Melissa Jill's Blog

Just for the fun of it

Melissa Jill :) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 05:38:00 +0000

This video is not photography related but absolutely cracks me up. A friend sent it to me and said it reminded her of my birthday party.

Kevin & Marissa's Engagement Shoot

Melissa Jill :) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 17:49:00 +0000

Yesterday I shot Kevin & Marissa's engagement photos at Freestone park in Gilbert. I felt like I was shooting for a magazine with how gorgeous and comfortable in front of the camera this couple is. Their wedding is next November and I'm so excited to be a part of it.

Kevin & Marissa brought their adorable Yorkshire Terrier, Lola, along for part of the shoot. I couldn't stop smiling and laughing at how cute she was. It was all I could do to keep shooting and not stop and cuddle her.

Here's some more of my favorites of Marissa & Kevin. I love how the colors turned out. I don't really think of Arizona as having Fall colors but they showed up in these photos:

I love this tree. Again--great colors:

Gotta love the bridge shot:

Check out the ring:

SUCH a cute couple! Thanks for a great shoot guys--can't wait for your wedding!

Alex & Ryan's Engagement shoot

Melissa Jill :) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 04:29:00 +0000

Last weekend I shot Alex & Ryan's engagement photos. I got a little behind with blogging and most everything this week with Thanksgiving and then catching a cold. But I had so much fun with them! I'm excited to finally share these with you. Alex and Ryan are such a cute couple and so laid back and fun to be around. They are getting married in May and after shooting their engagement photos, I'm really looking forward to the wedding!

We shot at the Scottsdale Civic Center. When we got there we found that the entire thing was taken over by an Arts and Crafts festival but we worked around and with it. Here's some fun shots from around the festival:

This beautiful swan was hanging out in the lake and I had to get a shot:

Here's some more shots from the park area:

We decided to walk around Old Town Scottsdale and shoot at some different locations there:

We came across a cool historic car show and shot by their favorite old Chevy:

After grabbing some dinner we took advantage of the city lights to get a few fun night shots. This is one of my favorites:

Alex & Ryan--you guys are great! I can't wait for the wedding!

Day trip to Mexico

Melissa Jill :) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:37:00 +0000

Some of my extended family is in town for Thanksgiving from across the midwest - 7 aunts & uncles and 8 cousins. I've been trying to take some time off to spend with them this week since I don't get to see them often enough. Yesterday we took a day trip over to Algodones, Mexico. We ate at a taco stand and I walked around doing some street photography while everyone else shopped. We were in a very touristy border town area but it was still fun to walk around and see some of the culture. I love all the bright colors and old textures.

Here's a guy who was working extremely hard in the heat to entertain the tourists and get some tips:

I found myself photographing a lot of gates, chains and locks that day. Here's a few of my favorites:

Some more bright colors:

As I was walking by these locals asked me to take their photo:

Another fun shot:

This little boy was so cute and loved having his photo taken:

On the drive home I got a cool shot of the sunset:

It was a great day shooting just for the fun of it.

I hope you all have an excellent Thanksgiving!

Scott & Melissa

Melissa Jill :) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:43:00 +0000

Last Sunday I shot Scott & Melissa's wedding. I had so much fun with these two. They were so easy-going and comfortable around the cameras. They also have amazing taste and their wedding was unbelieveably stylish and beautiful.

Before I go any further, I need to give a shout out to my friend and fellow photographer, Stuart Thurlkill, who helped me out by 2nd shooting with me at this wedding. He is super-great and talented. He also shot a number of my favorite photos below :). THANKS Stuart!

Ok, on to some of my favorites. How lucky am I that I get to shoot such beautiful brides!?
Unbelieveably gorgeous!

Here's Melissa's sister trying out a new hair-styling technique--cute! :)

I loved the color Melissa chose--yellow:

The mother of the bride was trying SO hard to hold it together as the wedding began:

The bride coming down the isle. Notice mom in the background :)

Fun shot of the groomsmen during the ceremony:

The wedding was at Desert Mountain Chiracahua Clubhouse in north Scottsdale. It was such a breath-taking venue:

Married!

The band kept the party going and was very entertaining:

One last shot of the couple:

And the beautiful venue:

Melissa & Scott--thanks SO much for including me in your wedding. It was amazing!

Click here if you'd like to view the slideshow!

Brian & Paula

Melissa Jill :) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 04:44:00 +0000

I shot Brian & Paula's wedding Saturday at The Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a wedding. Here are some of my favorite shots. Jamie, my very talented assistant, who has been working with me for over a year now, shot these first three.

I love this image. It came out of the camera like this. All we did was change it to black and white. It was shot through the veil over the bride's shoulder (she was wearing a striped shirt) with her face reflecting in the mirror.

