Melissa

June 25, 2024

Metro Detroit Photographer | Peyton Milestone Session

I love being a Metro Detroit photographer and I love working with my adorable little clients to capture all their milestones in their first year!

Peyton is a member of our Grow with Me Plan and she came in for her Sitter session. Since her last session at three months old, she has been working hard on sitting up unassisted. I think she has it mastered! She is so photogenic and happy! We always have so much fun!

Mom brought in the most beautiful outfits and little felt strawberries that matched her cute strawberry tulle dress. They were a huge hit with Peyton!

I love the purple outfit with flowers embroidered on it. There is something about purple, tulle and a beautiful baby girl just makes my heart so happy!

I love how she is holding the six month plaque and of course those adorable baby toes!

We did one last quick outfit and this tulle dress had butterflies on it and was so cute!

I am already looking forward to her next session in a few months.

A Grow With Me Plan is the perfect way to document all your child’s milestones!

We have special plans from Maternity-Family, or you can do Newborn-One Year, or just 3/6/12 month milestones!

For more information on a custom plan that suits you, contact me here

View our Milestone Info here

Melissa is a Metro Detroit Photographer that specializes in newborn, maternity, family & baby’s first year photography in Metro Detroit including Troy, Royal Oak, Utica, Clarkston, Ferndale, Bloomfield Hills, Southfield, West Bloomfield, Berkley, Holly, Oxford, Ortonville, Lake Orion, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Novi, and surrounding areas.

I look forward to creating beautiful images of your family

June 5, 2024

5 Tips to Get Your Kids Excited For Photos

Are you worried that your kids will not behave for photos? I know it is one of the biggest things clients worry about when deciding to do a family session. I totally understand as a Mom myself. I have a few tried and true tips that have helped me make sessions run smoothly and to kids to be excited for their session!

Here are my top 5 TIPS to get your kids excited for photos…..

ONE

Tell them they are going to a special place to play & have fun. Telling they are going to play and have fun immediately makes them feel more excited to do this! I love capturing real life moments, belly laughs, genuine smiles and relaxed parents!

TWO

Let them be playful -try not to force them to do something. We move a lot during our session to keep little ones attention and to avoid meltdowns. Letting them lead the way often creates the most beautiful, organic images!

THREE

Save the treats/rewards for after the session. I am not above bribing, but will leave that to you! Sometimes a small toy they want, a book or even a delicious treat they love is a great way to get them to cooperate if they need a little incentive.

FOUR

Play WITH them! These create beautiful, organic images and they will absolutely love these to look back on someday! Remember, this session is designed to be a relaxed, fun experience. We do a few poses, but most are unposed to capture real life!

FIVE

Stay positive & keep smiling! Even if everything is starting to go sideways, just keep smiling, laughing and playing. If we need to take a little break to change direction, we will do that. I don’t have any expectations and you shouldn’t either! Even teenagers sometimes need a moment and that’s ok!

I know one of the biggest worries is “Will my kids will behave during the session?”

Outdoor sessions are great for giving us the perfect place to have fun and play! To them, it doesn’t feel like work…it is just fun! They don’t have to be perfect, standing still and looking at the camera. They are wiggly and full of energy, so we want to capture that!

I keep things moving to get those sweet moments captured without them losing interest. I love catching sweet moments of you with them and they will love to have them someday!

So don’t worry, just relax and let me capture those images you want of your family!

LIMITED FALL DATES OPEN THIS SUNDAY (6/9/24) at 8am!

See more info here

https://photographybymelissac.com/metro-detroit-fall…/

To see more of my family portfolio CLICK HERE!

June 4, 2024

Metro Detroit Fall Family Photo Sessions

When was the last time you were in photos with your kids?

Not the random cell phone photo, because let’s be honest…those are great to document every day moments, but are usually taken when you aren’t looking your best. I mean professional photos where you have your hair tamed, makeup on, and everyone is dressed in coordinating, clean clothes. Probably been awhile, or worse…never.

Worried your husband would hate every minute of it? Or worse, your kids would be less than cooperative? I got you!

I will wrangle your kids, make your husband smile and help you with wardrobe & posing to create beautiful, fun & candid images of your family that you would be proud to share.

