You're a BUSY mom. It felt like life was pretty busy before baby arrived, but it turns out that it was NOTHING compared to the responsibilities that motherhood has handed to you. Maybe you're up for another challenge when it comes to photos, maybe you're not at all. I am here to help either way! I am here to make this process as easy and painless for you as possible.
I have worked with so many families to help them produce beautiful art for their homes, now let me help you!
make memories that last a lifetime
Orange county Family PhotographY
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Real Families. Cherished Memories.
Featured Family Galleries
When Genevieve first reached out for an extended family photoshoot with me, she was a bit nervous trying to coordinate so many family members all the way from out of state.
However, we worked together one step at a time and her family ended up doing beautifully for their photoshoot. The outfits were coordinated down to the small details, and the family showed up with a fun and adventurous spirit. They brought so much sunshine with them that you can't even tell that it was raining throughout the photoshoot!
wide open field in Spring
This family traveled all the way from Canada for a photoshoot here in SoCal for mom's birthday and Mother's Day.
It was such a sweet session with their little baby, documenting her first day at the beach and tiny toes in the sand. It was a no stress day for baby Savera because as a lifestyle photographer, I try hard to replicate the vibe of a day at the beach , so she can enjoy the day with her parents, while mom and dad get the peace of mind of having their priceless memories documented beautifully.
A day out at the beach
The Mangas
These two giggly twin boys were huge balls of energy! They were super adorable, but also were bouncing off the walls throughout the entire photoshoot. Mom and dad did a great job staying calm and relaxed, and we managed to capture the most adorable photos of the family, even though it felt like a lot of energetic (but controlled) chaos the entire time!
You can count on me to keep the photoshoot flowing in the right direction while capturing beautiful portraits in the process!
Sweet cuddles in a luscious field
The Kims
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Sweet moments • joyful expressions • priceless memories
The Family Experience
As much as you love holding your little ones' tiny hands and putting on socks for their little feet. As much as you love how they call for you when they're excited and how unbridled their laughs ring through the air. As much as you want to soak in those baby smells. These moments all slowly become distant memories as your little one grows older. This is the reason why I hold family photography so near and dear to my heart. I would love to give you the gift of memories in the form of bottled up moments that you can look back on and share with your children. I want you to be able to show them albums and fill walls full of family photos so that your children can get a glimpse of the early years they've long forgotten about. Lets fill your home up with happy memories.
The greatest legacy we can leave our children
is happy memories
Your experience all starts with you filling out the contact form down below to get started!
You will get an email from me soon after to talk about what you are envisioning for your photoshoot or for me to answer any questions you may have about this whole process!
We can then book a quick 15 minute phone call to talk about the details of your photoshoot and to talk about your family members. I want to know all about you boy's rambunctious nature, your girl's shy demeanor, and dad's boisterous laugh! Or if you'd rather just email or chat or book on the spot, that is ok too! Whatever works with your busy schedule!
1. Say Hello
Once we pick a date, a contract will need to be signed and a non-refundable retainer paid.
After that, you are officially in the books!
2. Officially book!
During the weeks leading up to the photoshoot I will help look over any outfit choices you may be considering and giving guidance on what items to bring to your photoshoot. I also will send over a questionnaire to help me better get to know you and your needs.
We will figure out a great location for you for your photoshoot, and I will give you a custom start time.
Let's find out what makes your kids giggle and laugh. Got a not-so-smiley child? Let's tap into his/her instincts to be curious and allow him/her to explore nature instead. Knowing what makes your kids smile and what makes them tick, allows me to customize my family sessions to your needs. It's the secret sauce to making my sessions go so smoothly!
3. Planning it
This is the fun part! I'll meet you at the location sent to your email. There, I will review with the adults how to pose, how to interact with the kids, and what to do if one of the kids does not want to cooperate.
Fear not, I have had plenty of kids cry mid-shoot, and if I were to show you the final galleries of those families, you would be hard-pressed to figure out which galleries were which. The key is all in how we interact with the kids, and I am here to guide you EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. All I want you to worry about is following my directions, letting loose, and HAVING FUN.
4. Your photoshoot
About 1-2 months later, your photos will be ready for you to download from a link. If you need some photos or all of them sooner, I have options for this!
People laugh, some have cried (HAPPY TEARS, not sad ones thank goodness! haha), but most grin ear to ear to see the end result!
