Bakersfield photographer, contemporary photography bio picture

Welcome to here


Hi and thanks for visiting! I'm Michael Campbell, a photographer in Bakersfield, California. I am all about a carefree & relaxed approach to my photography. Contemporary portraiture of children of all ages, families & engagement photography are some of the areas I've enjoyed so far. I'm stoked to be launching wedding photography offerings this year as well!


This blog follows my professional photography life as well as some personal tidbits as well. I have a beautiful family that I love to show off so they pop up here and there. I'll often post a 'sneak peek' of a few photos for clients after I finish a session so my most recent work is showcased here. Please relaxe and make yourself at home while you take a look at my blog or my website: wwwjkmichaels.com Thanks again for visiting!


If you want to reach me you can send an e-mail or you can get additional details and contact me via my website using the link at the top of this page or just click here.

2008

December 31, 2008 – 11:42 am

2008 is almost over and what an incredible year it’s been! I can’t believe it’s already gone, 2008 seemed to zip by so quick!! I officially launched my photography business just over 1 year ago and it’s been an incredible journey so far. 2008 has given me some of the most amazing clients and photo shoots. I have to give a really big thanks out to all my clients this past year. You’ve all believed in me and each of you have been so incredible to work with. I’ve met some really cool and amazing professionals in my online photography communities. I’ve been fortunate to network with some really great photographers in SoCal in person and getting to shoot with some of these folks has been a real pleasure!

2008 has been just awesome and I can’t wait to meet 2009 and find out what’s in store!

For my POTY (picture of the year) my family and I spent a weekend in Cambria, CA this last summer and it was a great trip. We all had a blast, the kids loved the beach (even though the ocean was a little scary for them). I know it’s not from one of my official shoots of the year but it’s one of my favorite photos of the year because it’s just us. Just my camera on a little gorilla pod in the sand with the self-timer set. Out of all the things I enjoy and love there is nothing that tops the time I get to spend with my family.

So happy New Years to all of you; I hope that 2009 is better then ever for everyone out there!! Woo hoo!

By Mike | Posted in Beyond the lens, Personal - Misc | 3 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

Friday Free For All - Episode 10 (belated)

December 29, 2008 – 11:31 am

Sorry for the delay but with the holidays things have been more then a little crazy at our house. We’ve had 12 houseguests staying with us this last week and a half so I’ve barely been able to touch a computer and pretty much took last week or so off. In a lot of ways it’s been nice not to be constantly clicking on a keyboard, editing images, surfing and networking on photography forums. It’s nice to get a bit of a break and get back to ‘real’ life. I had an incredible Christmas with all my family. As crazy as it is we had a heck of a time and besides baby Jesus, being with family and making these memories is what the holidays are all about to me!

I watched the movie “Click” last night and it’s a funny show and all but left me with a simple but powerful message. Family should come first. If you always put off time with your family until tomorrow so you can focus on work and other ambitions then you may go through your whole life on auto-pilot until it’s too late and there are no more tomorrows. So a happy holiday message to all is to think about what’s important and focus on your family, friends and other loved ones. If you haven’t seen it, I thought it was a great show and recommend it!

No photos over christmas? What? Really? Yep, I’ve made an effort to make sure I’m not busting out the camera at all the family functions. In the spirit of keeping family first I want to enjoy the time I’m with my family and not be the photographer everytime we’re doing something. I love to make photos of my family every chance I get but I need to balance that with just enjoying the moments as well.

I’m getting stoked for New Years. I always love going out and partying way too late with my gorgeous wife. I just don’t like having to get up the next morning at 6:30AM with the kids and paying for the night out the next day :) We’re going out with a few other couples to a house party, nothing too out of control. Just some good wine, some good food and good friends!

I hope you’ve all had an incredible Christmas week and have a fantastic (and safe) New Years! As always, thanks for visiting!!

By Mike | Posted in Beyond the lens, Friday Free For All, Personal - Misc | no comments         No Comments | Add a Comment

Dave & Carolyn’s Wedding!!