Our Metro Detroit Fall Family Photo sessions are a fun way to document your family at their best & create amazing memories. I love capturing parents playing with their kids, catching those sweet smiles, showing the love that you have for each other when the daily stuff is not at the forefront. In these moments, I capture the bond you have with your family and they will not whine & complain about it. Sessions are relaxed & easy and they will only remember the fun they had playing with you.

Looking back on these images, they will see and FEEL the love you have for them. As they grow, they change and it happens SO quickly. Documenting these moments will mean so much to you and to them.

I would love to see your family for our Metro Detroit Fall Family Photo Sessions! Booking opens Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 8am.

Sessions will take place an hour before sunset, in a beautiful park in Troy, Michigan. These will be simple, stress-free sessions that document you with your kids and help you freeze time in a way, to have something that will become a cherished family heirloom.

I will guide you through session prep with my customized prep guide, wardrobe guidance, & unique styling tool to help you choose and coordinate outfits for your family. We will have 45 minutes together for you to explore & play with your kids while I capture the magic. My style is a mix of naturally posed images with a lot of candid images! I encourage you to have fun playing and laughing.

Limited availability for September, October & November.

I hope to help you create beautiful memories of your sweet family!

To see more of my family portfolio, please Click Here and get in touch if this is the session experience you would love to document your family!

Click Here for more information and to get in contact with me.

May 17, 2024

Metro Detroit Maternity Photographer | Melissa Anne Photography

Metro Detroit Maternity Photographer

As a metro Detroit maternity photographer, my job is to take amazing photos and to know how to make my clients look their best. I take my job seriously. I love documenting this special time in a mother’s life and decided to make it something more than just an average photo session. Mommas deserve time to feel beautiful and to get a little pampered!

The Experience

That’s why I created a luxury maternity experience with session styling and access to a gorgeous client closet of couture gowns, body suits & fabrics. I know how hard it is to find something that you love and fits well during pregnancy. It’s a struggle for most women in general. Over time, I have learned the styles and colors that work best for specific body types and skin, hair and eye color. You want to look your best when you are documenting something that will no doubt be passed through generations and I am here to help!

Scheduling

Scheduling your maternity session is recommended around week 20 of pregnancy. Session usually to take place around 30-36 weeks. I recommend booking these in advance to make sure you get on my schedule. Last minute bookings may not be accommodated and also makes it harder to give you the best experience. After you inquire, I will reach out and we will discuss the session details and if we are a good fit, I will send you the session agreement and retainer to book.

Styling

Once you are booked, we will start session planning. This is the fun part! I will style your session after we chat about colors you like and some other details that you give on your session planning questionnaire. You may opt to schedule a styling appointment where you will come to the studio and are able to choose your gowns for your session. I feel this is very helpful if your schedule allows. We will also talk about what your family will wear- if they will be photographed- so that everything goes together cohesively. We will discuss hair and makeup, places I recommend for hair and makeup that are local to my studio, what to wear for undergarments based on your gown choices and also other details of the style you are looking for in your images.

Session Day

I hope you feel relaxed and excited to create beautiful images of your motherhood journey. This moment is all about you and capturing this important moment in your life. The session usually is an hour. We will spend time with certain poses and making sure things are perfect, but you will be surprised how much we can get done in our time together! Now that you are all done being glamorous and probably looking your best, convince your partner that dinner out would be amazing! There are lots of great restaurants near my studio!

Viewing Appointment

We can schedule your viewing appointment following your maternity session. You will be able see your image proofs, the art work options and select your favorites. I will help you design gallery walls, albums and select prints for family. Orders are placed and full payment is due at this appointment. Your order will be available to be picked up at the studio, or if you opt for delivery, this will be scheduled once your products are in.

Here is a recent maternity session with a beautiful, glowing Momma to be!

This studio maternity session was so fun & relaxed! Momma wanted to wear a few gowns that were soft & flowy in neutral colors. She chose a beautiful silk dress in a gorgeous neutral that has lots of fabric that allowed us to create a few different looks.

She was stunning in the neutrals, but I knew that she would look beautiful in my red mermaid gown, so I convinced her to try it and she loved it! I will always recommend dresses or looks I have if there is something that I think suits you. Sometimes when I meet you, I just know there is something that you have to try and most of my clients are excited and happy with the result!

