Arden At Six Months | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NC BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

A few weeks ago sweet little Arden came back to my studio for her six month session. I can’t believe this little sweetheart has turned six months and is sitting up all on her own! Back at her three month photo session, all our photos were of her laying down or being propped up. My, what a difference this new talent of hers makes!!

I had so, so, so much fun planning out this session with her Mommy, who is a dear friend of mine. We ordered new backdrops and flooring, her Mommy shopped her heart out for adorable outfits and accessories. IT. WAS. FUN. Having two little boys, I don’t get to shop or dream about girly stuff too often, so this was really exciting for me.

I was sooooo pleased with how the vision came to life for this session. Every detail was perfect, and it all just worked so well. Between the leg warmers, those ballet slippers (oh my, cutest thing ever!!), the pink tutu…. it was all beyond what we’d hoped for. And I think the willow tree backdrop is one of my new favorites! I ended up with so, so many favorites from this session! I can’t wait until Arden’s next session!

Melissa is currently booking for Raleigh maternity photography, Raleigh newborn baby photography and Raleigh child photo sessions in the Raleigh Durham Wake Forest, North Carolina area. Be sure to contact her early to reserve your space!

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Melissa DeVoe Photography On HGTV’s House Hunters!! | RALEIGH NC HOUSE HUNTERS NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Last summer my family and I embarked on a move from our home in Raleigh, NC to a larger home in Wake Forest, NC. We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to experience reality TV firsthand! We filmed an episode of House Hunters with HGTV!!! Never in a million years would I have thought that *we* would be on a reality TV show! What an amazing time we had, too!! The whole family got to participate – so there was a lot of footage of my boys being silly (surprise, surprise), footage of us living in our little furnished apartment while we waited to move into our new home, and they captured us walking through three different homes with our realtor Tina Caul, and giving ALL of our opinions.

Well, of course, high on our priority list in our new home, was a functional space for my photography studio! And thank goodness we found that! When HGTV came back to Raleigh the second time to film, and to show us all settled into our new home, it was just TWO WEEKS after we moved in. Talk about an incentive to get unpacked!!! I’d managed to get my studio mostly set up, but it’s come a long way since the first two weeks. I featured photos of my newborn studio on the blog recently, so be sure to click over and see what it looks like today!

The entire experience was once in a lifetime. We were blessed with an amazing crew from HGTV who made us feel comfortable, who were patient with my children (and the dog!), and who liked to have some fun! What a neat thing for us to be blessed with. We have HUNDREDS of family/friends/kid’s classmates/acquaintances who have told us they’ll be tuning in to see us. We’re so excited!!

The air date is Monday, March 4th at 10 p.m. Eastern time, but check your local listings! Here’s the summary of our episode from the House Hunter’s website: http://www.hgtv.com/house-hunters/growing-family-is-running-out-of-room-in-raleigh/index.html

Here’s a few photos from behind the scenes of our filming, all taken on my trusty iPhone (and therefore awful in the technical department)! 🙂

Melissa is currently booking for Raleigh maternity photography, Raleigh newborn photography and Raleigh child photo sessions in the Raleigh Durham Wake Forest, North Carolina area. Be sure to contact her early to reserve your space!

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Creativity Contest | RALEIGH NC NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHY

A few weeks ago I entered a photo into a creativity contest at my favorite photography forum, Learn Shoot Inspire. I’ve been a part of this forum since close to when it first started, about a year ago. It’s an amazing place to talk photography and learn from other photographers. I’ve made some great friendships there, and I’m excited about the future of the forum!

So a few weeks ago on the “Pro” side of the forum, they ran their very first creativity contest. The topic for the challenge was Open Eyes. I really put a ton of thought into it and tried to come up with something original and “different” for me. The photo below was my entry – my little men being silly in the bathtub! To determine the winner, all of the Pros at the forum voted. And…. I won in the the Best Overall category!!!! I think it’s made even more special for me because my peers voted for me. I’m so excited about it! You can see the photo of my little guys and the write-up over on the Learn Shoot Inspire blog, here. So, so exciting! 🙂

And for those who are looking for a place to learn more about photography, please consider joining the wonderful group of ladies (and a couple of men!) over at Learn Shoot Inspire. I really feel it’s the kindest, most knowledgeable group of photographers! You won’t regret it. And check their FB page for specials!

Here’s the photo! I think I may have to hang this in my boy’s bathroom! 🙂

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Baby Ava | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NC NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Oh this sweet little baby Ava! Before she was born, her Aunt contacted me wanting to gift a newborn session to her parents. And what a lovely gift idea that is! Ava’s parents are just as sweet as can be, and I loved having them in my studio in Wake Forest for Ava’s portraits! Ava had her own ideas for the session, though! 🙂 Didn’t really want to sleep, but we made it work! I REALLY love each and every one of the photos from her newborn session. I mean, I am IN LOVE with them! I can’t even choose a favorite. Or two. Or even three! Before the session, her Mommy told me she loved soft colors – creams and pinks. Thankfully I had no shortage there! We share the same tastes, because they’re my favorites as well. Ava is such a beautiful baby, and I’m so very happy she came to see me! Here is a sampling of her gallery!

