I am A photographer that truly believes a photograph is so much more than a memory; a photograph can truly allow you to feel your day all over again for the rest of your lives. When it comes to documenting the story of your most special day, it's about more than just "capturing the moment".
It's about photographing the authentic emotions and all the seconds in-between so you can relive your day decades after it's gone as if it just happened yesterday.Working with and being photographed by me is said to be like working with your best friend (almost every review mentions this to some degree).
It's about photographing the authentic emotions and all the seconds in-between so you can relive your day decades after it's gone as if it just happened yesterday.Working with and being photographed by me is said to be like working with your best friend (almost every review mentions this to some degree).
Services
We are Melissa and Chris (and we made the cutest little ginger you've ever seen, Oliver)! A wife and (often) husband team who love documenting our client's lives. Whether it's the good stuff, the emotional stuff, the big stuff or little stuff. It all matters. Your life and memories matter. Wedding days are full of emotions as well as moments both big and small.
Keep in mind that these are jumping off points for us. I am more than happy to build a custom package for you and your unique celebration because I wholeheartedly believe that your wedding doesn't necessarily fit on a price sheet. As someone who values transparency, I never want you to feel like you have to chase me down for pricing information.
Caroline and Spencer's elopement and wedding portrait session on the bluffs of Bodega Bay, CA surrounded by fog and the Pacific Ocean. I hopped on Instagram the other day to chat about 3 tips for setting boundaries with your clients within your business. The truth is, I used to struggle with boundaries.
Whether you're newly engaged, planning your dream wedding day, or treading through the emotionally charged days of parenthood, your life deserves to be documented in a beautiful and authentic way. The couples experience is all about YOU GUYS. Who are you as a couple? What do you like to do? Where do you hang out?
It all depends on your wedding day, but here are some places to start: 8 hour weddings with 2 photographers begin at $5000 and elopements begin at $2400. I do offer different package options because I know everyone has a different budget, so please don't hesitate to ask! Engagements, family lifestyle, and portrait sessions begin at $600!
Reviews (19)
Sisi W.
Sep 21, 2021
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Working with Melissa was so fun! We first hired her for our engagement photos and immediately after that shoot, we hired her for our wedding as well (easiest decision we made with our pandemic wedding). My husband and I are both very shy people so we were a little worried the shoot would be uncomfortable and our nerves would show in our photos, but from the second we met Melissa, it felt as if we were just meeting up with a long-time friend. She is so kind, easy-going, and funny! Our engagement photos turned out so great, absolutely no nerves in sight.
After the engagement shoot, we dove head
After the engagement shoot, we dove head
Samantha C.
Jul 30, 2021
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My fiancé and I had a really hard time finding an engagement photographer that fit our budget and offered services a la carte in the Bay Area. We spent hours googling and instagram searching and we were SO relieved to find Melissa. She was responsive and accommodating given the super unpredictable weather in SF. She even rescheduled with no extra charge when the weather went south on the day of our shoot. We felt she really cared more about us, our experience, and the lifetime value of our photos rather than just being another client. Before the shoot, my fiancé and I were super nervous since
Tiffany S.
Jul 30, 2021
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Oh how we adore Melissa!!!! My fiancé was super nervous, he has never had photos taken before... and Melissa did such an amazing job making us feel comfortable and relaxed. She did all our posing and walked us through it all. I can't recommend her enough!!!! If you have the opportunity to book her... DO
Cindy G.
Jun 12, 2021
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-Melissa was amazing. We were feeling really overwhelmed by everything wedding-related, especially with the uncertainty caused by COVID, but knew that we wanted engagement photos done in SF, and Melissa made that process so seamless and easy.
Melissa's portfolio stood out to me in the sea of options because her shots felt so real (no unnatural poses) and her finishing was warm and natural (I don't love the bright and washed-out look that seems to be in vogue). I also had grand ideas about the number of locations and outfit changes I wanted, and Melissa's offerings were a lot more
Melissa's portfolio stood out to me in the sea of options because her shots felt so real (no unnatural poses) and her finishing was warm and natural (I don't love the bright and washed-out look that seems to be in vogue). I also had grand ideas about the number of locations and outfit changes I wanted, and Melissa's offerings were a lot more
As B.