We saw this when we first arrived at the mansion. I made Jamie shoot it since she had the right lens on her camera even though she's terrified of bees :). I love the color. Again--straight out of the camera like this:

Here's a fun detail shot of the shoes hanging on one of the cool old door knobs in the mansion:

Paula was absolutely stunning:

The groom looked pretty good as well. Here's a shot of him right after Paula walked down the isle. It's shot through some candles and bridesmaid's shoulders:

The ceremony site was amazing:

And here's some fun detail shots. Emily Edwards, one of my favorite wedding consultants, gets a lot of credit for pulling together all the details and helping the day to run smoothly. She is so fun and easy to work with. Thanks Emily for hooking me up with Paula & Brian!

Thanks Paula & Brian for including me in your wedding day!

Click here if you want to view the slideshow!

Cute Kailey

Melissa Jill :) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 04:29:00 +0000

Today I got to spend some time with Teri, my best friend from high school, and her adorable little girl Kailey. It's always fun to hang out with them and recently I insisted on taking some photos of Kailey because she is just SO cute. I couldn't resist. Here are a few of my favorites from our laid back, "hanging out" shoot today:

Next week I get to do a family shoot with them so there's more cuteness to come!

Starting tomorrow, I'm shooting 20 hours worth of weddings this weekend. They're going to be great but if you don't hear from me after Sunday, it's quite possible that I dropped dead in the process. Just wanted to give you all a heads up :).

Scott & Melissa's Engagement Shoot

Melissa Jill :) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 06:44:00 +0000

Yesterday I shot Scott & Melissa's Engagement photos near their home in Scottsdale. Their wedding is in two short weeks and I'm really looking forward to it! They are really down-to-earth and genuine people-- and a lot of fun to be around.

Like many of my clients, Scott & Melissa are dog lovers. Their lab, Guinness, got into the photo taking fun as well:

Here are some more of my favorite shots:

Scott & Melissa--I really enjoyed last night and look forward to seeing you guys again in two weeks!

John & Kim

Melissa Jill :) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 06:19:00 +0000

John & Kim got married on Saturday at Grayhawk Golf Club. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Kim was a gorgeous bride and one of the most calm and peaceful brides I have ever seen. She was just ready to marry John. I had a great time getting to know this wonderful couple and documenting their day.

Below are some of my favorite shots. You can also click here to view a slideshow of more photos, including a few from their rehearsal dinner the night before at The Royal Palms.

Here's a shot from the rehearsal dinner that I just like--gotta love little parts:

A few preparation shots:

The bride peeking out at the guests as they arrive for the ceremony:

The adorable flower girl:

This grandpa was so sweet with his little granddaughter:

Kim looked stunning as her father walked her down the aisle:

John is such a happy, likeable guy. He was glowing during the ceremony:

A few fun portraits of the newlyweds:

The reception was a blast. Here's a shot I caught of the groom literally sliding across the dance floor:

It was an amazing day. Thanks John & Kim for including me in your wedding! Click here if you would like to view the slideshow!

11 family portrait shoots

Melissa Jill :) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 03:48:00 +0000

This weekend I logged 16 hours of shooting--a rehearsal dinner Friday, a wedding yesterday and 11 family portrait shoots today. The family portrait shoots were all a part of The Silverleaf Club's annual Family Portrait Brunch they hold for their members. This is one of my favorite venues for weddings, by the way--it is SO gorgeous. It was a crazy 4 1/2 hours but I met a lot of great families and got some great Christmas card shots :).

There were cute kids everywhere. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

These two cuties were stylin'. I love their colorful clothes:

The little girl was SO spunky. I had her and her brother in the above pose and then she gave me one of these:

I think she has a modeling future with all the poses she was coming up with :).

The wedding on Saturday was fabulous as well. Stay tuned...I'll post some of my favorite shots from the day and the slideshow in a day or two.

NEW WEBSITE!!!!

Melissa Jill :) — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:43:00 +0000

I am SO excited to announce the launch of my brand new website! My last website was designed by me over three years ago and has served me well but I was definitely overdue for an upgrade. This time I payed someone else the big bucks to do the work and I think it turned out great! This website has all updated photos in slideshow format, video testimonials of some of my clients and even a dorky video of me welcoming you to my site (so embarassing). So check it out by clicking here. And I would love to hear what you think!

Orava Family Portraits

Melissa Jill :) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 23:39:00 +0000

Yesterday I shot family portraits for Scott, Ginni and their little girl Jadyn. They are a cute family and we had fun walking around Freestone Park on an absolutely beautiful Fall day. It was the perfect day for a portrait shoot!

Here's a few more of my favorites:

Jadyn is just getting the hang of walking and she looked so cute in her pink coat:

Thanks Scott & Ginni! It was fun spending time with you yesterday!

