Engagement Session

Nicole and Bobby have been dating 4 years, after having met when she went to work for him at Liquid Surf and Sail in Fort Walton Beach...She is a mathematics whiz and has since moved on to an accounting firm.  I had the opportunity to spend time with them last week for their engagement session and they were so much fun to spend time with!  Their nuptials are planned for May, and I so look forward to that day, capturing their memories.
Thanks guys!

:-) Melanie

Panama City beach photography, Santa Rosa Beach photography

Jessica emailed me a couple of weeks ago and wanted to have her family's pictures made on the beach. They are from near Birmingham, AL, and were going to be in town for about a week.  She told me that her dad has terminal cancer and that this was to be a special time for them.
I have had several families over the years, whose family members have cancer. It's a horrible subject, I know, but at least by them telling me, I can try to make the session extra special.
Some of these images have the subjects' eyes closed...but that is just what I asked for...I told them to hug each other as though they loved each other sooooo much... and this is the result.
God bless you Jessica, and your family.

:-) Melanie

Child Photography in Destin, FL and Santa Rosa Beach, FL

I just LOVE little kids!  They are just so darn funny being themselves!
In the midst of all the office work/editing/creating a new wedding website/answering emails and phone calls/watching the weather-because-it-looks-like-rain-tomorrow-and-I-have-a-family-session-and-engagement-session, I was reviewing some sessions with families from years past as I was editing some pictures to use in marketing.
Of course, I also love the families these little people are members of, and appreciate the new friendships I make every year, and the repeat clients I have from year to year! But the little kids....well, there's nothing like 'em!!
When someone calls me to ask some questions about a session, or to book one, they always tell me that they love my website...I tell them thanks bunches! And I explain that I always shoot the family poses they want...but then, I let the children just do what they do best....Be Kids!
You can never guess what they are going to do when you let them do their own thing...and that is why my photography style is so sought after, and why I limit the number of sessions I book each year--so that I can give my utmost attention to your family and what I can capture for you to have memories for a lifetime of your time at these beautiful beaches!  And it is especially important to me--when there are children with special needs and family members with terminal illnesses--to engrave in photographs the feelings and love that a family expresses.
Enjoy these funny faces!
:-)
Melanie

Wedding cinema---Destin, Santa Rosa Beach photography

Well, I'm leaving on a jet plane....tomorrow. Heading to California for a several day film school to learn some of the latest techniques and gadgets for producing high end wedding cinema, formerly referred to as "video." I knew probably 10 years ago that I wanted to one day return to my roots of video/cinema and offer brides a high quality product. My first job out of college was at a tv station in Panama City, as a reporter/videographer/editor. We kind of had to wear several hats back then. From there I was hired as the same in Dothan, Ala.
All I really need to learn is the state-of-the-art editing program that my husband bought for me. It's just been one of those "find the time to learn it" while deep in the middle of photography season this past year.
I am really looking forward to the learning experience, and expect to be posting many pictures over the next several days. After class ends Saturday night, my cousin from Orlando joins me and we head to LA for some star gazing!

Kitty and Jeremy--Destin wedding photography

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday when I received a voicemail from a client from last year's photography sessions.  Kitty asked me to call her...that she had some news for me. I photographed Kitty and Jeremy and her daughter, Alyssa, and they looked like the perfect little family then.
I already knew what it was going to be--she and Jeremy were planning to get married later this year. She wanted to know if I would be available to photograph their wedding in the fall in Destin.
I told her I would be available and honored to capture their special day in pictures. Kitty and I hit it off at their photo session, sharing lots of laughs. I told her she was the only person I knew who laughs as loud as me!!
After our phone conversation, she sent be a sweet email.

"Hi, Melanie! So good to hear you and your laugh. ;) I am sooooo excited about you being a part of our beautiful chapter in our lives..."

It's always nice to have new friendships and lasting relationships with the people whom I photograph.