Nov 18, 2020
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Kellie G.
Nov 17, 2020
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Melissa did a newborn shoot for us recently and we couldn't have been happier with the experience and the photos! She was so easy to communicate with from the beginning. She took all the appropriate COVID precautions coming into our home, and we felt so comfortable with her photographing us. It just felt like we were having a friend over! We are so so happy with how to photos turned out. She has a great eye and captured some precious moments that we will always cherish! I would highly recommend Melissa!
Jessica B.
Nov 10, 2020
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Melissa is incredible and definitely a master of her art! My family and I had a wonderful experience working with Melissa for our family mini session we booked with her. From the moment of booking through following up after we had purchased our final products, her communication was phenomenal and timely. Booking our session was very easy and user-friendly (all done online) and she made her instructions and what to expect very clear and straight forward. We knew exactly where to go, when to go, and she was ready for us when we arrived at the beautiful location she had picked out for these sessions
Gigi S.
Nov 06, 2020
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Melissa was so helpful throughout the entire planning and re-planning (hello, COVID) process. She was very responsive and provided us with great resources, tips, and ideas. It's important to have good vibes with someone you are going to spend a lot of time with on your wedding day and Melissa was just that - she made us feel really comfortable and as such got really great photos. The pictures turned out beautifully and the light, style, look was exactly want we wanted. She sent over a sneak peek right away and the full gallery just a few weeks later. Would work with again in a heartbeat -
Ashley F.
Oct 13, 2020
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Melissa was amazing to work with from start to finish. When we had to postpone our larger wedding due to COVID, we needed to find new vendors for a smaller wedding in Sonoma County in short order. Melissa was very responsive and flexible. She not only recommended venues since we weren't local, but also was willing to accommodate our requests for flexibility around length of service and payments due to the uncertainty of COVID restrictions tightening again. When we had to replan our wedding a second time due to mandatory evacuations in Guerneville, Melissa was very willing to travel to San
Caroline C.
Oct 12, 2020
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I could write a dang novel about Melissa. The most kind hearted, supportive, positive, wonderful person and I don't know that I would have gotten through our pandemic wedding planning without her. When we first met via facetime, I felt an instant connection to her warm personality, and I knew that she was the person I needed to photograph my wedding. When the pandemic hit, I was distraught, 2 months away from our wedding. Melissa was a support system to get through not just rescheduling once, but TWICE, and then ultimately cancelling in favor of a small elopement in Minnesota. When I emailed
Josh B.
Sep 22, 2020
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Wow oh Wow! Melissa actually made me enjoy taking photos. I proposed to my girlfriend this past weekend and made her my fiancé. She has always loved taking photos, especially professional photos and I have... not. Melissa helped take care of all the details, did her homework so I didn't need to, and made the experience flawless. The few friends that were in attendance saw the "sneak peek" photos that evening and said they were some of the best photos they have ever seen. These friends were not mentioning us in the photos, but specifically the colors, the backgrounds captured, and
Chrissy W.
Aug 11, 2020
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SIMPLY THE BEST!! Melissa is hands down the most talented wedding + lifestyle photographer. I cannot recommend her more! She recently took my maternity photos and my husband and I were absolutely blown away by how they turned out. Our families were totally speechless in reviewing the gallery - everyone was brought to tears and overwhelmed with joy. We were nervous to have our photos taken (my husband is on the shy side), but Melissa made us feel SO comfortable right off the bat. She brought music, directed us with positions when we weren't sure what to do, and made us laugh throughout the
Alanna D.
Apr 20, 2020
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There was something in my gut that drew me to choose Melissa when my fiancé (now husband) and I were looking for a photographer for our engagement shoot. We knew she was special after reading her reviews and seeing her past work, but we really had no idea how incredible she was until we met her in person. Melissa is truly a gem. She is warm, witty, and has a joyous presence and fun energy which could make anyone feel completely at ease. My husband and I had the most incredible time during our photoshoot--Melissa managed to create a space where we felt like we were in our own world. When we got
Mia M.
