Oh what a pleasure it was to meet this most amazing, gorgeous family.  Since we shot this session a few weeks ago, Dad has since deployed to Iraq where he will be for about 13 months.  Long months when you have four children and a wife who are at home!
What an honor it was to shoot Dale and Amy and their children – their session could not have gone better – from the ADORABLE little patriotic outfits on the girls, to the boys in their camo.

Be safe, Dale, and come home soon! And… THANK YOU for your service!!!

Oh what a FUN job I have!  Sorry I’ve been MIA on the blog – been a little busy with some summer shooting – have traveled to San Diego, Chicago, and a few other places for some aaaah-mazing photo shoots.  Until I can get them up here on the bloggity-blog… enjoy these shots from last week’s performance of “Twinderella” at the Chandler Center for the Arts…. kids did a GREAT job with their lines and the dancing… so adorable!

This little princess has been a Priceless Reflections by Melissa client since she was just a few days old. I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow and the honor of documenting her life through portraits for her family. On this day, she was real trooper and full of laughs, giggles, and that batting eyelashes look that every little girl seems to master to get what she she wants.

Recognize her from the top of the Smugmug site where you view your images after the session? She’s growing up!

I’ve been blessed to photograph the “B” family for the last 3 years or so. Blessed because they’re a unique family full of love and compassion and yeah, a lot of fun. The expressions on their faces are so much fun – just look at a slice of our day.

How can you resist smiles like this?

Our own Smushie graduated from Yad B’Yad Preschool at Temple Emanuel and through the tears (and laughs… preschool graduation, enough said) I was able to capture some great images for the families.

And here’s our girl. We’re so proud of you, Smushie!

I can’t say enough great things about Yad B’Yad and Lynn, Denise, and Leslie! Thank you so much for the wonderful education, guidance, and friendship you gave to our daughter and all of the children in her class. We’ll miss you!

Clients often ask what happens if we have weather-that’s-less-than-perfect for a session. A little rain doesn’t stop the Fowler family and it doesn’t stop me. Just look at what fun we had and what great images they’ll have of their time playing in the sprinkles with that crazy Melissa photographer lady.

And then my personal favorite. This is a piece of art for their home – it’s fun, it’s colorful, it’s welcoming, it’s playful, it’s THEM. No one’s looking at the camera, no one’s cheesing… it’s a real moment and it’s why I’m here.

I’ve been photographing the Fowler family since Miss G was only a few days old and splashing in puddles suits us just fine. They wanted me to come back and play the next day – now THAT is a successful portrait session!

Oh me oh my! What an incredible week I had last week, shooting literally thousands of photos of some of Cincinnati’s best and cutest families, kids etc!  From eensy weensy babies, to big kids and their parents, what a week it was!  Here’s just a sneak peek preview of some of the FUN we all had last week!

Huge SHOUT OUT and Mega-THANK YOU to Dana and Ben, who were my assistants.  Ben took some awesome shots – and Dana, as always, was the best assistant of all time!  Thank you to both of you for the help!

Without further adieu.. check out some of the fun from last week:

One of the best parts of living here in Phoenix is our proximity to all things “Western” … cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and big belt buckles.  Coming from Cincinnati… well, it’s taken some time to get used to seeing these things frequently, but it’s really cute how all the little ones get into it!

This little cowboy was SO very excited to sport his brand new cowboy hat … so during his photo shoot of course we had to bring it out for a few shots…..

Photographing this family is always a treat – whether in Cincinnati – or here in Scottsdale!  I love it when my clients from Ohio end up vacationing in Arizona, and call me for photos!  I’ve had the pleasure of photographing Caleb and Campbell for quite some time now — and with every session, I just love them more and more!  (Plus it helps that their parents are really AWESOME too!)

I photographed the twins in Old Towne Scottsdale and then we went to the Sugar Bowl (haven’t been? I highly recommend it!)…. for some ice cream and of course, more photos!

I met this charming West Side couple at the Civic Center in Scottsdale for pre-wedding portraits.

They were getting married at the courthouse but still wanted fabulous engagement-style  portraits to remember the day. They’re super sweet, so very much in love, and they made my job so easy.

Just look!

They celebrated the big event at a small Brazilian restaurant with family and close friends and I can’t wait to show them the rest of their images !