Nathan & Elizabeth

Melissa Jill :) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 05:45:00 +0000

Nathan & Elizabeth got married at The Secret Garden on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding. Elizabeth and her family and friends are all super high-energy and the whole day felt like one big party. The day was also special for me because I got to work with my favorite pastor--Scott Swanson-- and my favorite DJ--Ken Moskowitz of Desert Audio. I also got to work with my friend Sarah Duckworth, who is the event coordinator at The Secret Garden. So it was the dream team for me--lots of fun; everyone working together to make the wedding day amazing.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

Click here if you'd like to view the slideshow.

All the bridesmaids had cute shirts with their last names on the back:

What a cute couple:

A sweet moment between Elizabeth and her dad:

There were some amazing details at this wedding. Every touch was beautiful:

The Secret Garden has a great staircase that Elizabeth walked down escorted by her father:

The ceremony was emotion-filled:

More beautiful details:

And the first dance:

Elizabeth & Nathan--thanks so much for allowing me to document your amazing day!

Thanks for the Encouragement

Melissa Jill :) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 19:12:00 +0000

This week has been a tough week for me. I've been in the process of getting a new website designed for months now and the whole thing has been a tough experience. This week it's come to a head so I've been a bit stressed out.

But God is good. He's also sent some encouragement my way in the form of emails from past clients who received my newsletter this week. I always love to hear from each of you even years after the wedding. You each have a special place in my memory and heart. Here's part of an email from Miranda whose wedding I shot in North Carolina in February 2005:

Thanks for brightening my day Miranda!

The Hammond Family

Melissa Jill :) — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 18:50:00 +0000

The other day I got to shoot family portraits for my assistant, Jamie. She has two of the cutest kids ever. Blake is 3 and Tyler is 18 months. Blake was such a trooper with the portraits, trying his best and being very patient. Tyler was a little tougher but that's to be expected at her age. But I'm excited because we got some super-cute ones!

Blake is such a good big brother and loves Tyler so much. Check out the love:

And a few more of my favorites:

Thanks for everything you do for me Jamie! I love you and your cute family!

The Arthur Family

Melissa Jill :) — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 08:15:00 +0000

Last weekend I got the chance to shoot family portraits for the Arthur family. I had my hands full with 9 adults and 5 children all under the age of 5! It's always tough to get a shot with everyone looking at the camera, eyes open and smiling all at the same time. But we had fun with it and the Arthur family was great to work with. After we did a group shot and a few individual family photos, we all just hung out at the park, the adults interacting with the kids, and I got some great candid shots of the kids being themselves that are just precious.

Here's a few more of my favorites. Greg and Tracy have their hands full literally with twin girls and a little boy. They are such a cute family:

Thanks guys--you were a lot of fun to work with!

up and running

Melissa Jill :) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 19:43:00 +0000

Ok, the smart engineers got it all figured out and my emails are slowly trickling in. I will work hard to get back to you all soon!

email down

Melissa Jill :) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:53:00 +0000

I haven't received any emails since 3pm yesterday which is very odd since I usually get like 50 emails a day. So I'm going to do some investigative work to get things fixed but just wanted to let you know in case you've sent me an email since then. Feel free to call me if you need something!

Jason & Dani

Melissa Jill :) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 04:51:00 +0000

Jason & Dani were SO excited to get married and had a beautiful ceremony yesterday morning at The Westin Kierland Resort. They had a lot of family come in from the east coast and it was a very special day. Dani picked bright fun colors for the flowers and bridesmaid dresses and the reception in the Deseo restaurant at The Westin fit the bright happy theme. Here are a few more of my favorites from the day. Click here to see the slideshow.

Thanks to Jason and Dani for allowing me to shoot your beautiful amazing day!

Tom & Katie

Melissa Jill :) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 04:17:00 +0000

Yesterday I shot the wedding of two fun and very sweet people--Tom & Katie. It was a beautiful day and Katie was an absolutely stunning bride. I must say I took about a zillion good pictures of her. But I can't take a lot of the credit. I don't think she takes a bad picture. And Tom is a big guy with a soft heart--I think he cried through the whole ceremony :).

The day started at Orange Salon, a very cool new salon in Gilbert.

One of the many gorgeous shots of Katie:

The dress:

My friend and fellow wedding photographer, Jared Platt, blessed me by shooting with me for the day. Thanks Jared! He got some great shots. I LOVE this one of Katie right before the ceremony--she looks like an angel:

The ceremony was at The Wright House in Mesa. It was a beautiful setting. Here comes the bride:

Here's a fun shot of the couple just after the ceremony:

And another favorite of Katie:

And finally, I couldn't resist throwing this one in--the father/daughter dance was such a sweet moment. Katie and her dad were singing to each other and I got a little emotional :).

There are so many more fun shots from the day including Tom singing to Katie at the end of the reception. Click here to see the slideshow.

Thanks Tom & Katie--you guys are a great couple!!

