I know I have been a bit flighty in the past with my ventures but I can honestly say that this one is by far the most exciting because of all the advice I have gotten from those in the field already. I can’t thank those people enough. I’ve only shot a couple homes so far, but I have more in the works just to get a portfolio started. I have learned so much just in the month or so I’ve been doing this. After that, I have a fairly solid plan of how to get started, something I’ve never really bothered to do before. I’ll share a couple images I’ve come up with so far – just so you see where I’m going with it.

If you have a beautiful home (or even just a really well decorated lovely room or two) that you would be interested and willing to have me come and take photos, I would really appreciate the opportunity. Building a portfolio of images doesn’t necessarily mean I have to shoot a home on the market, I just need to be able to show and hone in on my skills.

In the next year or so, I’ll be getting married and hopefully starting a new successful business venture. Besides these, more inevitable changes are coming in the next year. I may be rehashing this entire website/blog. But, more on that later as I haven’t quite decided where I’m going with it. Stay tuned!

I recently attended a photo walk in Worcester’s Hope Cemetery for the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk. I have the opportunity to win some neat stuff but I can only choose ONE image to enter. I am so terrible at self editing, something I’m working on. But I only have two days left and I still haven’t made a decision. Can you all help me decide which to submit?

I’ve numbered them all. Please, please, please comment with the number you like best. If you’re not much of a blog commenter, you can reach me at joycemichaud@gmail.com. I’d SO appreciate your vote! Thanks in advance.

It’s not every day I get to shoot three beautiful ladies. Ok, so two of them were dogs, but they were beautiful nonetheless. Meet, Missy, Eva, and Izzy.

Shooting animals, especially dogs, is always so spontaneous. Unexpected moments pop up so often and trying to capture them takes quick reflexes (and shutter speeds). I love shooting animals for that exact reason. You never know what you’re going to get. Makes my job really fun.

The Open Road Music and Arts Festival was held for a second year at Institute Park in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 10, 2011. Last year I was asked by a friend and the organizer of the festival to shoot some pictures of the day and I gladly agreed. This year was no exception to that. We should all recognize the value and importance of our local culture, art, and music, and Worcester (you know who you are) is no exception! One thing that really gets me amped about the Open Road Fest people is they are trying to do this all with sustainability in mind. For instance: all the electricity used was put back on the grid by wind power via Mass Energy Consumers Alliance. That is just the icing on the cake for me.

The new pavillion/band stand at Institute Park is far nicer than the old one that was there last year. Nice to see improvements come to Worcester when we often see things rot away for far too long.

Spending just a short time at the fest you can see there is clearly an abundance of talent around these parts.

Ok, so let’s review: Local art, great music, awesome food, community and sustainability. Yep, I could go for all that. Looking forward to next year. Hope to see you all there!

Hi all!

Yesterday I FINALLY started posting stuff to my Etsy store that has been open since December 2009. It’s about time, right?! I am selling off some print inventory that I currently have here from past years of doing stART on the Street and various other shows. I am also going to get around to posting some Holga prints that I have laying around. If there is anything you see that you like on my site/blog that you’d like to see on Etsy, please don’t hesitate to throw me suggestions! What I like and what the public likes, I’ve found are two very different things.

Aside from prints of my photos and paintings (and maybe an original or two), I am also posting some handmade hemp jewelry. I have been making hemp jewelry since I was a kid. Every summer I get in the mood to make new jewelry. The problem with it is every time I make something I really love I keep it for myself! I get more compliments on the jewelry I make myself than anything I’ve ever bought in a store (except maybe these awesome feather earrings I got a few months ago). This year I’ve vowed to make beautiful things and actually share them with others instead of hoarding them for myself. There are only a few things up right now, but I am currently making more and getting them up as I go. Again, any suggestions, please let me know. If you’d like something specific and would like something custom, let me know your ideas. Everything I make is custom and unique but I can certainly make something to your specifications if you have something in mind.

Here are a couple pieces that are up so far:

There is something you should know about me. I love the ocean. I rarely get to see it. I would love to live near the water so I could take full advantage of the inspiration and comfort it gives me. I can’t explain it. I just love it. When I was a kid we used to stay at my uncle’s house in West Dennis for about a week each summer. Some of my fondest memories of those trips was going for walks on the beach after dinner when it started getting dark. I absolutely love the beach at the later hours when mostly everyone has left and it starts getting windy and chilly out. It’s just so peaceful and pretty at twilight.

Last month I took a trip to the Cape for a long weekend with Brandon and one thing I absolutely had to do was go to the beach – any beach – at night, this time with my camera. As Brandon had just bought a new (video) camera that he wanted to play with, he brought his gear along as well. After we had dinner and drinks that night I searched for the nearest beach in the GPS and went to the first one I found. It ended up being a really nice, quiet beach and there were hardly any people there. Don’t ask me where we were.  What happened next surprised me more than anything…I got inspired!  WHAT? This never happens to me anymore! I always have some voice in the back of my head telling me, “shoot this, it might make you some money” and “oh, don’t bother with that, you won’t make anything off that shot”. I somehow mustered up the courage to tell that voice to shut the hell up and leave me alone for just a little while.

We parted ways almost the second we got on the beach and found our own places and things to shoot. I went a little nuts taking long exposures of the water. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I lost track of time just walking around shooting. I honestly can’t remember the last time I got lost in it like that. The beach closed at 9 and we just made it out in time. I walked away feeling pretty decent at the feeling I had of being inspired. I was excited again to look at my shots and I was excited to get home, edit, and share them. If I got nothing else from that short trip, I walked away knowing I can still be inspired and it’s possible for me to just let go. And that in and of itself is inspiring!

Hi there! Just felt like posting a recent image today that I kinda like. Yeah, it’s kinda corky and yeah, it’s very “stock”. But, given the guy in the shot (my boyfriend, a videographer) I find it appropriate. And well, frankly, I don’t post enough here so when I had a few minutes of downtime I decided to update with something. I thought it appropriate, also, to point out that he is now a freelancer and …*ahem*… if you need any sort of video/editing work done…he’s your guy! www.brandonvincent.net

Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 the Red Sox played the White Sox at home at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. About a week ago we bagged a double play pack. This was the first of two. I decided to drag some gear with me. I managed to get a few good shots of the players, the park, and the pre-game Memorial Day festivities. The game was sort of deflating, resulting in a loss. But it was still a good time as always at good old Fenway.

These, plus many more, are available for viewing/editorial purchase at: Shutterstock . There are some up other places, but frankly, I really don’t feel like linking a bunch of times to the same images. Saves me and you the trouble!

Danielle and Evan were great kids to work with. Dani is a happy go lucky little thing…crawling around and doing her own thing. She wasn’t too concerned with me but she wasn’t too concerned with much else either except of course her brother Evan who was being a wacky, playful, 2 year old. With the help of Mom and Nonny (and lots of scoobie snack bribes for Evan), we managed to get some great shots of them. These are a few.

Lately I’ve been in the mood to do some restorations. If you’re looking to have an old, discolored, or damaged image restored but don’t know where to turn, we should talk! A restored photo makes a great gift and Father’s Day is coming up!

Prices are as follows: $5 per image scan up to 8 1/2 x 11. $35/hour – Quote provided after initial assessment of image. Price will be adjusted as needed when work is complete. Print price list available upon request – must purchase at least one print, any size, as no digital copy will be provided of completed restoration.