Saadia Me*Chel Photograpy

About Saadia Me*Chel Carnes

Welcome!

I am an Atlanta based, wedding photographer but more importantly I am an artist. I believe that there is beauty in everything and that life, itself, is beautiful in all of its uncertainty. My camera serves as a powerful tool, allowing me to express my creativity in amazing, sometimes unconventional ways. I am able to use the medium of photography to capture the magnificence and beauty of the world as well as the people in it. I look forward to meeting you, reading your comments, and sharing my work with you. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. I hope you come back soon and often! To book the studio email us at studio@saadiamechel.com

~Saadia Me*Chel

Photo of me © 2010 Ross Oscar Knight. All rights reserved

Happy Anniversary!

January 24th, 2012

Wowzers! Where did the time go?! Since I poured my heart out to you in this post you know exactly how I feel about you Mr. L. You’re the ying to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the night to my day, simply put… I can’t exist without you. We move in perfect balance. Two halves of one whole. I love you my dear. Happy Anniversary!

Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again

Monday Musings – January Blues

January 23rd, 2012

January seems to be the slowest month of the year. I don’t know if it’s the weather or a lull that sets in after all the holiday shopping but… it seems everything comes to a stand still in the beginning of the year. As a business owner, I feel the sting of the new year. I start to wondering if I will book any weddings or portraits sessions because the phone isn’t ringing and the emails aren’t coming in. I resolve that once the dreary January blues pack up their bags and leave, things will start to pick back up. So for now… I just sit, wait and prepare for what is to come. I mean after all, there are 11 more months in this year for something amazing to happen. Stay encouraged my friends!

~Saadia Me’Chel

Here are a few exciting, (a)musing things to start your week:

If you are looking for a cute dress or some killer shoes you should hop on over to Modcloth. Let me warn you though, they have a lot of cute things and you may spend more than you plan.

I’m a big fan of the Resident Evil series (the game and the movies). A teaser trailer for the new movie was recently released. Check it out!

Ifttt.com – Put the Internet to work for you by creating tasks and/or triggers. I use this to post my Instagram photos to my Facbook page & Tumblr blog. It can be used to create a variety of tasks. I like this because it saves me the trouble of having to post something to all my social media outlets. I create a task and it does all the work for me. Easy peasey!

I love finding new iPhone apps. Someone told me about Flipboard a few days ago and I’m absolutely obsessed with it now. It puts all your social media and things that interest you all in one place in a “magazine” format. It’s great! Go download it for your iPhone or iPad and tell me what you think.

Like Photoshop tutorials? Here is a good one that uses frequency separation to retouch photos.

I was able to get tickets to Jasmine Star’s “The Fix” in Atlanta. I’m looking forward to meeting Jasmine and learning some things that will hopefully help me run my business better. Check to see if she’s coming to a city near you.

Here is some photography inspiration for you:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

~Saadia Me’Chel

Atlanta Portrait Photography | 52 Weeks Project – Week 14 “Sisters”

January 19th, 2012

I remember her fondly as a baby but she is definitely not a baby anymore. They sure grow up fast.

 

Atlanta Portrait Photography | 52 Weeks Project – Week 13 “Model”

January 18th, 2012

I fancy myself a model and I swear if I would have been blessed with long, svelte legs I would’ve been all over the modeling industry. Alas, I was not fortunate enough to be tall so I will just be happy with taking the pictures instead of being in them. Once again the iPhone swoops in to save the day. This was taken and edited with my iPhone. Can you believe it?! I love this phone more and more everyday.

 

Engagement Giveaway

January 16th, 2012

I love engagement photos. There is so much love and excitement between a couple during their engagement session. Engagement sessions are so much fun because it gives me the opportunity to get to know an amazing couple and… couples are generally so relaxed, calm and stress free that it turns out to be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Amidst all the stress that surrounds wedding planning, it’s a perfect time for a couple to be able just enjoy each other and be in love. So in celebration of my love for engagement sessions, the many couples that got engaged over the holidays, and Valentine’s day being right around the corner… I want to give away an engagement session to one lucky couple.

Here’s what you need to do to enter the giveaway:

1. Email us at studio@saadiamechel.com a photo of you and your spouse-to-be along with a little story about how he proposed and the reason why you would like to win. Do not worry about the quality of your photo!

2. Like our Facebook page here: http://facebook.com/saadia.mechel.photography

3. Tweet: “I just entered to win an engagement shoot with @saadiamechel. Check it out! http://www.saadiamechel.com/blog/2012/01/16/engagement-giveaway”

or on your Facebook status: “I just entered to win an engagement shoot with @Saadia MeChel Photography. Check it out! http://www.saadiamechel.com/blog/2012/01/16/engagement-giveaway”

4. Ask your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers or anyone you know to go and vote for your photo on our Facebook page. In order for their vote to count, they have to like our Facebook page as well. The two photos with the most votes will be entered into a random drawing and a winner will be chosen.

The winner will receive an engagement session, a DVD with edited images AND a mounted 11×14 print. The price is valued at $700!

And since I know how hard everyone works during these giveaways, everyone who participates will get 15% off an engagement session or 5% off one of our wedding packages.

Voting begins January 23rd and will be closed on February 9th at midnight. The winner will be announced on February 10th. So go ahead and submit your photos and stories right away!

I can’t wait to hear all your stories!

