I may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Hell, for all I know, I’m a tequila in a teacup
I speak 4 languages: English, Profanity, Sarcasm, and Real shit.
I am not an early bird OR a night owl. I am some form of permanently exhausted pigeon.
In 10 years of being a parent, I’ve been in labor longer than I’ve ever had a few moments of peace & quiet while going to the bathroom.
For my 15th birthday, I got to hug the members of Puddle of Mudd at my first concert with Breaking Benjamin.
I’ve always loved documenting life around me, nature was what caught my attention first. Then I had babies and - HOLY SHIT - did that change everything! I became obsessed with detailing everything I didn’t want to forget about my kiddos. It wasn’t long before my need to photograph my own family turned into a desire to photograph others.
That’s where
The Photographic Storyteller
was born.
And where my life’s work as a birth and documentary family photographer really became apparent. I don’t want to dress people up in expensive froo-froo clothing, take them to the same overused outdoor location, tell them what to do, then have them say cheese and smile. Why? Because it isn’t REAL. I don’t want to deliver more of the same cookie cutter digital images that every other family has sitting on their hard drive. I don’t want it for me, and I don’t want it for you
I’ve been through a lot in my life, honestly more than the average bear, and I believe in being transparent about my struggles, so it opens the door for others to be vulnerable too. Because of my lived experiences from domestic violence to pregnancy loss to having cancer before 30, and even my late diagnosed autism/ADHD, I have begun to remove the mask and in doing so gained a unique perspective on life’s moments and what truly matters. It’s also given me the ability to be understanding of and non-judgmental of everyone’s lived experiences.
I’ve always been called a highly sensitive person (oh - hi, ADHD & autism!) which manifests as my intense need to save everything that is attached to special memories or people. That’s where my memory box comes in. Decades of football-folded notes, friendship crafts, and holiday cards. Concert tickets, foam fingers, t-shirts, and of course photographs. I want to have tangible memories to look back on, because for me out of sight, out of mind doesn’t just apply to things in the back of my refrigerator - it applies to people and memories, too.
Hey, I’m Melissa (she/her),
The Photographic Storyteller.
If you look at my photos, you'll see what I’m talking about!