It is during that time when you will have the opportunity to purchase more than your base set of photos. And get ready, because most people can't resist but to get more photos from their gallery!
5. Your Photographs
AVERAGE INVESTMENT $800-1600+
Family PHOTOSHOOTS STARTING FROM $640
Photoshoots are on average 25-45 minutes long
Digital files are purchased in sets of 8, 15, 25, or all
Investment includes a photoshoot for five family members
Photoshoots within Orange County are included, travel fee may apply to locations out of OC.
Artwork (like prints and albums) are purchased separately
The Investment Details
I loved her work, so when we found out we were pregnant, I knew Melanie would be our maternity and newborn photographer. The booking process was a breeze; Melanie worked with us to nail down the location, outfits, and sent us her recommendations to prepare us for the photoshoot. She is very sweet and personable and it was so much fun to work with her! The photos turned out amazing and we're so glad we chose Melanie to capture our new journey. I cannot wait to work with Melanie again for our newborn photoshoot and future family photoshoots. We love love love our photos and can't recommend melliemadephotography enough!
Maternity session
Vanseka & Alan
Melanie was very professional and personable as well. She always responded to any of my questions when I needed help and tips. I worried my kids would not cooperate, but she know how to create a fun atmosphere for them and the photoshoot turned out to be so much fun for them. They started out shy and ended up getting a little bit too excited. The photos turned out beautifully. Thank you Melanie!
Family Session
Kira
We saw what a beautiful job Melanie did for our cousin’s newborn photos that we decided to reach out to her when our son was born. She was quick to respond and has a great attention to detail. During these unprecedented times with Covid-19, she provided professional and flexible terms for the photo shoot that worked with our schedule. We are grateful for her patience and unique eye to capture our newest addition to the family. Don’t hesitate to contact her, you won’t be disappointed!
NEwborn Session
Wendy
I worked with Mel last year for our first annual family photoshoot. Melanie was so easy to work with from start to finish (booking appt to getting our photos back in record time). She was very responsive when I had any questions about our outfits and needed suggestion for a makeup artist when mine wasn’t available. She was very patient with the kids which made it easier on me. I already booked an appt for our shoot this year and can’t wait to see the new location and photos.
Maternity Session
An
My husband and I just got our photos back from a maternity shoot with Melanie and we couldn't be happier! She was very professional (wore a mask the entire time) and she was able to give me and hubby instructions during the shoot like where he should put his hand and where we should look. The photos turned out beautifully and very representative of the airy esthetic I saw on her Instagram. Highly recommend her!
maternity Session
Joyce
I highly recommend booking with Melanie! I had such a great experience working with her. I was very impressed with how professional but personable she was from beginning to end.
Our session might have been a disaster if she didn’t come to the rescue. Both my 2 year old and 4 year old had meltdowns (at the same time!) but that didn’t bother her. Somehow she got them to cooperate, made it work and captured some amazing moments! We love our photos and I look forward to working with her again in the future!
Family Session
Tuyen
By far one of my favorite photographers!
Melanie was so sweet, thorough and professional. It was such a pleasure working with her to take my newborn’s photos during a chaotic time. I loved so many of the photos that she took!! I would recommend her to anyone!
Newborn Session
Jenny
We had such a great experience with Melanie from start to finish. She was patient, kind, and sooo sweet with my kiddos. I had no idea how the photos would turn out but the outcome was better than expected! The hardest part was choosing our favorite photos.
Thank you, Melanie! Looking forward to doing our annual photos with your next year!
Family Session
Hannah
I highly recommend Melliemade Photography! My wife and I met her at a cute quaint place in Irvine for our maternity photo shoot. Melanie was very professional, prompt and well mannered. She instructed us on how to pose because we clearly did not know how to pose for photos. The park looked nice but our photos came out even nicer! Can’t believe how great they were! Would definitely do another photo shoot with Melliemade Photography!
Maternity Session
Dinh
Melanie is such a lovely person to work with! Her photos speak for themselves (just perfectly light and airy) but the BTS experience makes it 10/10. She is super prepared and gave us great info on how we could prepare ourselves. We did a mini session with our dog and it was better than we expected! We never met prior to our shoot but she’s so warm and friendly, it felt like we were friends. 100% recommend working with her!!
