Hi friends! So you may or may not have heard about the newest social media challenge going around called the #michaelschallenge. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s where you and a friend go into any Michaels store and have a mini photoshoot. YES, A PHOTOSHOOT, in the middle of Michaels. Most of the images I’ve seen are taken in their floral aisle, and to be honest, I’ve been pretty amazed that some of these images are taken in a store that’s filled with fluorescent lighting! There was a small part of me that wanted to try it, but because of my introverted personality, I decided to just live vicariously through the hashtag online, until yesterday 🙂
When Katie, one of my 2018 Brides, tagged me in a #michaelschallenge post on Facebook and offered to be my model, I jumped at the opportunity! My introverted personality got shoved to the back burner and I could not have been more excited! Side Note: One of my favorite things about being a photographer is getting to meet and connect with so many different people. Some I only have interaction with before and at their session, and after I send them their gallery, that’s it, which is totally fine! But sometimes, I meet people who I know I was meant to be friends with, and Katie is one of those people. By the end of her wedding consult back in January, you would have sworn we had been friends for years! Everything lined up, similarities, likes, interests, dislikes, we even found out we not only attended the same show (Theresa Caputo) the next state over, but literally sat near each other and didn’t even know it! How crazy!
Anyway, because I didn’t want to step on any toes, I made sure to call our local Michaels store the day before we planned on going just to make sure they allowed it. The manager I spoke with was so nice and actually excited about us doing it! His exact words were, “We encourage it! We’ll see you tomorrow!” How awesome is that?! When Katie and I showed up, I made sure to introduce myself and let the staff know what we would be doing. Again, we were met with enthusiasm and told to have a great time. With that, Katie and I headed straight to the floral section and let me just say, we had an absolute blast! If you have been thinking about participating in the #michaelschallenge but were hesitant for fear of being kicked out, don’t be! Michaels is actually encouraging people to do this because it’s awesome publicity for their stores! If you don’t have a big fancy camera, don’t worry, you can still have fun! All you need is a friend who is willing to model for you and a phone with a camera! Just make sure you give your local store a heads-up before you go, just so they are in the know! And you should probably anticipate being stared at. A LOT.
Enjoy some of my favorite images from our #michaelschallenge below! Happy Thursday!
My favorite! Katie, you’re so pretty!
Her ring is so gorgeous! I can’t wait to photograph it even more in May!
Thank you so much for being my model Katie! I had so much fun!
