I'm so glad you're here to get to know me! First and foremost, I'm a wife and a mom. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, but we've known each other since we were in elementary school. Awww! Haha yeah that's usually the reaction I get. We have a beautiful daughter that was born in 2014. She is the light of my life and my reason for pursuing photography as a career in the first place. She and I are both huge bookworms! If you love to read, I know we will get along!
My first experience with photography was back in high school. I learned how to shoot in manual on a good old film camera, and I absolutely LOVED working in a darkroom. Although school took me down a different path, I wound up back at photography in the end. Having my own photography business was a dream of mine since I got my first DSLR in 2009. Becoming a mom was that push I needed.
When I started offering a client closet for my maternity clients, I realized that was where my passion shone. It brings me so much joy to see you light up at how stunning you look! I remember what it felt like being pregnant. Pretty crappy most of the time, right? But you are beautiful, and I want to show you that! I want you to have gorgeous images of yourself to look back at pregnancy with a smile! We all deserve to look, feel, and be treated like a queen when our bodies are doing some amazing things!
I've had women tell me that they didn't do a maternity session because they looked like crap. Trust me, I get it! But I'm here to change that. As much as we all love our babies, the attention does not always have to be on them. Celebrate yourself! Embrace your beautiful pregnant body! So let's do this! I'm so excited to hear from you, and I can't wait to plan your session with you.
Your Friendly styled maternity 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 IN GERMANY
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:
Harry Potter by JK Rowling, The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, and Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Come chat books with me in my Facebook group for Bookish Moms!
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
"This is my third pregnancy and I never had formal maternity photos done before....and I really regretted it. Melissa was so kind and personable to work with! Pregnancy is a vulnerable time in a woman's life, and she allowed me to look and feel beautiful when I felt the complete opposite. I will forever cherish the photos she was able to capture of me that celebrated my pregnancy."
Fairfax, Virginia
Rachael
"I had such a great experience with Melissa for my maternity photos! The whole experience was easy from start to finish--I used her online system to schedule, she came to my house a few days before with dresses for me to try on, and then we met at a local park for photos soon after. She was fun, friendly, and responsive throughout the process, and I am thrilled with how the pictures turned out!! Thank you, Melissa!"
Burke, Virginia
Ann
"I had a great experience with Melissa! I usually don’t do these sort of photos but I decided to give it a try and I am so glad I did! Melissa was very easy to work with, she had a plan and we accomplished it. Not to mention how very pleased I am with the results! My photos came out great, I look forward to working with Melissa again!"
Burke, Virginia
Jennifer
"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!"
Annandale, Virginia
Karen
"I highly recommend Melissa. She made me and my family feel very comfortable and listened to our ideas. Also, I really loved her selection of maternity dresses. She also responded to all of my questions in a timely manner, and the turn around time was pretty quick. I loved the sneak peaks she gives."
Sterling, Virginia
Sylvia
