About Me
Hello there, I'm Melissa, lover of vibrant colors (especially jewel tones), impromptu dance parties and anything that involves bacon and avocado.
Most days you can find me chasing my kids around the house or enjoying a cup of tea while watching sci-fi and detective shows with my computer programmer husband.
I'm an avid thrift shopper, aspiring gardener and hobbyist jewelry maker who believes that life is about building relationships and finding ways to give back. I am passionate about refugee and immigrant issues and creating community in my historic Lancaster City neighborhood, Cabbage Hill. I am addicted to ice cream and during the summer we take weekly walks downtown to Penny's Ice Cream Truck (their black raspberry oreo is THE best!)
Folks who know me well would describe me as a child at heart who is known for her killer party planning skills and her obsession with unicorns and mermaids.
I photograph people who are looking for someone to capture the joy of their everyday lives and important milestones with a unique eye for detail, color and emotion. I am lucky to give them the gift of images that will be passed down for generations. I have a Studio Art degree with a concentration in photography and I've been working as a professional photographer since 2005 (I began my own business in 2010).
My work has always been about people and telling their stories in an authentic, life giving way. Since giving back is a core part of who I am, the heart of my business is about giving back too. Each year I hold mini sessions with 100% of the proceeds being donated to non-profit organizations (see last year's cause here). I also collaborate with Church World Service Lancaster and I am an ongoing volunteer photographer for their project Invisible Americans.
A few random facts about me:
- I was born in New Orleans about a month after Mardi Gras.
- I can wiggle my ears (yes, without touching them!)
- I have traveled to 36 countries on 5 continents, most of them while on assignment as a photographer with Mennonite Central Committee.
- I am fluent in Spanish and spent a year living with a host family in Nicaragua where I volunteered at a cultural center and ate LOTS of chocobananos and gallo pinto.
- I've kept a journal since second grade (my first one had The Little Mermaid on the cover).
- I love hearing and sharing birth stories (becoming a mom changed my life!)
- I got my start in photography with film at the age of 13, about 10 years before digital was commonplace and my first camera was my mom's Canon AE-1. My first official photographer job was a freelancer with the local newspaper at the age of 17 (and it was still all film back then!)