We decided to try a neutral scarf and it was so fun playing around to create different looks. There are so many options with scarves and that makes them a favorite option for Mommas to create beautiful images.

She loved getting all dressed up for the glamorous looks, but also wanted a more casual look. We went with a simple white tank and jeans that was so sweet. I loved how natural it was. I mean, I love when Mommas do both classy and all dolled up and then also simple and sweet!

For her last look, we decided since she loved the neutrals, we would go big and I pulled out this gorgeous gown! So much tulle and the perfect soft, light neutral. It looked amazing on her and I love this pose. I told her to think about her baby and imagine what it is going to be like to hold them. Such a maternal, sweet capture. We plan to do this again at her newborn session snuggling her baby.

The maternity gowns above are provided by Melissa’s studio wardrobe and are available to all maternity clients.

I would love to begin planning your luxury maternity portrait session experience in my Troy MI studio or local park. To see more of my maternity portfolio, please Click Here and get in touch if this is the session experience you would love to document your pregnancy!

Click Here for more information in a custom portrait session with me.

Click Here to see a recent newborn session

Melissa Anne Photography is a Metro Detroit Maternity Photographer, that also specializes in newborn and family photography. Her studio is located in Troy, Michigan.

Melissa serves clients from areas including Troy, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Novi, Clarkston, Waterford, Rochester Hills, Utica, Fraser, Sterling Heights, Oxford, Lake Orion, Ortonville, Holly, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Berkley, Southfield, Flushing, Swartz Creek, Frankenmuth, Flint, Grand Blanc, Davison etc.

May 14, 2024

Newborn Photography Troy Michigan | Ruth’s Newborn Session

Baby girl Ruth came in for her newborn photography session in my Troy, Michigan studio and was the second baby that I photographed for this sweet family. She is just as beautiful as her big sister. I love seeing my clients return as their family grows! Mom picked neutrals for baby’s session palette and it was absolutely perfect! She had the BEST hair and looked so beautiful in all her images!

Big sister didn’t want to cooperate for the sibling photos laying down, so we did something different with her and put her next to baby who was in a cute little bowl and stuck treats inside the wrap so she would look like she was a little more excited! It worked like a charm!

All wraps, headbands and props are provided by Melissa’s studio collection and is available to all clients. Newborn Sessions are scheduled in advance. I recommend booking your newborn photography around 20 weeks. Due dates are held on my schedule and once baby has made their arrival we will schedule the session date. All sessions take place in my Troy, Michigan studio at 10 o’clock in the morning and run about two to three hours.

Melissa Anne Photography specializes in newborn photography in her Troy Michigan studio and also maternity, baby, family & motherhood photography in Metro Detroit including Troy, Royal Oak, Utica, Clarkston, Ferndale, Bloomfield Hills, Southfield, West Bloomfield, Berkley, Holly, Oxford, Ortonville, Lake Orion, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, Novi, and surrounding areas.

I would love to plan a custom newborn session of your baby in my Troy, Michigan studio. To see more of my newborn, motherhood, family portfolio please click here.

Click here for more information in a custom portrait session with me or to chat about creating beautiful memories for your family!

I look forward to creating beautiful images of your family!

October 20, 2023

Studio Newborn Session with baby Hudson

Studio newborn sessions are done around 2-3 weeks old.

Hudson was so sweet & adorable! He loved being wrapped! I could have kept him all day!

I am now booking sessions for March 2024. If you are expecting, now is the time to book your session with me to ensure you get a spot on my schedule. I only take a limited number of sessions a month, so early booking is important as I do not always have availability once baby has been born.

Mom chose blues & greens for Hudson’s session and I was so excited, because they are my two favorite boy colors!

Hudson loved bucket pose and he totally nailed it!

We have lots of baby boys coming in to end 2023! I am so excited!

I love studio newborn sessions, because I love babies and I love creating beautiful images for parents to have to document this time in their journey as parents.

Parent photos are my favorite!

I am lucky to have photos of my parents with me as a baby and I love being able to look at them anytime I want.

It is amazing to see a moment that I was in, but do not remember, because I was too young.

I think it is pretty amazing to have the ability to do that and I love that I can do that for so many families.

It is the biggest reason that I love photography!

