It’s all going to be ok. It really is. Whatever happens at your session, it’s an honest reflection of the stage of life you and your family are in at this moment.
I’m a mom too. A mom of boys.
They’re wild. They’re loud. They’re chaotic.
I love them dearly, with all my heart, but they’re a lot.
The first thing I want you to know is this:
The second is:
I know someone is going to run off.
They'll come back.
I know someone is going to scowl.
They're also going to laugh.
I know you're sweating and watching your kids and praying they can keep it together
Take a deep breath.
Let them be.
I love kids and their spunk and all the personality they come with.
It's all okay.
Running, crying, not listening, it's all okay.
I’m asking you to trust me.
Trust my ability to capture your family.
In all your crazy glory.
I will make it work.
That's my job.
They're children. They want to play.
Session Information
Why do I share this?
1 - 1.5 hour session done on location or in-home (family, maternity or newborn session)
Online gallery of at least 50 images (active for 2 weeks)
High resolution digital files of all images in gallery (available via download)
Travel up to an hour from Sturbridge, MA included
Print Release for all images
Storytelling Session | $550.00
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session offerings
This package includes:
1 - 1 hour Maternity Session
Typically held between 28-32 weeks
50 images included
1 - 1-1.5 hour Newborn Session
Typically held 2-4 weeks after birth
Held on a weekday morning at your home
50 images included
Welcome Baby Package $925
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Extended Family Sessions | $700.00
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(These sessions include anyone outside of the immediate family; grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc…)
Up to 2 hour session done on location or in-home
15-20 minute mini session for each family unit
Group Shots
All digital images from session
Print Release for all images
If you're just looking for either a maternity OR newborn session, you can select the Storytelling session above.
love notes...
Melissa is simply amazing! We booked Melissa for a family session early this summer and this being the first one my almost two year old son was doing since his newborn pictures, I was a little nervous.
He was a typical two year old (did not want to do anything I asked him to, running around constantly) and Melissa absolutely rolled with it and took incredible photos. She made me feel so comfortable about the chaos involved with photographing two young children and she got both of them involved in some fun to capture some really special moments. I highly recommend her and look forward to working with her again!
- The baker Family
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"We have been friends personally for a long time. We had seen your work on your website and Facebook. We were very impressed by the quality of the pictures, and we knew that working with you would be enjoyable.
The care that you gave our children was wonderful. You were able to get a sense of each child's personality, and then use that to find a way to capture them in photos. We love the approach that you take to get photos that capture children in their natural state instead of posed pictures that might be difficult for some children. We especially appreciated the care that you took with our special needs daughter.
The resulting images that we got are excellent. We will use them for years to come. The image quality is top notch, and we have a wide variety of natural and posed pictures. The amount of images that we received from the session was a lot higher than expected.
We have already recommended you to multiple families that we are friends with. Whenever we hear from a family that is looking for an opportunity for a photography session, we will always recommend you first!"
- The Kadamus Family
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"I have always been a huge fan of lifestyle photography! I love how "in the moment" it looks and feels. You had beautiful work on your website and social media and were located right here in town- it was meant to be!
We had the absolute best experience during our twin newborn and toddler session. Melissa managed to capture the most adorable moments with our two week old twins and an almost three year old. Our three year old still often says "I want that nice lady with the camera to come back" - "me too", I tell her! Melissa was very calm and comforting which made us feel like we could just "be us." It honestly did not feel much like a photo session at all, but just a day in our life- so happy to have these special memories caught on camera!
We loved all the pictures in our gallery! Honestly it was so hard to choose which ones we were going to print because they were all that good! There was a really good balance of color and black & white- I really liked that I had options.
I would recommend Melissa as a family photographer because she really has this calm, comforting side that makes you feel like you can really just be yourself. She understands what it is like to have children (or a husband!) not cooperating for photos and she puts that all at ease and captures the most beautiful moments. We cannot wait for our next session!
Also, the fact that my husband (who typically hates photoshoots!) purchased a gift card for a mini session with you speaks volumes! He felt 100% comfortable, at ease and we loved the photos from our last shoot so much!"
- the ogle family
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"We knew you would be great to work with the second we met you for our first photo shoot when you understood the challenge of (then) two little ones, two parents and the hope for a few great shots. From the onset you were calm and made us all feel comfortable. You clearly enjoy both your work and young kids because getting them to participate was a challenge you met without hesitation (and that goes for all of the sessions we have had with you)! As for what brought us to you, it was a Facebook post offering mini-sessions in Central MA at a price that couldn't be beat. We thought, "At this price, what do we have to lose?" Little did we know you would end up capturing so many images for us over the years!
You have been AWESOME to say the least. Whether getting the kids to laugh, reminding Lauren and I to stand together and get that special photo together as husband and wife (you reminded us that we probably hadn't had a professional photo since our wedding...you were right!), or scooping up a crying child when during our lifestyle shoot the fire alarms went off and tears and screams took over, you come to the session ready to do what needs to be done. On the cold and less favorable days, you moved quick and assured us you captured "the one." Sure enough, you always have! Your consistency and our ability to go into the sessions knowing you will get the pictures we are hoping for is what has kept us coming back and has allowed us to approach "picture day" with excitement.
The images are always the best surprise and often leave us speechless and more in love with the babies we have now . Over the years you have captured some truly magical shots and we have been so genuinely happy each and every time!
As you know we have sent a few people your way : ). Our closest friends and family members know why we have sent you and that is because you rock! Never has anyone been anything but thrilled with the results and never have we doubted that such would be the case."
- The Favulli Family
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Based in Central Massachusetts, serving the greater New England area and available for travel worldwide.
