Baby Greta

“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.” — Elizabeth Stone

Baby Greta is such a sweet baby. She is so peaceful and easygoing – I barely heard a cry out of her the entire session. It’s always amazing to me to see brand new parents – carefully changing diapers, documenting feeding times, holding the baby so gently and sweetly, and doting on every noise and movement. I’m totally in awe of it and I remember it with my son like it was yesterday. What a beautiful, wonderful time in these parent’s lives. They are enjoying every second of it, just like they should be. Jess and Andy – thank you for allowing me to capture this precious time in Greta’s life!

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Family Beach Portraits!

“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.” – Author unknown

Wow, what a treat this session was for me! The “L” family and I had been in touch for quite a few months planning their family portrait session. Ultimately, they decided on a session at the beach. and I’m so happy they did! This session was so much fun – there was lots of running around, laughing, splashing, and enjoying the beautiful weather and location. I went home soaking wet… and loved it. 🙂

Here’s just a few of the many great photos of this beautiful family!

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Vote for Me as the Triangle’s Best Family Photographer!

I was recently nominated as the area’s Best Family Photographer by Triangle Moms on Main – what an amazing honor!!! I’m thrilled to be in a category with amazingly talented fellow women, mothers and photographers. It’s an honor to be amongst them, and I’m so thankful to my clients and friends who nominated me.

Voting is taking place now through May 31st. I would LOVE your votes, so please take a moment and click on the picture below to take the survey. Vote for your favorite businesses throughout the Triangle area, and be sure to select Melissa DeVoe Photography as Best Family Photographer!

THANK YOU!!

Photography Workshop with Audrey Woulard

I am beyond thrilled to be blogging about a workshop I attended last week in Chicago given by the amazingly talented and successful Audrey Woulard. It was a very small and intimate workshop (the best kind) with a great group of women from all over North America. They were the type of women that I just clicked with instantly, and I know I’ve made lasting friendships!

The workshop far exceeded my expectations – we were able to watch Audrey photograph several children, see her post processing and workflow steps, discuss marketing, branding, pricing, and I even got to sit down with Audrey for a one-on-one mentoring session during the last day of the workshop.

I honestly learned more than I ever thought I would. There’s a reason Audrey is so successful – these things don’t happen by accident. Not only is she a talented photographer, she’s smart and an amazing businesswoman. I am striving to run my business as smart as she’s run hers!

As I mentioned, we had several kids come join us during the workshop and were they ever cute!! Here are some of my shots:

And here is a group shot of us girls at the workshop — somehow I ended up smack dab in the center of the photo! Thanks to Patti Hale for taking the picture for us!

If you’d like to visit the blogs of some of the other girls who attended, and hear their thoughts on the workshop, here are their links:

Red Wagon Photography

Chosen Moments Photography

Many thanks to Audrey for a fantastic workshop!!

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Brooke | Children’s Photographer Raleigh

This is the beautiful Brooke!! She is the daughter of one of my local Clickin’ Moms friends. She is absolutely stunning, and the spring colors we found at our location made her images even more gorgeous. I can’t get over her beautiful eyes!

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Mack | Raleigh Child Photographer

This ADORABLE little guy is five-year-old Mack. He’s the son of my friend and fellow photographer Kate. Can you believe those cute little bare feet and the TIE?!? And his little sidekick (the bunny) is named Hippy. The cuteness of Mack and Hippy together at the Duke Gardens in Durham are almost too much to handle!!! Some of these photos might be amongst my very favorite I’ve ever taken! Thanks for being such a great little model, Mack!

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Rebekah

Last week I got together with some of my photogra-friends in Raleigh. We have a great little group that meets regularly. This meet-up was geared towards shooting several high school seniors. And I got some AMAZING shots, if I do say so myself! I’m slowly but surely getting through aaaaaaall of the editing, but I did finish Rebekah’s photos. Here are my favorite photos of Rebekah, who was such a good sport and posed exactly how I wanted her without thinking I was nuts! 🙂

Isn’t she pretty?

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Fix-It Friday

I decided to participate in this week’s Fix-It Friday. Nevermind that it’s actually Saturday…!

I think I’m in the minority when I say that I actually enjoy editing photos. I feel like an artist creating a masterpiece, bringing out colors, cropping, sharpening, etc. I know most people hate the editing, but I really enjoy it. I can sit in my pj’s with my big glass of Crystal Light Iced Tea (I know… so sophisticated), maybe a snack, and get ’em done!

For anyone curious, I use Photoshop CS4 for my editing.

Here’s the original photo (provided by I Heart Faces):

And here’s the edit:

For anyone curious about Fix-It Friday, it’s hosted by I Heart Faces. You can visit them to see others’ submissions and for more information.

Jimmy & Rachel’s Senior Portraits

Last week I met Jimmy and Rachel for some portraits to celebrate their upcoming graduation from NC State. So how could we NOT get some fabulous shots on the NC State campus in Raleigh? Jimmy and Rachel were so much fun – jumping, sitting, standing, posing with their dogs… you name it, they did it! And their Mom came along so they could also have family portraits done. We had a blast and got some great shots. Have I mentioned I love what I do? 🙂

What To Wear Guide | Spring Edition

I know choosing your family’s wardrobes for portrait sessions can be difficult. The old trend used to include everyone wearing matching outfits – all white shirts or everyone in khakis and a black shirt. But the trend has changed for portraits.

The way to look your best is to have everyone coordinate – NOT match! This means you should pick a color or two and build your wardrobe around it. In this first example, we see a great shade of blue and some tans. Notice that everyone incorporates those colors into their outfits. Try incorporating a color using accessories – jewelry, shoes, a cute belt, etc.

Another important thing I always tell clients is to be comfortable! If you’re wearing something that isn’t “you”, it will show in your pictures. Always be yourself and let your wardrobe reflect your family’s personality and style.

The next example uses yellows and greens. I just love yellow for spring, and you can see from the children’s outfits that there are some things that reflect their personalities – cool sunglasses and a funky t-shirt!

If you need assistance selecting your outfits for a portrait session with me, I happily provide assistance with that! I always ask what you’re wearing and provide guidance on outfits before you show up for a portrait session. I want to make sure you’ll look your best and be happy with your portrait experience!

A big thank you to Melinda Brookshire Photography and I Heart Faces for this season’s style boards.