I offer full newborn or mini newborn sessions to fit every client’s needs.

Check out the PRICING page for more information on sessions!

September 1, 2020

My Story-Melissa Anne Photography

Newborn photography was not a “thing” when my kids were born. Anne Geddes was a photographer in the 90’s that kind of started the whole craze of using props and putting babies in life size looking flowers and in cute little furry animal suits. I was amazed by her talent and skill!

The first photo I got of my kids was the same one that everyone else got at that time (you probably had the same one too!) The hospital shot where they were either sleeping or crying. I have one of both! Or the bad disposable camera photos, because we didn’t have a good camera and we didn’t have cell phones.

Luckily, my Mom had a pretty good camera and she took a TON of pictures of my son. But, then we moved out of state and went back to the crappy camera photos again. Remember one hour photo service? Yep, I was there often!

Anytime I did schedule a photo session as they got older, I would dread it so much! The figuring out outfits, trying to keep them happy, getting them to cooperate, just hoping for one good shot and forget about doing my hair & makeup like I would have wanted. I was pretty frazzled by the time we arrived and then most of the time, we had to sit in the waiting area for what seemed like FOREVER, waiting to get called back. The kids begging for snacks, crying, noses running…

It was so stressful.

But, getting them done is totally worth it, trust me. I see it time and time again. You won’t believe it until you see the photos, prints and albums you can create with those images. Especially of your little ones. Capturing all the details of how they are now, because they change so fast. I can relate.

My kids are grown and out on their own. Time flies and I do often look through the old photo albums at the fading photos from years ago and I can literally remember so much about that time. How they wrinkled their little nose when they smiled, how it felt to be a new Mom for the first time.

It is even fun to watch them look at photos of me and laugh at my hair and now that they are older laugh at what they wore back then (90’s kids lol!) Without those photos, are bad as they may be, my kids would not know what they looked like, or what their family looked like. Think about how weird that would be.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy my job of capturing and documenting my clients stories.

I love helping take the stress of out professional photos and do this with session planning, wardrobe guidance and planning, posing you to all look your best and even wrangling your little ones so you can focus on enjoying your time with me, while playing with your kids, or even kicking back and relaxing during your newborn session, which I am sure you will need by the time you see me!

I do all of this because I want you to have these memories captured. I want them to be something you can share with your kids someday.

I absolutely LOVE what I do and think it is SO important to document ourselves for future generations and also to enjoy having now. Sure, we all have cell phones that we can snap photos of our kids and day to day life, and I think that is great! But, getting professional photos is special and you want to look your best. I get it and I am here to help you do that!

I worked in the medical field for 20 years. I was passionate about it at first, but as the years went by, I was getting tired. My heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I started part-time and learned as much as I could about photography. I could finally capture the images I wanted and it was so exciting! I jumped in full-time with my photography business, opening up my very own studio, learning all the business end of having a photography studio, not to mention the tech stuff and have not looked back.

I do this to have a better life. To have a better job, that I love and am passionate about. I wake up every day excited to learn something new, or to create and capture memories for my clients.

I would love to capture your baby’s first photos, or your beautiful baby bump or your sweet family in photos for you to cherish.

Click here to contact me to schedule your session, a consult or for information on sessions!

Melissa has 11 years experience in newborn, maternity and family photography and serves

Metro-Detroit and surrounding areas with a studio based in Troy, Michigan.

May 5, 2020

Covid Virus Precautions & Studio Policies-Melissa Anne Photography

COVID 19 VIRUS PRECAUTIONS & STUDIO POLICIES:

I hope you are doing well and staying sane during this crazy time!

I have been anxiously awaiting the announcement that my studio can reopen and I can photograph all the sweet babies again! Every day we are getting closer to that day and I want to make sure we are being as safe as possible in the studio to keep everyone as healthy and safe as we possibly can. Since I have newborns in my studio, who are so tiny and have not built up their immune systems yet, I want to make sure we are providing an environment that is clean and as safe as possible! I have always used frequent hand washing and use hand sanitizer if I am not able to wash my hands. I wash all fabrics and outfits used during sessions as well as sanitizing all props and sitting/kitchen areas. But, I have decided to implement some other policies as well.

