I'm excited you’ve stopped by to learn more about me and how I started Paper Reflections! My name is Melissa and I’m the photographer that will have the pleasure of working with you. Those people up there ↑ in the photos with me are my husband and kids. 

I am a morning person. As soon as my eyes open I am chipper. I think of this as a positive attribute; however, I had one roommate in university who disagreed. I was asked to refrain from saying "Good Morning" or any other pleasantries to her until after she had coffee and got dressed. Then we were cool ;) 

Bold red wine and good whiskey are my drinks of choice. Not together though. Strong, black coffee and herbal tea are staples and you will often see me with a travel mug. You can never own enough good quality or pretty travel mugs.

I enjoy a WIDE variety of music. Any given playlist will skip from country, to classic rock, to rap, followed by a love ballad I can sing my heart out to then an oldie. It doesn't end there - throw in a gospel song then onto a catchy pop number, to classical, to pretty much anything. If it makes me feel something I like it. I am basically your best carpool friend because I will sing along to just about anything and that is what road trip buddies are made of, right?

Baking is therapeutic and making jam is fun....but I seldom eat either of those so it makes my family skeptical when I feed it to them.

I love pizza and nachos. If you make me choose one food to take to a deserted island cheese will be involved, so if you are hating on cheese I don’t know if I can trust you.

Board games are da bomb and I am fun to play with despite what my husband says. I am terrible at video games unless it is Tetris on a SuperNintendo. I can rock that.

I enjoy volunteering and my daughters are starting to do the same. Double bonus if the volunteering involves taking pictures that can help someone out!

How long have I been a photographer? A long time :) I noticed the way light hits subjects and appreciated creative set-ups for as long as I can remember. At a young age I remember excitedly flipping through the Christmas catalog so I could circle the cameras I was hoping to receive that year as a present. It was the same process for my birthday too. It wasn’t until my 12th birthday that I FINALLY received the object of my little hearts desire. It was love at first click! I saved every penny to buy film (does that make me sound old?) and to get it developed.

Since then I have honed my technique as a photographer but my passion is still as strong. I strive to find new ways to approach similar situations to keep creative. I am constantly under pressure to come up with new and exciting ways to pose, capture, captivate, and make an impression with images. I want your images to leave a legacy. To leave your legacy.

I love to learn about you and bring aspects of your life into your photography. You might hear me ask "What makes you tick?" or "What do you like to do with your time?" before a session because I want your photos to be a reflection of YOU!

Welcome to my world!