I am happy to annouce that we have finally completed our new blog and website at www.melissajoyphotography.com. Please visit us there to view our recent work.

The Poole Family : Landin’s 1 Year Old Session

Baby Landin is such a little man. I couldnt get over how well behaved this little guy was. We got to celebrate his birthday with a photo session complete with some bright blue cupcake frosting. Landin’s mom, Ashley, was one of my first Charlotte friends when I moved here after college. It has been such a treat getting to watch her get married, and now… getting to take photos of her sweet little boy. Xo

Hello friends! Guess what showed up in the mail the other day? These adorable gift certificates just waiting to be purchased! :) They make perfect gifts for baby showers, birthdays, or a “just because” gift to your BFF! If you are interested in grabbing one of these little guys, you can email me at melissa.jespersen@gmail.com.

XO

60 Years Together : My Grandparents

This is hands down my favorite photo shoot I have done yet! Simply because the love captured is 60 years strong. I am so grateful to have such a great example of a faith-filled marriage. I could write a novel about these two amazing people, but I will simply just say: I love you my Babcia and Dzia Dzia. You have impacted my life in more ways than you will ever know.

Meredith & Alex : Holiday Session

Meredith and Alex are good friends of ours and happen to be the funniest most bubbly couple I know. I loved getting to take some photos for them during the holidays :) You will be seeing more of Meredith on my blog very soon as I will be doing some headshots for her along with some pictures of her new home fitness studio.

Erin & Russ: Holiday Photoshoot

Erin and Russ happen to be good friends with my sister and her hubby, and through their friendship I have gotten to know this fun couple. What I love most about them, is how well their personalities compliment each others and how you can tell that they really do adore and respect one another. We had a great time roaming around the city getting some cute shots for their holiday card. If you can’t tell from the scrabble picture… they are board game lovers (my kind of people). :)

A blog post with no photos?  Yup, you better believe it!  I actually do have a few things to say once in awhile :).  But really, this New Year has got me to thinking, so I went ahead and made a list of some goals (and tangents) as I enter 2012…

• Finish up my branding ASAP. My logo and watermarks are complete but I have been unable to launch them because I can’t decide on my colors. How silly is that? I never really thought I was a terrible decision maker until my branding process unfolded.

• Decide on which blogsite template is best for me and how I am going pursue its development. I so desperately want a new website/blog and can’t wait to get a new one up and running!

• Speaking of blogging… I want errr NEED to start blogging more. Up until this point, my blog has just been a way for me to share photos that I have taken. I want my blog to be more than that. I want it to be a reflection of who I am, where my business is going, and a place where people like to come and visit. :)

• I want to get to know (and secretly become best friends) with photographers in the area. I really feel like Charlotte has so many amazingly talented photographers that are open to helping one another out. I want to be a part of that group! I was so excited when Candice Lanning with The Beautiful Mess took the time to meet and share some of her photography wisdom with me. It’s amazing how much I learned in just a brief coffee shop date with her. I am so looking forward to meeting more and more photographers and glean from their wealth of knowledge. This newbie could use all the advice she can get!

• Completely transform from “the girl that owns a DSLR camera” to “photographer”.  After all, I want to be a real photographer. I want my photos to inspire those around me. I want to be educated in all things photography related. And most importantly, I want to L-O-V-E what I produce and be proud of what I capture.

• Finalize and purchase all of my branding packaging. Did I mention I love cute packaging? I think it is a great way to leave a good impression with your clients. Super excited at how this part of the business turns out. I get giddy just thinking about it!

• Attend at least two workshops and work alongside other photographers. I think that these will be important in helping me grow as a photographer. I truly want to learn from those I admire (even if it is just watching their editing process, or offering a helping hand on one of their shoots). I am hoping this New Year will allow me some opportunities to do a few of these things.

• Give back. I want to use my photography as a way to help others. I am still thinking and praying about an avenue to do this (i.e. Help Portrait, church photography team, local shelter, etc.). I look forward to sharing more about this in the future.

Welp, if you are still reading this- than you just made my day! If you can’t tell, I am SO excited to finally be pursuing something that I love. Loving how bright my future is looking these days :).

The Branecky Family : Holiday Photoshoot

It’s that time of year! Family photoshoots for holiday cards are starting up. I really loved getting to spend a couple of hours getting to know this precious family. Baby Evan was the most happy-go-lucky baby I have ever met. For reals. You can tell that he is loved to pieces by his awesome parents. :)

Emily & David : Fall Photoshoot at the Greenway

Aren’t Emily and David the cutest? They are high school sweethearts that tied the knot around two years ago. They recently moved to Charlotte from Ohio and wanted some fun pictures to put on their holiday cards for their families back home. We had such a great time walking the greenway and trying to avoid the swampy water. :)

Andrea: Queen Blogger

Andrea has been a good friend of mine since I first moved to Charlotte. From mentoring young girls together to signing up for hip hop classes- we definitely share in our love for life. She also happens to be a health and fitness nut and has an awesome blog that you must check out here: http://www.thin-and-sweet.com/. I guarantee you’ll love her advice, recipes, and wit! :)

Carly & Mark : Downtown Fort Mill Engagement

Carly and Mark were such a sweet and fun couple to photograph! Typically, I try and get my clients to relax and laugh throughout the shoot but they were definitely keeping ME laughing the whole time with their silliness. They had so many great locations and ideas in mind for their session which was fun to work with!  

The Lemons Family : Fall Photoshoot

It was such a fun time getting to photograph The Lemons Family’s first Fall photoshoot with their precious baby girl. She couldnt have been more of a care-free and happy-go-lucky baby. Want to know where she got those adorable knit sweaters? Her creative grandma makes them. Check out these must-have items at http://www.etsy.com/shop/alpacakids.

D’Orso Family : Mini Photoshoot at The Dairy Barn

This sweet family was such a joy to photoshoot. I loved capturing their laughter and adoration of their baby girl. The setting was perfect and reminiscent for them since they were married at The Dairy Barn. Can you tell they love them some Colts?!

XoXo

Melissa & Brad : Fall Photoshoot

I was so excited when Melissa contacted me about setting up a pumpkin patch photoshoot. Each year, Melissa and Brad take a trip to pick out their halloween pumpkins and thought it was a great opportunity to snap some Fall photos. We made the small trek up to Carrigan Farms and had so much fun walking the grounds and picking out the perfect pumpkins for them. I loved getting to know them and capturing some fun moments for their memories.