November 27, 2011 was the day we became husband and wife. It was one of the most life-altering decisions we've ever made, but here we are! Seven years later, and our love for one another just keeps growing! It's out of that friendship that that we found our passion in wedding photography. We value the relationships that our couples have, not only with each other, but also with us!
Who we are
Michele Armstrong
Let me first start by saying that I'm the more introverted one of us! I balance Jeff out in that way. I'm very observant and have the gift of paying great attention to detail. I can be a awkward at times and it's ok if that makes you feel better about yourself, haha! I've been an artist my whole life. There's not much else better than making someone happy with something that I create.
I love clean eating, but I sometimes splurge on really delicious things like queso! I'm not real outdoorsy like Jeff is, but I love house plants- I buy the ones that are really hard to kill. I really dislike uncomfortable shoes- I wear heels as long as I can because they make me feel pretty, but bring my Toms for the inevitable. I used to tell my mother that I would never have children, but Jeff and I had a surprise honeymoon baby. I ended up actually liking my own kids (ha!). I love my family and being a mother so much.
Christ and the Gospel are more important than anything else to me, but I'm not a perfect person and won't be as long as I'm living on this Earth.
Michele’s Quick Facts
Enjoys working out and mountain-biking
Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Favorite Food: Steak Tacos (really good ones from fancy taco places)
Favorite Movie: Click
Random Super-Power: “Lie-dar”
My favorite things in the world besides my faith and family are my cameras, a good game of Monopoly, walks in the woods, Asian food, and connecting with people (preferably over fine Asian food dinner). Maybe I shouldn't be writing this while I'm hungry : )
I believe every person is valuable because we’re all made in the image of God—that carries into how I approach my work. I also think people are greatly defined by what they most cherish. I aim to take this thinking into every relationship and scenario that I find myself in, remembering that I am serving something greater than my pocketbook.
My deepest treasure is Jesus Christ and what He called "The Good News". Nothing is more freeing to know that God loves me and that He would pursue me to the extent of sending His own Son to die, even when I was his enemy. This truth gives me faith and confidence to not only approach others with that same heart of good-will, but to find strength to go beyond my own strength and serve others. This is something that I take into my work as a wedding photographer.
Three things that REALLY excite me: 1) when I get to help someone relax and learn something helpful, 2) when I'm learning something new, and 3) when I see someone learning something that I've learned. If you can't tell I'm very "learning" oriented. I feel like I'm a passionate person and I love making others feel excited about things, and as soon as I learn whatever it may be, I love explaining it. (ENFJ all the way, if you're about that Myers-Briggs)
As we get to know each other, you'll find me to be a deeply committed friend, husband, and father who loves to meet and exceed expectations. I highly value communication and being very organized, while I also prize spontaneity, as some of life's most precious moments are unplanned.
Jeff’s Quick Facts
Loves optimizing health and fitness
Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Favorite Food: Ribeye Steak (Medium Rare)
Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings (Return of the King)
Random Super-Power: Can spot four-leaf clovers from 10ft away without even looking for them
Our Family
Our Dog, Bingo:
How Jeff & MIchele met
Jeff's side of the story: It was my University of Louisville orientation back in 2007. Like all freshman, I wasn't completely sure what to expect, but I felt like anything could happen. With that being the case, I wasn't expecting to meet my wife that day. But that cute, outgoing girl that walked up and started talking to me that day at UofL. It wasn't until about two years later that she became my girlfriend. You hear people say this, but I really knew she was the one. And now, after being married for five years, I can't thank God enough for how awesome of a wife, mother, friend, and partner she is.
Michele's side of the story: So, there he was, standing with his weight shifted to one side, arms crossed, a youth large thrift-store shirt that barely grazed the top of his pants (that was trendy then, ha!), and to top it all off...a large golden belt-buckle. Jeff was...eclectic. His curly locks were unforgettable; I thought he was pretty cute! I had never met someone before him that seemed to love Jesus and other people so much. It wasn't abnormal to witness him going out of his way randomly to bless other people or things as simple as going the speed limit. But, he has always been very humble and I've never felt judged by him. He was different than many other guys, for sure! The first time he asked me out, he suggested we go to his family farm to fish. I was a "city girl" and had never been fishing- it was a real adventure. We really learned to know each other over the next couple of years, and one day he asked me to be his bride! I was ecstatic and still cherish the day I saw him smiling from ear to ear as I walked down the aisle. He's an amazing husband and father to our children, and I grow more and more in love with him every day.