~Saadia Me’Chel

*Engagement sessions must take place in the greater metro Atlanta area. Otherwise, you will be required to pay for travel expenses*

So This is What Love Really Is

January 15th, 2012

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness
And let the winds of Heaven dance between you..
Love one another but make not a bond of love
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls
Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each …one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.”

~Gibran

As I sat there, pushing the food around on my plate, I listened intently to the words flowing from his mouth. He smiled and the corners of his eyes creased ever so slightly and I realized just how wonderful he really is. I do this sometimes, just sit and watch him. I study every angle of his face making sure I remember everything about him… the color of his eyes, the way he smiles, his laugh, his facial expressions, the sound of his voice. I can’t believe sometimes that he is mine, that he has chosen to love me. I mean that’s what real love is anyway, a choice. A state of mind that comes from time and experience together with someone. It’s about forming a partnership, a friendship with another person and creating an environment where two people can support each other through all the ups and downs of life. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m also madly in love Mr. L but I think love that last a lifetime, is more about love that exists in the in between moments. In the day to day routine business of life, through the mundane and monotonous. It is even in these moments, I can sit across a table from him and say to him “I Love You” and really truly mean it. Because let’s be real, life is not always some overarching, high sweeping love story. Those types of things only happen in the movies and truthfully is only one small facet of what love truly means. Love is something that grows over time when it is nurtured and protected. We have definitely had our “growing pains” over the years but I can honestly say we have worked hard for the love we share because it is special to us. I shake my head sometimes at some of the things I’ve done in the past that have jeopardized our love. I was foolish and naive. Fortunately, God has blessed Mr. L with the right set of characteristics and the exact personality needed to “deal” with me. Loving someone can be hard, it takes a lot of active work but it has filled my life with so much joy and happiness. He makes me laugh until I can’t breathe. He calls me on my crap. Pushes me forward when I feel like I can’t move. Shows me he loves me when the world feels like it’s closing in. Feeds me when I can’t afford to eat. Listens to me when I need to talk. Consoles me when my heart is aching. Plays with me when I want to act like a kid. Watches movies with me that he doesn’t want to see. Prays with me when my faith feels shaken. He makes sacrifices for me. My cup runneth over, my heart is full… so this is what love really is.

~Saadia

Photo courtesy of Aragon Photography

Atlanta Portrait Photography | 52 Weeks Project – Week 12 “Colors of the Rainbow”

December 28th, 2011

This past week was very hectic with the holidays approaching so I didn’t have time to take out my DSLR to shoot my self-portrait. They say the best camera is the one you have with you so I took out my iPhone and was able to capture the following pictures. It’s amazing how far camera phones have come. I was able to edit this photo right from my iPhone! Although, it certainly doesn’t replace my DSLR and Photoshop… it is definitely convenient to have these tools readily available to use.

Saadia Me’Chel

 

 

Atlanta Portrait Photography | 52 Weeks Project – Week 11 “Helping Hand”

December 21st, 2011

There are over 27 million people throughout the world living in modern-day slavery. Even here in the U.S., where sex trafficking has become a major problem, there are people who are enslaved. This is an issue that I am very passionate about. If you’d like to find more information about modern-day slavery and how you can help, please visit Free the Slaves. There are so many individuals who just need someone to stand up and against the injustices that plague our society today. Will you offer a helping hand?

~Saadia Me*Chel

The New Saadia Me’Chel Photography

December 20th, 2011

I’ve been working really hard over the last few months to rebrand myself. It has taken a lot of work, time and effort but I am proud to say that I have something that is my own. I designed everything myself… the logo, website, blog and business card. I finished the last touches on everything last week so please forgive me for not blogging. I was a busy bee. Rest assured though, I will be back on track this week. Please check out my new website and let me know what you think. I’ve embedded it into my blog below but you can click here to see it as well. I’d love to hear your feedback. I’ll post images of my new business cards as soon as I get them.

Flash Required to view this area.

~Saadia Me*Chel

Monday Musings – National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

December 19th, 2011

 

 

I’m definitely the type of person that likes to stay knowledgeable about the things going on in the world. On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Bill the bill. The NDAA “contains some language that allows the Pentagon to effectively wage a cyberwar on any domestic enemies of the state. The bill is a serious violation of First Amendment human and civil rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the legislation could potentially quelch attempts from the whistleblowers in independent news media from exposing corruption from within the government” (Dave Smith, http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/268638/20111216/ndaa-suppress-internet-freedom.htm).

Currently the bill is awaiting either the signature or veto of the President. Thus far all of the President’s advisor are suggesting he sign the bill. If this bill is allowed to become law, the rights granted to American citizens through the Bill of Rights (free speech, free press, right to a trial) will the eliminated. In essence, the President will have the authorization to send the military ANYWHERE in the world to imprison citizens without a charge or a trial. As you can see, this violates every Americans civil liberties. It is my belief that the government is suppose to protect the rights of the people. I cannot idly sit by while such things are being discussed on the Congress floor. It’s a shame what the government will try to pass all for the sake of protecting this country from “terrorist.” Don’t just take my word for it, there are numerous resources out there at your disposal. The link I’ve included is a good place to start and if after some reading, if you feel this isn’t right… let your voice be heard.

~Saadia Me’Chel

 
Facebook
Twitter

Blog Theme by LJP & SLR Lounge