Amy S. | Rio Gaithersburg | Fashion

Few weeks ago, I went out in the blistering cold to do a fashion shoot. Amy had three outfits she wanted to do for that day, so I did her hair and makeup according to the outfits she'd chosen. Props to Amy for standing out there while the wind was just whipping us left and right.

For more updates, follow Melanie on
or View full post

Amy | Gaithersburg | Fashion Portraits

I like to leave 10% of my photography work in doing something that involves creativity at its best and this shoot was one of them. It makes me think outside of the box and really test my makeup and hair skills. I don't do alot of indoor shoots and I definitely wanted to challenge myself this time, so I've chosen the one place that I frequent often and that would be iRockTV in Gaithersburg. It was the perfect setting and the owners there were so kind enough to allow us to run amuck there. =P

Now for the results from the day:




I had my friend David come out to shoot with me as well and he was trying to convert me to strobist by letting me try out his lights a bit. Result below. =P

However, after seeing some of his gear though kinda scared me away, considering he didn't even bring all of them to the shoot. I'm not sure I will convert anytime soon. I'm just a simple girl who like to bring what I can carry to any shoot. =P







That's all! I wanted to thank the ppl at iRock for letting us hang out for the entire afternoon to evening. Hoped you enjoy the photos! =)
View full post

Kia | Forest Glen | Fashion Portraits

Session Date: May 9, 2010
Location: Forest Glen, MD

Before I went on my 2 week Europe trip end of May, I had a photoshoot with Kia. Locations are usually the most time-consuming thing for me to find since I'm always looking for the grungiest areas around. So I was definitely happy when I found this area right in the heart of silver spring.













Hope you enjoyed the pics! I've been back from Europe about two weeks now but haven't had a solid night where I can actually sit down and edit. I have so many pics from the trip to share so definitely be on a lookout for them! =)
View full post

Lisa Noel (Revisited) | Hunt Valley | Fashion Portraits

Session Date: 5.8.10
Location: Hunt Valley, MD

Lisa and I have always said that we would get together again for another photo shoot since the first one went so well. I was inspired on a peacock theme couple weeks before when watching a commercial and immediately thought of Lisa being perfect for it.

Although the day started out late, I believe the session went pretty well. Below are the results from the day.













At the last minute, I decided to switch it up and do a chinese theme and it so happens that Lisa had her room inspired by Asia. I love when things work out perfectly at a whim. =)






I'm beginning to like these shoots more and more although it does take alot of work - me being a one-woman show. However it does let my creativity free which is always nice. Hope you enjoyed!
View full post

Alexandra | Baltimore | Fashion Portraits

Session Date: April 10th, 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD

I had the fortune of meeting up with Alexandra for a photo shoot that's not your typical portrait session. This was probably the easiest shoot yet since all I had to do was show up and take her photos. She did her own hair and makeup down to her nails as well as creating a whole new outfit. When she told me that she had a lobster outfit ready to go, I didn't know what to expect, truth be told. However, she surprised me enough with her whole ensemble and was impressed with how well she pulled all of her looks together.














Hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I've enjoyed taking them. It was a pleasure working with Alexandra and hope there will be other occassions as well. =)
View full post

Lisa Noel | Hunt Valley | Fashion Portraits

Session Date: 11.15.09
Location: Hunt Valley, MD

Lisa contacted me a few weeks back through a site to see if I would be interested in working with her. Of course, I was more than happy to work with her, however, I've never done a portrait session before. A week before the portrait, my sister and I were practicing on each other to just get an idea on doing these sessions.

The chemistry is a little bit different compared to shooting couples because there are always interactions with each other whereas a model would need to be a little bit more creative when it comes to poses and such. Even though Lisa was still pretty new to the modeling scene, I'd say from the photos that it wouldn't take too long before she's fully there.

Here are a few shots from the session.









Lisa was really easy to work with and she had these two little dogs that came in and out. We even have a photo op during a break session. =P


Overall I wouldn't mind working with her again. This session was different, because I was free to do any hairstyle or makeup on her as well as freedom to shoot whatever. It's definitely not the typical sessions that I normally shoot, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. =) View full post