San Jose Bay Area Newborn Photography Session

November 10, 2018  •  Leave a Comment

Sweet little Riley Marie was born to my Nephew and his wife in early October.

Needless to say I was thrilled to photograph them as the newest "family of three". Although Riley made us work to "her schedule" (like most babies do) I think we captured some really cute pictures for all of them to treasure. Here is a sampling of the images along with my favorites in a black and white timeless frame .  

If interested You can see more of my work here or feel free to contact me at http://[email protected]

Riley Marie newbornRiley Marie newborn Riley Marie-17Riley Marie-17

Riley Marie-7Riley Marie-7

Riley Marie-34Riley Marie-34 snapshot (14)snapshot (14)

Remember - your family photos are meant to live on your walls,not your phone.  :) 

http://WWW.MMPHOTO.NET

 

 


#existinpictures - Campbell California Lifestyle Environmental Portrait

September 16, 2017  •  Leave a Comment

Hi All!

Furthering my commitment to document stories and relationships (ie: #existinpictures )– I asked my friends Cheryl and Nancy if they would allow me to photograph them. Which of course they agreed. (Okay with maybe a little bit of salesmanship on my part).  Anyway - Nancy is not only a friend but she is also my sons Mother in Law and Cheryl is a dear friend and neighbor. They have such a great relationship and I wanted to document it for them and their families.

My idea was to capture their relationship in the Downtown Campbell Coffee Shop.  You see, coffee is a big part of the life for Nancy and Cheryl. You can read Cheryl’s blog http://cheryloreglia.blogspot.com/ to learn more about her love of coffee.)   So it was a natural to set up this photo shoot at the Orchard Valley Coffee in Campbell . http://www.orchardvalleycoffee.com/

Orchard Valley has a fabulous old time feel to it.  It is decorated with an antique coffee roaster and many wooden tables and chairs. They also have comfy sofas and chairs that you can enjoy your favorite “cup of Joe”. As you can see the lighting is awesome thanks to the large walls of windows that look out to the Campbell Ave. Basically they have a very small town feel to the atmosphere. 

Anyway – My goal was to capture the love between these two sisters, and try to show their relationship in a more voyeuristic way. Basically, letting the viewer of these images catch a glimpse in to the relationship of these two wonderful women. Please have a look at the quick video below of the images and let me know your thoughts.

PS – I would LOVE to help you capture your story - so you too can “exist in pictures ”.  If you are interested send me a note or reach out on social media so we can chat.  I look forward to it!

 

Take care,

Melissa

 

 

Sisters final final


Exist in Pictures- Background on my "why" of the Self Portrait on Baker Beach in San Francisco

September 10, 2017  •  Leave a Comment

Hi There!

Okay I wanted to share the background on this latest “selfie” image. I have been thinking of this image for a long while. Mike and I were finally able to head up to Baker beach in San Francisco to capture it this last weekend.

It wasn’t the best lighting and my hair was a little “wind-blown” to say the least - so not a perfect picture of me – but never the less it shows me, holding hands and walking with the love of my life!

I began thinking of this image after watching a class on Creative Live a while ago. The class was taught by the awesome Sue Bryce. I have watched many classes she has taught. She never disappoints and has so much to offer not only as a Master Photographer but also a beautiful spirit. (Google her – even if you are not a photographer - she has such an awesome message)

Her message in this class was to teach women (especially mothers) that they must get in front of the camera or in her words “exist in pictures”. Often women don’t want to have pictures taken of themselves. Many times, women would come to her studio and say “oh we just want pictures of the kids”.  I thought to myself -"this is soooo me" !

 As photographers we are always taking photos of our kids, our family and friends, but we tend to shy away from putting ourselves in front of the camera. I realize now this is such an incredible disservice to my family and friends. As they will have nothing tangible to hold on to and remember me by when I am no longer around. 

I am my own worst critic (like all of us) but I decided it was a little hypocritical of me to be taking portraits and espousing how important they are to document your life, while never documenting my own. So, all that said, I decided to take the plunge and get in front of my camera for change. I wanted to take a photo that is more than just a snapshot but something tells a little bit of “my story”. If I can do it, so can you!

The lesson here is to have those photos taken! Don’t wait -  the time is now!  #existinpictures

Baker Beach San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge-5Baker Beach San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge-5


New York Sight Seeing - Black and White Photography

August 27, 2017  •  1 Comment

Hey There,

Thanks for stopping in ! I decided to put together this short video of my trip to New York . Once again the photos are of the fabulous places and people I saw while traveling . But this time I was traveling with two of my very best friends Ann and Sue. We had talked about going to New York for a while and were finally able to make it happen . 

I hope it conveys the electricity of the “City that Never Sleeps “. We packed a lot in to four days.  Visiting the Empire State building, (even witnessed a marriage proposal). We saw the Broadway show “Come from Away” – which was awesome! comefromaway.com, and then experienced the famous Sardi's restaurant for cocktails.  Too many places/experiences to list here.

Bottom line - the trip was filled with fabulous dinners, great friends and so much laughter - awesome memories I will treasure forever! New York is an awesome place to visit- Enjoy  !!

Final BW New York


Kauai Hawaii Hanalei Bay Pier

November 18, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

Kauai Hanalei Bay Pier Sunset (1 of 1)Kauai Hanalei Bay Pier Sunset (1 of 1) Kauai 2016 (65 of 74)Kauai 2016 (65 of 74) Hi All – Happy Friday !

I am back from vacation. (albeit too short, but then aren’t they always?!)

We enjoyed the beautiful island of Kauai. There is a reason so many Hollywood movies have been filmed on Kauai! It is truly a landscape photographers dream come true.

My plan was to get some shots at Queens Bath (local swimming hole surrounded by the ocean. However, the weather did not cooperate as it was 24 foot swells and raining consistently.

So, we decided to change plans and shoot at Hanalei Bay instead.

This is a pretty cool covered pier where locals and tourist can hangout enjoy the sunsets.

I had an image of under the pier in mind that I wanted to capture. The challenge at this spot was not 24 ft waves but rather timing my shots before the kids that were playing raced back in to the frame.

The little girl below ran in while I was setting up. It was so funny - she posed and just stared at me until I took the photo. I thought it was a pretty good shot of her totally unplanned.

Anyway – this was one of my favorite shots of the trip….with and without the little girl J

Have a great week-end !

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