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

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

The NGUYENS

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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

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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

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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

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The Family Process

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AVERAGE INVESTMENT $1100+

Family PHOTOSHOOTS STARTING FROM $790

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

Every detail felt intentional and handled with care. We’re absolutely in love with the final images and will treasure them forever.

Newborn Session

Farnaz

The photos turned out absolutely beautiful — exactly what my husband and I had envisioned. She captured such a special time in our lives perfectly.

Maternity Session

Georgina

In addition to being new parents, we have demanding careers so having Melanie take the lead and be attentive to all the details was incredibly invaluable. We were only able to relinquish the details to Melanie because her talent, vision, and expertise is extraordinary! We are IN LOVE with all our photos! They turned out better than we could’ve imagined.

Family Session

KElly

We are from Arcadia CA and to drive down to Irvine just for her, I'd do it all over again. (Mind you it's two hours of traffic)
DONT WALK RUN NOW to book an appointment.

Family Session

vivian

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!

Family Session

Tuyen

Her photos speak for themselves (just perfectly light and airy) but the BTS experience makes it 10/10. We never met prior to our shoot but she’s so warm and friendly, it felt like we were friends.

Newborn Session

Abby

I loved her work, so when we found out we were pregnant, I knew Melanie would be our maternity and newborn photographer.

Maternity session

Vanseka & Alan

Newborn Session

Andrea

It definitely takes someone special to have the talent, the eye, and the ability to do what she does as well as she does.

She’s not the least expensive option out there but you get what you pay for and we’re really glad we went with Melanie.

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

She is so thorough and very easy to communicate with.

Melanie walked us through every step of the way including helping us choose and coordinate our clothing, bringing some beautiful gowns of her own for me to wear, to sending us the most detailed list of locations along with pros/cons of each.