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Mackenzie | RALEIGH NC NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Lucky me got to meet the adorable little Miss Mackenzie when she was just seven days old! She was an absolute doll baby for her newborn session. And she looked good in EVERYTHING – pink, red, blue, ORANGE. She rocked everything I tried with her, especially that amazing drawer which I’m in LOVE with!! And she totally went with the flow. I always think every newborn session is my favorite session ever, and I felt the same way about this one. Every single photo I loved, as you’ll tell from the major over-share of photos below. I had too many favorites and they all deserved to be shared. Mackenzie – come back and see me anytime!! 🙂

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Jessica’s Maternity Portraits | RALEIGH NC MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Oh, what fun Jessica and Scott were for their maternity session! We had such a blast! These two are expecting their first baby, a BOY, in March. And judging just by the fact that these two are stunning, smart, and fun… their baby boy is going to be one amazing person! I really can’t wait to meet him for his newborn session. I have to say there are SO many photos from their session that I’m just in love with. These two made my job easy! And our wonderfully warm weather in Raleigh this winter has sure made my January sessions so much more enjoyable! Below are a few of my favorites from their session!

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Melissa DeVoe Photography Studio | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NC NEWBORN BABY MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHER

In August of 2012 my family and I bought a new home in Wake Forest. During our house hunt, waaaaaaay up high on the list of necessities was a private home studio space for my photography business. Fortunately, what we found far exceeded my expectations. My studio is GIGANTIC and I have a space for everything I need. And then some. I had fun for the first month or two after we moved in, setting everything up, getting pictures on the walls, organizing my props, buying furniture. And I’ve dragged my feet long enough in regards to taking and posting photos of my studio.

I really want my clients to know that when they come here for their newborn or baby session, it’s their home away from home. I’ve got comfortable couches and chairs. A mini-fridge stocked with water and sodas and juice, as well as plenty of snacks. I have a separate room with comfortable seating for Mom to nurse in privacy. A private bathroom. Cable TV. Wi-fi. Everything you’d need to keep yourself busy while I capture portraits of your little one.

So without further adieu, here’s a glimpse at my space!

The last thing on my list to purchase is some storage for these props. As you can see, right now it’s just a big pile! I haven’t found anything I’ve liked yet, though!

I’ve managed some good organization to my headbands, hats, blankets and rugs. I love having it all out where I can see it. And one of the most commonly asked questions I receive from new clients is, “do you have props?” Well, I do! I have a wide assortment. No need to ever purchase anything for a baby session with me!

Here you’ll see my client seating area. Lots of space to hang out and relax!

You can also see through that far doorway the private nursing room for Moms. And through a doorway to the right is the restroom.

I always keep lots of albums, frames and birth announcement samples on hand for clients to browse through too.

Here you’ll see, behind the seating area, is the fridge and snacks. You’ll find these come in handy while you’re hanging out waiting for baby to finish. And nursing Mommies need their fuel! 🙂

Here’s a little peek at the nursing room for Mommies!

And a spacious restroom. Ya know, in case you were dying to see what the restroom looked like! 🙂

This next area is my desk where I have frames and color samples stored. It’s also my packaging station. I loooove this area!

And lastly, my little nook for storing all of my backdrops!

Thanks for taking a peek at my space! Hope to have you in here soon! 🙂

Malcolm | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NC NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

Sweet little 11-day-old Malcolm was such a pleasure to have in my newborn studio last week. He started off his session very bright-eyed, but didn’t stay that way for long! He was such a sweet baby and I adored meeting his family. Here are a few shots from his session!

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Malcolm Newborn Sneak Peek | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHER

11-day-old Malcolm and his family joined me in my studio on Saturday for their newborn session. Here is one sneak peek photo for them!

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Baby Diana | RALEIGH WAKE FOREST NEWBORN BABY PHOTOGRAPHY

I have this AMAZING group of women in my life. We started a group back in 2010 because of our mutual love of photography, and we still get together regularly after all this time. Between dinners and photographing subjects and gift swaps at Christmas, these girls are SO special to me and I’m thankful to call them my friends! Last weekend I had them all to my studio and we photographed a newborn baby girl who was just 10 days old. Sweet little Diana!

Here are a couple of photos of us in action in my studio. These were taken by my good friend Morgan Henderson who is a fabulous Raleigh Durham wedding and family photographer.