I have decided to resume all new sessions starting June 1st, as of right now, even though I have talked to the Governor’s office and was told that we are able to proceed starting May 7th with outdoor sessions using the 6ft distancing rule and other precautions. I will be getting all the clients that have already had a scheduled session, that was cancelled due to the stay at home order, in first. So if you were on my schedule and had to cancel the session due to the stay at home order, I will be contacting you to reschedule your sessions! I am booking all new sessions for after June 1st if you were NOT already scheduled for a session with me.

Here are some pretty visuals of my new policies moving forward for outdoor and indoor sessions, because I love being creative and I love visuals!

Here are my plans for outdoor sessions…

safety guidelines covid outdoor photograph sessions melissa anne photography In studio sessions are a little it more tricky because we are going to be in an enclosed space. Newborn sessions are 2-3 hours in a warm room, so extra precautions need to be in place! I will be wearing a mask during my newborn sessions. I will be using hand sanitizer and hand washing as applicable.

Newborn sessions will include newborn baby’s parents and siblings only. It is also recommended that siblings leave once their portion of the session is completed. Dad sometimes is happy to get outside for a little while! Someone will need to remain at the studio, usually this is Mom.

Upon arrival at the studio, I will have you remove your shoes outside the studio door and wash your hands. I will ask you to remove baby from their car seat and undress them down to their diaper. I will wrap baby and start with family photos, then sibling with baby photos. I will try to do these first. After the session all fabrics, props, outfits, etc, will be washed and sanitized and common areas will be vacuumed and disinfected. I will not schedule more than one session in the studio per 24 hour period, and will ideally schedule them 36 hours apart to allow for time to disinfect. I also ask that if anyone scheduled to be photographed or anyone coming into the studio is ill, we reschedule your session. Fever, sore throat, vomiting, runny nose, coughing etc. must be clear for at least 48 hours. If you have been exposed to anyone ill, we ask that you contact me so we can reschedule your session.

I am not allowing outside props or outfits to be used during the newborn sessions at this time.

covid studio photo session precautions and policies melissa anne photography

I will be conducting reveal & ordering appointments via Zoom, for the time being, and will deliver all images via online downloadable gallery. Prints and other products may be ordered and will be delivered by mail directly to you or we can arrange for pickup or drop off to you.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss studio policies for your session, please let me know! I want all us to be safe and healthy and my clients safety is my number one priority. I can’t wait to see every one again!

Be Safe & Healthy!

Melissa

If you would like to schedule a session click here to complete my inquiry form!

April 23, 2020

Metro Detroit Newborn Photographer-Baby Eleanor Louise

I am a Metro Detroit newborn photographer located in Troy, Michigan.

Baby Eleanor Louise was in the studio back in December. She was due at the end of November, but decided she wanted a December birthday as arrived on December 1st! I love the eye contact she gave me before she totally conked out! She looked so good in the dark colors Mom chose for her session. I love the cream wrap and vintage headband and also loved that we incorporated some Christmas setups since she was born so close to Christmas. She looks so little holding the candy cane!

I cannot wait to get back into the studio to create more art for my clients….and of course I miss those little ones so much! As soon as we are cleared, we will re-open! I am still taking newborn bookings and have availability in June, July and August.

Don’t wait to schedule, as I am already booking some for these months!

To get more information on newborn or maternity sessions click here

Melissa is a newborn and maternity photographer located in Metro Detroit Michigan

September 24, 2019

Royal Oak Newborn Photography| Baby Kane | Melissa Anne Photography

ROYAL OAK NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

Baby Kane was such a dream baby with so much gorgeous hair!!

Newborn photography is something I became passionate about, because I loved seeing the photographs of my parents with me when I was born and as the years went by. I am grateful that my parents continued to document my life as I grew. Being able to look back at those photographs is everything to me and is truly one of my most prized possessions. I also went on to capture every moment of my own children’s lives and they also love looking back at those images of each other, and of their parents at the age we were when they were young. It is a reminder when we are gone to the ones left behind. Most often it is the first thing we look for when someone has passed.

Photographs can bring you back to a time otherwise forgotten. They are truly powerful.

I love being able to capture these moments for my little clients to be able to have the same experience for their lives! That is why I feel newborn photography is SO important. Creating a legacy with photography is a beautiful way to document and share your story, right from the very beginning!