Welcome!

Hello, I’m Melissa and I’m a color obsessed plant-loving bohemian soul who is a child at heart and a real life mermaid.

I photograph people who are looking for someone to capture the joy and chaos of their everyday lives and important milestones with a unique eye for detail, color and genuine emotion. With a background in studio art and photojournalism, I strive to tell stories with my photography using an approach that is relaxed, natural and fun.

Most of my days are spent adventuring with my 3 children while sipping a cup of chai, puttering around in our garden or dreaming up our next house project. I also enjoy watching sci-fi detective shows or comedy with my computer programmer husband.

I am an avid thrift shopper who believes that life is about building relationships and finding ways to give back. I’m also addicted to ice cream and during the summer we eat lots of Penny’s Ice Cream (their black raspberry oreo is THE BEST!)

Since giving back is a core part of who I am, the heart of my business is about giving back too. Each year I hold mini sessions by donation with a portion of the proceeds being donated to non-profit organizations. Want to know more about my photography journey and where it all began? Click here.

RANDOM FACTS

  1. I was born in New Orleans where my mom grew up and my parents met.

  2. I can wiggle my ears.

  3. I have traveled to 40 countries on 5 continents, most of them while on assignment as a photographer for Mennonite Central Committee.

  4. I am fluent in Spanish and spent a year living with a host family in Nicaragua where I volunteered at a cultural center and ate LOTS of chocobananos.

  5. I love hearing and sharing birth stories (becoming a mom changed my life!) You can read about my second baby’s natural hospital birth story here and view the birth story film of my third baby’s home water birth here.

  6. I got my start in photography with film as a young teen after experiencing Glamour Shots and my first camera was my mom’s Canon-AE1.

This is us!

Thanks to Vanessa Joy Films for capturing a day in the life of our family.

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Cherry blossoms and babies 😍 this family just welcomed their little boy and became a family of 7! I just love all the candid images, letting kids just be themselves and even though not everyone felt like participating, we still captured them in all
Back at this magical tree. I hope they never cut down this old crabapple. It’s got several hollowed out empty trunks, but somehow still manages to bloom. I love the way it appears to hold this mama to be. #crabappletree #magicalmaternity #magi
Announcing Mother’s Day Studio Mini Sessions! Four years ago in the early spring of 2020 I had booked a venue to host my first ever studio mini sessions. Well we all know how things turned out that spring and so here I am 4 years later, making
Think pink! These weeping cherry trees are like some thing out of a fairytale. Had a blast photographing this family the other evening. They won a gift certificate that I donated to a local nonprofit fundraiser. And fun fact, we used to be neighbors
Cheers to the families who can go with the flow! We had a super windy cold morning for this photo shoot and had to switch up locations from an open hill with a blooming tree to a forested area but these parents and their kiddos rolled with it. The gi
This client had a specific vision for her in home maternity session: simple, cozy, moody, with a focus on her growing belly. It goes to show that some nice window light and sheer curtains on an overcast day can create that intimate beautiful light. I