Photo courtesy of Rach Loves Troy
Why we love working together
Michele: Jeff has an extraordinary ability to communicate with people and make others feel comfortable, one of the reasons I married him! He has never met a stranger and he has a great sense of humor! It makes me so proud to see him make someone laugh. He balances me out in so many ways, reminding me constantly of why we are such a good match. He's the most kind and openly compassionate person I have ever met- we've been married for almost 6 years, so I have seen him at his worst.
Jeff: Michele gives her all at whatever she does and will not stop short of excellence. She clings tenaciously to her high standards and she won't stop until she reaches her goals. This comes out in her wedding photography as always aiming to create images that resonate with her ever-cultivating vision for beauty and joy. She will stop at nothing to catch a moment between two lovers, family members, or guests at weddings. It brings me so much happiness to see our brides and grooms excited about the amazingly detail oriented, fun, and personal images that she creates. Michele has helped me grow in my ability and desire to produce photographs that will matter to our brides and grooms--photos that are not only beautiful, but also emotionally impactful.
Photo courtesy of Kelli Lynn Photography
What sets us apart
We're very careful here to say that we don't claim to be "better" than anyone. However, we feel that there are specific people we are most suited to serve. If you've made it this far, we have a pretty good hunch that you may be one of those people!
As a husband wife wedding photography team, we feel that we're very equipped to serve couples in three ways...
We're personable people who thrive on genuine relationships. We like working to produce amazing photographs that are both meaningful and exciting to you.
Since we've been through the wedding process, we can relate to how daunting, potentially stressful, and overwhelming it can be. It's that knowledge that we use to drive us to be there for you to help you feel relaxed and confident and to push ourselves to capture the images that we know we would have loved on our wedding day.
As a husband-wife team, we're capturing two unique perspectives. Since we always work together, we communicate well and know what to expect of one another. And, you will know what to expect too! Jeff follows the guys and Michele follows the girls. You can see how our styles are complimentary by viewing the pre-ceremony portions of our galleries. Every wedding and gallery on our website, was photographed by the two of us, together, and every review that you read is the product of us working together.
We are full- time wedding photographers. That means we are extra available to take your calls and answer your emails throughout most of the week, and we make it a point to be super prepared and relaxed for your wedding day, so we can give it our all.
Our Style & Philosophy
Our vision for producing photos is to capture something that can add to your legacy--photos that speak volumes about who you are, what you value, and the love between you and your spouse. We believe that your story is a gift and that others should experience your story and it's joy. It has deep meaning.
For this reason, we craft everything--our style, our albums, and our photo taking from an heirloom perspective. We believe in telling your story to your kids, their grand-kids, and/or to those most important in your life. The leads us to pursue a documentary approach and a natural editing style that is timeless, undistracting, and welcoming.
We consider ourselves to be photojournalists as well as fine art wedding photographers, capturing real moments with an aesthetic eye.
We love using our artistic perspectives to highlight several things in our photographs:
Relationships from candid perspectives that emphasize emotion
Flattering and interesting lighting that highlights our subjects, making the photos of intrinsic aesthetic value
Suggestive themes such as movement, both real or implied by the composition in order to create "living" images that spark the imagination
Having natural interaction and capturing interesting details, giving strong impression not only the people and/or things in the photograph, but also the "essence" and mood of your story
Hasn't it become well-known that everyone in our day is a "photographer"? We believe our approach allows us to offer something different than merely having a camera and taking photos. Instead, what you're receiving is us and our eye for beauty, meaning, and emotionally valuable photographs that will allow you to more deeply cherish and enjoy the mood, moments, and interactions of your wedding day.
Our type of Bride
So, you might be thinking, "do Jeff and Michele have a specific type of person they like working with the most?" And though we'd love to be the perfect fit for everyone we honestly feel that there's a certain "bride" that is a "Jeff & Michele" kind of bride. It's a fairly broad description, but we've noticed that most of our brides that we jive with are...
Deeply committed to family
Hard working, but knows how to have fun and relax
Very personal and friendly, yet professional
Appreciative of the details in our photos
Lover of being organized, but can be spontaneous
Focused on caring for others/not all about themselves
IN LOVE with our photos
Comfortable with us
We strongly believe that our best work is produced by the relationships we form. Natural-looking photos are a result of connecting with people. It's these people we most want to connect with so that we can make something awesome together!
If you think you're one of these, please contact us right now and we'll get back with you as soon as we can!