Today I shot another wedding and a portrait shoot. They were both great and stay tuned--I'll post some photos from today's shoots in the next couple days after I get some sleep... :)

The Hoe Down

Melissa Jill :) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 04:02:00 +0000

Last night was my 30th birthday party! It was so much fun. Most of my favorite people were there. It was extremely special to have so many people I love together in one place. That doesn't happen too many times in a lifetime. And on top of having many beloved people there, we got to do one of my favorite things--dance! Some country line dance instructors came in and taught us all a thing or too and it was quite comical.

I know many of you had fun with it but some of you were just good sports--thanks especially to my dad and Josh for trying so hard :). You guys are cute.

My friends Jamie and JT blessed me by taking pictures all night. Thanks guys! So all these fun shots and the ones on the slideshow are theirs. After taking a look at the photos, you'd think we were all a bunch of drunkards instead of church-going folks. This, for instance, is not only my friend Scott, but also my pastor:

Hard to believe, I know.

You'll definitely want to click here to see the slideshow from the night and many more shocking and comical photos.

I want to send out a special THANK YOU to my friend Julie who is so extremely thoughtful and sweet and started planning this party for me back in July! Can you believe how I luck out in the friend department? On top of that, it's her 31st birthday TODAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE! I love you!

Congrats Rebecca & David Jay!

Melissa Jill :) — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:48:00 +0000

I want to give a shout out to Phoenix photographer and friend, Rebecca Bouck, for this interview on BluBlog and for her photos of last season's Biggest Losers that were published in People Magazine!

Rebecca is a part of the Phoenix PUG, a network of photographers that I lead who meet monthly to share ideas and help each other succeed. I'm really excited for her!

Also interviewed by Bludomain, David Jay--my long-time friend and photography mentor. He's amazing and gives a stellar interview. Check it out by clicking here. Way to go David!

Thanks for the love

Melissa Jill :) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 04:58:00 +0000

Yesterday was my 30th birthday and I wanted to thank so many of you for making me feel so blessed. Saturday my friend Jessica took me out to lunch to one of my favorite spots and then to a movie.

Then yesterday I went to lunch with Scott, Julie and the boys. I also got to talk long distance with my friend Michelle from North Carolina. And my friend Shannon from New Hampshire sang to me on my voicemail :). Thanks to so many of you also for the emails, cards and calls. It was kind of an emotional day for me just thinking about how thankful I am for my friendships. I am truly blessed with life-long friends who are so faithful and true.

Today I got to hang out with my mom, sis and nephews in the afternoon. I took some cute photos of my youngest nephew, Elijah who is 4. Both of my nephews have autism and are so special. Elijah's favorite thing to do is throw rocks. He can sit in the backyard for hours.

And then tonight my parent's took me to dinner at Shabu Fondue. It is one of my favorites. You get to cook your food in front of you and then for dessert dip things in chocolate! It's entertaining and yummy. Here's me with my birthday dessert:

Amazingly the birthday fun isn't over. It's more like a birthday week this year. Julie, my sister and mom are throwing me a party Friday night that I'm really looking forward to! I feel so spoiled. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all of you for pouring on the love and for being such amazing people who I feel honored to call friends.

this week

Melissa Jill :) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:24:00 +0000

Hey everybody, sorry I've been such a blog slacker this week. I've been a little under the weather fighting a cold but I've mostly just been holed up in my office chipping away at my TO DO list, trying to get as much as possible accomplished before the fall wedding season begins for me next weekend. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but the above photo is my current TO DO list. Yes, I am a total type A personality and find fulfillment in crossing off items on a list. The only problem is--and you can possibly relate--things often seem to get added at a higher rate than they get crossed off. So I feel a bit like a hamster on a wheel. But I guess that's the nature of life and running a business.

I'm excited to report that there's a few more things crossed off than last week, two of which are my last album designs from past weddings! Yay! I'm all caught up in one area at least! It feels great to get them done. Click here to see Chris & Courtney's album design and here to see Daniel & Jessica's.

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Hope

Melissa Jill :) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 03:35:00 +0000

Life gives us so many reasons to celebrate. I love that I get to work at other people's celebrations. Weddings are positive and joyous.

Maybe this is one of the reasons I never cease to be startled and saddened by some of the really dark, hard realities of life. I was talking with my friend Jessica the other day about some of the hard things we and other friends have been through just in the past few years. It's unbelieveable to me how many really heart-wrenching things happen just to me and people I love, not to mention all the things we hear about other people living through on the news.

I read a paraphrase of Revelation 22:4-5 today:

"Some day all of the darkenss will lift, and we will need no candle, no sun, for the Lord God will be our light. We will see His face, His name will be on our forehead, and we will reign with him forever and ever."

Thank God for such a hope! This is the reality we were created for.

I was just really encouraged by this verse today and wanted to share it with you.