I’m so glad you’re here to get to know me! First and foremost, I’m a wife and a mom. I married my high school sweetheart, though we’ve actually known each other since elementary school—cue the aww! We have a beautiful daughter who was born in 2014, and she is the light of my life. She’s also the reason I pursued photography in the first place. She and I are both huge bookworms, so if you love to read, I know we’ll get along!
My love for photography started back in high school, where I learned to shoot in manual on a good old film camera. I absolutely loved working in a darkroom! Life took me down a different path for a while, but photography always called me back. When I got my first DSLR in 2009, I knew this was what I was meant to do. Becoming a mom gave me the final push to turn my dream into a reality.
Motherhood is such an incredible journey, and I quickly realized that capturing it—through maternity, newborn, and family photography—was where my heart belonged. I’m passionate about helping moms feel beautiful and celebrated during their maternity sessions, about preserving the fleeting details of those newborn days, and about documenting the love and connection that makes your family yours.
It brings me so much joy to see you light up at how gorgeous you look during your maternity session—because trust me, you are stunning. It’s an honor to create images of you soaking in those quiet moments at home with your newborn, knowing these photos will be the ones you cherish when your little ones aren’t so little anymore. And capturing the love, laughter, and togetherness of your family? That’s what makes this work so meaningful to me.
So let’s do this! Let’s document your motherhood and family story together. I can’t wait to connect with you!
Your Friendly photographer
Hey, I'm Melissa!
Here's a snapshot into my world.
A Little Behind The Scenes Of My Life
Having known my husband since we were kids, it was easy to fall for someone who became one of my best friends in high school. We never intended to get married so young, but life had other plans. I wouldn't change a thing though. The road we took brought us to where we are today with our beautiful, spunky little girl. Being a mom was something I wanted for so long. We actually had her name picked out before we even got married, not even knowing if we would ever even have a girl. They can both be a pain in my ass sometimes, but I love them both more than anything!
My Family
MY HUSBAND, DAUGHTER, & ME
I'm a huge bookworm. There was a point in time before I became a mom that my nose was almost always in a book. Things have changed quite a bit since then, but I still try to make sure that I read at least a little bit every day.
Favorite Series:
Anything Sarah J. Maas writes, Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, and The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
Come chat books with me in my Facebook group for Bookish Babes!
enjoying a book together
Reading
I'm a second generation German-American. My mom is the first and only American citizen in her German family. I was born in Germany, and we lived there until I was 7 years old. My sister and I went back to visit with family every other summer until my sister was 18. I can't tell you how much I dreamed of living in Germany again growing up.
Well, the military granted my wish, and we got stationed in Germany for a short time. While we were there we got to travel to so many cool places! I wish we'd had more time to travel to even more countries, but I am so thankful for the time we did have. Scotland was my absolute favorite place we visited!
Europe
Midhope Castle Scotland (AKA Lallybroch)
My Favorite Things
"Melissa is absolutely AMAZING at what she does! Well worth the price. My styled maternity shoot went very smoothly. She knew how to make sure I got the photos and poses I didn't even know I wanted. Very easy to communicate with and everything was a breeze from start to finish, could not recommend her enough!"
Chantilly Maternity Photography
Destinee
"I have been doing mini photo shoots for several years with random photographers, but we have finally found a home with Melissa. I love her communication, assistance with picking outfits, colors, poses, etc. Everything came out beautifully and it wouldn't have been so if it weren't for her!"
Alexandria Newborn Photography
Karen
"Melissa is wonderful. The quality of her work is worth the price. The experience of taking the photos with our kids was fun and easy and she had great ideas for candid shots, which I said I prefer. Our kids loved her and even wanted to pose for a picture with her at the end of the shoot. She was so patient and kind about scheduling and rescheduling. And the photos speak for themselves. It was an unforgettable day and the memories are permanent now in these gorgeous photos."
Burke Family photography
Nikki
"Melissa is the absolute best!! From the start of this process, she has been so communicative and helpful on everything that I needed to do and was so supportive. The shoot was SO much fun and being able to include my dog and sister made it even more amazing- Melissa is extremely personable and has such great instruction on posing, etc! When I got my pictures, I was stunned at how beautiful they are- I can’t wait for my newborn photoshoot! You can’t go wrong with Melissa, she is amazing and very talented!"
Chantilly Maternity Photography
Samantha
"I feel so fortunate that we found Melissa! We had an absolutely fabulous in-home newborn photography session and couldn’t be more thrilled with the photos we received! Everything about this session was wonderful. She was very detail oriented and captured the best moments of us.This was one of the best decisions we’ve made to have these precious memories last a lifetime."
Leesburg Newborn Photography
Marissa
"Choosing Melissa Driggers Photography was the BEST decision our family could have made. She was flexible, professional, incredibly prompt, friendly, and great with our kids. Our pictures are stunning-hands down the best family photos we’ve ever had. I am blown away! I can’t wait to share them with friends and family and hang them in our home. I can’t recommend her enough!"
Fairfax Family photography
Marian
"It was an amazing experience working with Melissa! She had everything ready for me and was so flexible for when I needed a break. She was also so encouraging which is important to someone like me who is going through a lot of changes. I will absolutely be booking with her again!"
Burke Maternity Photography
Jessica
"Melissa was great! She fit me in for both a maternity and a newborn session on fairly short notice. She had a ton of perks in her business package - she provided beautiful dresses and a try-on session of those dresses for the maternity shoot, hair and makeup professionals (this was extra, but not having to research/book people for this was worth it), and a beautiful photobook. Her photos were fantastic!"
Haymarket Newborn Photography
Lisa
"Melissa was such a joy to work! From day one, communication was fluid and she was always available to answer questions and provide recommendations. Her professionalism is of the highest degree and her keen ability in making you feel comfortable and natural shows in the beautiful images she took for our daughter’s senior pictures. We are so grateful to have found her and entrusting her with capturing this milestone for us. Whichever life event you are celebrating, you will not be disappointed with Melissa Driggers Photography!"
Chantilly Family Photography
Kristina
As a Northern Virginia photographer and fellow mom, I felt there was a need for a safe, supportive, and drama free space for moms and moms-to-be to come together and support one another through the crazy lives we live as moms. Come join us and chat all things motherhood, pregnancy, and more!
NOVA Moms:
Supportive Parenting & Pregnancy in Fairfax County & Beyond
Melissa Driggers is an award winning Northern Virginia photographer. Her work has been featured in various magazines. She offers outdoor and studio maternity, lifestyle newborn, and family photography in her true to color, timeless style.
Melissa serves Fairfax, Springfield, Alexandria, Arlington, Manassas, Woodbridge and surrounding areas in Northern Virginia & Washington DC