Family Session
Abby
My first photoshoot with someone else was a total disaster. After that experience, I was so horrified that I never wanted to do a baby photo shoot ever again! However, when I started to talk to Melanie, she listened to my concerns and worries, explained how she plans and manages the photoshoot, and encouraged me to try again. After talking to her, I decided to try and I am so grateful that I did. Melanie was very professional, personable, and had strong portrait skills. My baby loved Melanie, and she knew exactly how to handle unforeseen situations and manage babies. She also made me feel very comfortable so we got plenty of nice photos with natural laughs (both baby and me!). Thank you Melanie for such a precious and fun experience and memory!!!
Family Session
Insoon
Melanie was great. The pictures came out perfect. She had such great energy and made things easy with our little girl. Parents know how difficult it can be with the little ones but she is really great with how she guided her. I would definitely recommend Melanie.
Family Session
Roy
Melanie was wonderful to work with and made great recommendations to ensure our photos turned out exactly as we had hoped. She sent us a photography guide with suggested locations and poses. She also took the time to understand our vision prior to the shoot. Overall, she was very efficient and knowledgeable and we love the final product.
Maternity Session
Thomas
I found Mellie in my local mom Facebook group. I looked at her portfolio and loved what I saw. She was offering mini sessions which was exactly what I was looking for since my son was around 1 at the time and had no patience with standing still and posing for pictures. She made it fun for him and the pictures came out beautiful! I have one of them framed on top of the mantle and I highly doubt I’ll ever take it down.
Family Session
Sara
We had a terrific experience working with Melanie!!! Our newborn pics and family portraits turned out amazing! It was a miracle how she was able to put my two year old toddler at ease in front of the camera. Highly recommend!!!
Newborn Session
Ly
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Melanie twice for our maternity photo shoots. She’s super friendly and extremely easy to work with! We love her light and airy photography style for maternity photos. Melanie definitely tries to make it easy on you throughout the process and helps prepare you well in advance for the photo shoot. We would definitely recommend her if you’re looking for a photographer with a light and airy style!
Maternity Session
Andrew
It’s been years since my son and I had professional photos taken. He’s 26 now, and the challenge has been to have photos that won’t come out mushy, or that would come out couplish looking. One of my sisters has had her family photos and professional photos taken by Melanie, and I liked them. So I decided to contact her for a photo session.
First of all, I loved working with her on the day of our photo shoot! So easy to work with! And more importantly, I loved how our photos turned out! I have a few marked for printing and framing already! Surely a great investment, one that will last for years to come!
Family Session
Marou
Mel came to the rescue and delivered! Our original photographer canceled last minute two hours before our appointment and we were desperately thinking of other options. As Mel was leaving another shoot in Temecula a friend contacted her and she agreed to do our shoot! Thank goodness for great people like Mellie! She saved the day and I was able to do our family holiday photos. I am 100% pleased with the turn out. She was great with my crazy 2 year old and has a great eye! Thank you Mellie for making this happen. Don’t think twice. Book with her!
Family Session
Shawna
It was a pleasure working with Melanie for our maternity photoshoot!! I have been following Melliemade Photography for awhile now and have been waiting to work with her. In all of her pictures, she shows great attention to detail and has a very keen eye for anything esthetic. Melanie prepared us very well with her "photoshoot preparations and general advices" to get the most out of the photoshoot. She was very accommodating with my sunrise shoot desire even though it would mean she would have to wake up super early. Working with Melanie is a breeze because she is very professional, sweet and personable which makes everything fun and easy--perfect for husbands and children. Her work is amazing and the pictures turned out absolutely beautiful!! I cannot wait to work with her again for my future family photoshoots. I am already showing off my photos and recommending her to everyone!!
Maternity Session
Kim
Thank you Melanie for the pretty pictures! We had to reschedule our family photos to a later date and Mel was so accommodating despite her packed schedule. My one year old was sick on the day of the photo shoot. I was worried the picture wouldn't turn out well, but was so pleasantly surprised by how many smiling photos she got of our daughter. My husband is usually very camera shy, but he commented on how nice they were and comfortable he was around them. They were both so patient and took the time to get good photos of us! I highly recommend Melliemade Photography l to anyone looking for a photographer
Family Session
Hannah
Let's chat! Please fill out this info below.
Note: Portrait packages start at $640
(Average Investment is $800-1600+)