December 23, 2008 – 9:32 am

I was so thrilled when Carolyn contacted me about doing their wedding a few short months ago. And I was so incredibly flattered especially since this was going to be my first wedding as the lead and solo photographer!! They were a great couple from the beginning, we had a blast during their engagement photo shoot and with such a love for each other and for God these kids are off to an amazing start! Dave & Carolyn, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day! I wish you all the best in your new life together.

Please enjoy a sampling of a few of my favorite images from the day!

Now these wedding shoes I can dig… function, comfort and beauty!


Looking gorgeous already!

What a simply beautiful dress.

Beautiful girl + beautiful dress = 1 gorgeous bride

The guys are ready - just waiting on the girls. Don’t worry, that doesn’t happen too often ;)

Da boys

The church was all Christmas’ed out so it made for some cool & festive scenery.

Love this image

We did group shots before the ceremony - it was too cold and nasty outside to do outdoor photos but the Christmas theme worked!

A nice relaxed bridal party…

Here comes the bride! Carolyn’s dad, Randy was also the minister for the ceremony.


Married!




One, two three, get ready girls!

By Mike | Posted in Portraits and Clients, Weddings | Tagged , | 2 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

Jesus and Araceli - Married!

December 15, 2008 – 5:00 pm

Over the last few months I’ve had a few opportunities to get together with some really great photographers in Southern California. Jenny Hsieh of Fairytale Dreamer Photography was one of these great photographers so I was all too happy when she gave me the opportunity to come to a wedding she was photographing down in the Los Angeles area and shoot some photos a couple of weeks ago! I had a great time and it was a fantastic experience to shoot alongside some great photographers. It was great to meet Kapo as well who came down from San Fransisco to shoot with Jenny as well.

The locations were great, the weather was perfect, the bride and groom were so awesome too. Jesus and Araceli along with all their family and friends were just the nicest people! I had a great time all day and I’m so glad I was able to come along. Thanks, Jenny!!

Here are just a few of my favs from the day - enjoy and thanks for looking!



By Mike | Posted in Portraits and Clients, Weddings | 4 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment

Friday Free For All - Episode 9 - xmas and blackberries

December 5, 2008 – 10:39 am

Hi all and happy Friday!! TGIF and all that good stuff.

Well it’s been a super busy week of running around and getting things ready for the Christmas season at our house. We spent the long Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas with my folks and had a great time. Way too much food as usualy but it was all great! I’ve been wanting to hit some more pumpkin pie but just haven’t had the time to make any yet…

I’ve spent the last week with the new Blackberry Storm and have mixed feelings. I mean there’s an obvious coolness factor but it’s just not an Iphone. There are some things I’m really liking about it while other aspects are taking some getting used to. The typing is probably one of the hardest things to get accustomed to. I’m used to being able to crank out e-mails, text messages really fast on any of the other Blackberries I’ve owned with a regular full qwerty keyboard. The touch screen is not quite as easy. It’s way better after a week then at first, I could hardly get through a couple words without making a mistake the first few days. The typing is faster now and making far less mistakes so I guess I’m getting happier with it as I get more used to it. The web browser is nice, the few apps I’ve played with are good. The movie playback seems to work great for the few minutes I tried it, that will probably be a great feature for those plane rides or long waits somewhere. Oh and the 3 MP camera works well as expected. All in all great device, I have no desire at this point to go back to a previous device so that has to be saying something!

So Christmas preparations have been slow this year. Usually we put everything up Thanksgiving weekend but we were out of town so we’ve been peicing it together over a few days. We finally finished the indoor decorations last night so now I need a bit of time to start on the outside lights - I like it when it’s done but I always find it to be a pain!! Here’s a few portraits of my gorgeous kids from the night we put the tree up…

Take care & god bless!

By Mike | Posted in Friday Free For All, Personal - Misc | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 comments         Show Comments | Add a Comment