Jan 11, 2020
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Melissa and Northfern are not to be matched! She was amazing to work with from our first correspondence. Melissa makes a point of getting to know her clients and her personal touches and immaculate planning put us so at ease on our wedding day.
Melissa not only has the best communication style but is such an incredibly talented photographer. Her enthusiasm and passion for photography are so apparent - she guided us perfectly and we are not used to being the focus of the camera. Melissa and Chris captured such gorgeous shots of our groups getting ready separately and also complemented each other
Melissa not only has the best communication style but is such an incredibly talented photographer. Her enthusiasm and passion for photography are so apparent - she guided us perfectly and we are not used to being the focus of the camera. Melissa and Chris captured such gorgeous shots of our groups getting ready separately and also complemented each other
David B.
Aug 26, 2019
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Melissa was absolutely the best! I could not recommend her and her crew highly enough. From the very start she gets to know you personally with video calls on top of lots of written communication. This really set her apart from most of the people we worked with, as we felt like we really got to know her over the course of the year before our big day.
On our wedding day Melissa couldn't have been more amazing. She was so happy and reassuring, it felt like having an extra friend with us on the day. She always had us where we needed to be, and managed to be ever present without once feeling
On our wedding day Melissa couldn't have been more amazing. She was so happy and reassuring, it felt like having an extra friend with us on the day. She always had us where we needed to be, and managed to be ever present without once feeling
Angela T.
Aug 24, 2019
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Melissa is AH-MAZING! I fell in love with her work on Instagram... I love the way she captures that golden light and takes candid photos of her couples. So dreamy. Our first meeting was via FaceTime. I felt like we clicked right away. She was very patient and happy to answer any questions we had in the booking process. We chose the adventure engagement session/wedding photography package. My fiancé is not normally used to taking photos so I made sure to practice a bit before hand. The day of our shoot Melissa made us feel incredibly comfortable. I'd describe it like having your BFF photograph
Jessie H.
Jul 11, 2019
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I can't talk Melissa up enough; the other reviews that mention her feeling like an old friend are 1) true and 2) make me slightly jealous because I THOUGHT I WAS SPECIAL AND YOU LOVED ONLY ME, MELISSA. Kidding. Mostly.
She shot our engagement photos and our wedding day and both sessions did not disappoint. She goes above and beyond as a wedding photographer; she went from taking photos and safety pinning my dress to giving me breathing exercises and coaching me through some of the biggest moments of our wedding day. She is hilarious, kind, and an all around wonderful human being. I absolutely
She shot our engagement photos and our wedding day and both sessions did not disappoint. She goes above and beyond as a wedding photographer; she went from taking photos and safety pinning my dress to giving me breathing exercises and coaching me through some of the biggest moments of our wedding day. She is hilarious, kind, and an all around wonderful human being. I absolutely
Mary S.
Oct 25, 2018
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Melissa shot our wedding in late September. She is super laid back, friendly and easy to work with. We didn't do engagement photos and had only talked to her over skype before the wedding but as soon as she showed up I felt like we were old friends. I am the least photogenic person I know so I didn't have high hopes about how the photos would turn out but I could not be more pleased with the results and I think a lot of that has to do with Melissa's personality, her natural ability to make us feel comfortable in front of the camera, as well as just her sheer talent.
The day
The day
Kelli H.
Aug 31, 2017
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We hired Melissa for our maternity photo shoot. Her pricing was very competitive. I've been following her work for years so I was excited to get to work with her. She showed up at our house right on time and was so friendly. It really seemed like we were hanging out with a friend.
I had Melissa do some boudoir type photos and she made me feel very comfortable. We also took pictures out at a regional park near by and she hiked up a mountain with us to get the best views, even though it was super windy and cold out.
One of the best parts is that we got a preview of the photos the next day
I had Melissa do some boudoir type photos and she made me feel very comfortable. We also took pictures out at a regional park near by and she hiked up a mountain with us to get the best views, even though it was super windy and cold out.
One of the best parts is that we got a preview of the photos the next day
