The Gallery
photographing families, newborns, headshots & branding around northeast ohio & in my cleveland hts studio
Families
To all my families: you never have to worry about making your kids pose or behave. My sessions are built around play & connection, so you can relax, be with your people, and actually enjoy this season of the family you’ve built.
Come as you are. Your kids can be wild, shy, silly, clingy, or completely uninterested in my camera. You could show up in PJs and yesterday’s hair and we’d still make beautiful photographs together. Because I’m not looking for perfect behavior. I’m looking for you.
And someday, your kids will have the photographs to prove just how deeply they were loved.
Newborns
Oh, what I would give to go back to those newborn days! Just kidding. I remember all too well how exhausted and depleted I felt at times.
What I do wish I’d done was schedule photos before my babies were born. I wish someone had documented me in the picture, too (because let’s face it, husband photos are not usually the best). I wish I could show my kids now what it looked like when I snuggled them close before bed, or sniffed their heads just to make sure that baby smell hadn’t disappeared yet.
I can’t rewind time for myself, but I can make sure you have those photographs. And I can make it easy. No rushing out the door with a newborn. No worrying about whether the baby sleeps or everyone cooperates. Just your family, exactly where you are right now, with me there to document it.
Branding
From headshots to branding, it is TIME to be seen.
I’ve photographed people from their twenties to their nineties, and I’ve learned something along the way: almost everyone brings some version of “I’m not photogenic” with them.
Here’s the truth: being photogenic is a myth. It’s completely natural to feel unnatural in front of the camera. With plenty of direction and a little time to settle in, we make photographs that actually feel like the best version of you.
Whether you’re building a business, starting something new, or simply ready to show up a little more fully in your own life, you deserve photographs that feel like the version of yourself you want the world to see.
Kind Words
“Melissa is a gem! She makes the whole process of taking photos feel like taking a walk with a good friend. She has a naturally gifted eye that creates naturally beautiful photos. We couldn’t be happier with the how she has captured our family time and time again.”
Aviva V.
"Melissa did a great job of keeping things feeling casual and not stuffy and formal. She got great pictures of an enthusiastic 8 year old diva and a less than enthusiastic 13 year old teenager!"
— Katie S.
"Melissa did a beautiful job capturing my son and his preschool class. She is incredibly talented, communicative, and kind. Highly recommend!"
— Paige C
"Thank you SO MUCH... These are BEAUTIFUL! You do such gorgeous work, and I am so excited to use these for our Thanksgiving cards."
— Nerissa T.
