About Michelle

Hi! My name is Michelle West and I am so excited that you have come to visit!

Preserving Bliss Photography is the result of combining passions. It is where my love of art, family, and storytelling meld together. Since I was a young child I have considered myself an artist. I have always taken refuge in sketching portraits and oil pastel painting, but it wasn’t until I became a mother in 2011 that my passion for photography blossomed.

Here is a little context. My primary educational focus has always been centered on the family. I received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology with an emphasis in Women’s Studies and a minor in Family Relations in 2004. After working in multiple non-profit organizations assisting families within various capacities, I went back to school and obtained a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology in 2008. I wholeheartedly believe that the family unit is the most powerful force there is in facilitating positive sustained change in our society. It is the glue that holds us together.

Every person and every family has a story to tell. It is these stories that shape our perceptions and our world at large. We are all incredibly powerful and important beings, and I fear that often times, in the hustle and bustle of our fast paced modern world, we forget just how vital we are. Photography allows us a chance to slow down, and gain a fresh perspective. The focus of a lens on a child’s eyes, can evoke deep joyous emotions. Such focus triggering within us a voice that reminds us to stop and take the time to preserve these fleeting moments, to revel in the beauty of the present and to remember who we are as a family. Thus, I am truly honored to assist you in preserving the blissful moments that life so often provides, to capture these stories of love, care, and joy.

Thank you for taking the time to visit today and I look forward to assisting you in preserving life’s bliss.

With Gratitude,

Michelle West

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“What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is related only to objects and not to individuals, or to life. That art is something which is specialized or which is done by experts who are artists. But couldn’t everyone’s life become a work of art? Why should the lamp or the house be an art object, but not our life?”
– Michel Foucault