Southern Bride Magazine 2010 Fashion Shoot - Memphis Wedding Photographers

This soon to be released issue for 2010 will feature some of the images that I shot with my team last summer. We had a great shoot with a tropical rainforest theme designed for brides to embrace the elements of nature. My beautiful wife Janice handled the incredible hair fashions for the shoot which gave the models an extra touch of elegance. Shooting in a southern rainforest has it's challenges. We treked through about a mile of narrow trails on a muddy day using a Kawasaki Mule 4 wheeler. Once we reached our scouted destination, we had to deal with a very hot humid day, full with mosquitos, bugs, poison ivy and a few snakes. Fortunately, the models braved the elements that most brides won't have to. I've shot in locations in the Jamaican rainforest, many tropical islands, and up in high mountain terrain, I'd say this was about the most challenging shoot dealing with the heat. One of the models got attacked by a mosquito, which whelped up on her face after a few minutes. Of course, timing each model arriving by 4 wheeler caused some delays, and our day got away from us fast. We shot in morning sunlight, mid-day sun, afternoon direct sunlight, late afternoon sun, and that perfect light at the end of the day, and for the last segment, some rainclouds came upon us for the wrap up. Special thanks to Southern Bride Magazine and their editors, the staff, the interns, and all of the models, makeup artists, florists, drivers, gear roadies, and the Memphis Museum team for helping us simulate a real southern rainforest. As you can see, the results were well worth the work and sweat.

New York Fashion Shoot - WeddingSalon.com -Filmindesign - Weddingindesign

We were on location this week in NYC shooting for a bridal fashion line. The shoot included shooting a HD short film for the designer. Here are a couple of behind the scenes photos from our shoot in Central Park...In this scene Michael is shooting on the 5D Mark II HDDSLR using the steadicam system. As you can see the model for the shoot, well she is simply gorgeous! The weather was also perfect, with the change in seasons, we were able to shoot summer looks, and fall looks with the dramatic colors of the changing leaves. Here our crew was shooting some steadicam footage.

We were also featured in the world's most prestigious wedding showcase, The Wedding Salon Bridal Show. Located at the Roosevelt Hotel, this prestigious high end wedding show gave brides the chance to meet David Tutera and the legendary Sylvia Weinstock, among others. There was an amazing bridal fashion show, beauty services featuring Yves Saint Laurent, hors d’ oeuvres, cocktails & fabulous gift bags, the show was a huge success, where brides came from all over the world to see the finest in wedding planning, design, photography and more..

Caia & Chris's Wedding - Memphis Weddings

Caia & Chris had a very posh event beginning at The Madison Hotel, then on the Grace St Luke's Cathedral, with an elegant reception at the Memphis Country Club. We had just a few minutes to photograph a few bridal portraits of Caia in this beautiful wedding gown which we loved. The guys were all perfect gentlemen for their session at The Madison Hotel, with appropriate black tuxedos for their formal wear. Congratulations to Caia and Chris, who will be honeymooning in Europe.

Jessica and Billy's Wedding - Memphis Tennessee Weddings

Congratulations to Jessica and Billy on their recent wedding. We had a blast photographing their wedding day, Jessica was a beautiful bride and we really loved her incredible dress. They had so much fun, we almost forgot what time the ceremony started. Later in the evening, they hosted a very chic wedding reception at the China Exhibition at The Memphis Zoo. It was a very posh event, where the guests were treated with food from the four corners of the world. We had perfect weather for the outdoor event, and the celebration lasted until the early morning. Here is just a small sample of some of the photograph highlights from their wedding.

Sarah & Ben's Wedding - Memphis Tennessee

I love classic church weddings. The beauty and simplicity of each element of the wedding day combined with a beautiful church setting is artistic. Capturing each little special moment of the day is something a bride & groom will cherish for their lifetime. Sarah & Ben asked me to photograph their wedding about a year in advance, which gave us time to get to know one another, and gave Sarah time to focus on the details of her wedding planning. We did an engagement shoot and created a guest signature book, which everyone at the reception fell in love with. Sarah & Ben's tender affection for one another was evident in each frame that I shot, and at the same time they were relaxed, having fun their entire wedding day. I love it when I arrive in the bridal room early in the day and find the bride just smiling and laughing, it sets the tone for the entire day for everyone involved. It also gives me time to capture some special moments.

Here are just a few of Sarah & Ben's photographs from their very special day. Congratulations Sarah & Ben!

Serengeti Sunset - Michael Allen Photography

Every year we travel to some of our favorite vacation spots along the gulf coast from Perdido Key to Seaside Florida. As a photographer I stay so busy shooting for clients, magazines, and numerous assignments, I sometimes like to take a break and go on a personal shooting safari to see what I shoot for fun. Here is one shot that looks like the African Serengeti, but was actually shot from the balcony of my house through the treetops. An incredible display of clouds and the last shot of the day. This one will go in my collection of gallery prints for my next exhibit.