Melissa Jill Photography Blog http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm Melissa Jill Photography Blog en-us The mj 2 day workshop http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=483&the-mj-day-workshop http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=483&the-mj-day-workshop Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:21:00 GMT
The next MJ 2 Day workshop is in April 2010 but it is completely sold out. Check out the website to put your name on the waiting list and check back for announcements for the next available workshop!

]]> introducing... http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=324&introducing http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=324&introducing Fri, 30 May 2008 00:19:00 GMT
Melissa Jill Signature Greetings is a custom line of cards and print products that incorporate my photography. So far we have holiday cards and save-the-date cards with wedding invitations, thank-you cards, baby announcements and much more soon to come!

The great thing about these cards are that they are customizable. Of course photos of your choice are used but you can also customize the text! And in the case of wedding-related cards, you will also be able to customize the colors to fit your wedding!

Feel free to browse below and if you'd like to place an order just email me at melissa[at]melissajill[dot]com with the card name, quantity desired and favorite image(s).

]]> How to choose a wedding photographer http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=40&how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=40&how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:49:00 GMT
Three simple pieces of advise:

1 - Make sure that when you view their photos, you FEEL something. You are hiring an artist with a specific eye and heart. You want to resonate with how they see and capture the world around them--specifically relationships.

2 - Ask to view an entire weddings worth of photos--the proofs. Any photographer can show you a slideshow of their best 50 photos they've ever shot and you will be impressed. But that won't give you a good sense for what your wedding photos will look like. You want to make sure they have good quality photos throughout the course of one entire wedding.

3 - Make sure you like them as a person. Whoever you pick to be your photographer is going to be around you and your family for many hours on the best day of your life. So you want to feel comfortable with them and most of all, be able to TRUST them.



]]> Featured on The Bride's Cafe! http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=708&featured-on-the-brides-cafe http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=708&featured-on-the-brides-cafe Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:23:00 GMT Seth ... Rachel's wedding is featured on The Bride's Cafe today! Janie over at The Bride's Cafe has one of the best wedding blogs in the nation and I feel so honored to be featured on her site! Check out the full feature here!


]]> Jay & Lisa http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=707&jay-and-lisa http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=707&jay-and-lisa Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:47:00 GMT
Jay and Lisa met in 2003 when mutual friends started dating. Though they enjoyed each other's company, at the time they were both committed to other people and not looking. However, life has a funny way of interrupting even the best-laid plans. Years later, when the others had fallen away, Jay and Lisa remained. Taken by her confident, caring ways Jay asked Lisa out. From that moment, everything fell into place and nothing ever felt so right.

Lisa fell in love with a man whose facial expressions told her, and the world, exactly how he was feeling. She loved his strength, even when it was o.k. to show weakness. Jay fell in love with a woman who did everything with passion and never settled for second best.

Together, these two are travelers -- adventurers with a love for finding new places, discovering new things, eating new food. It was on one of these adventures, in Vail, that Jay proposed and they knew they had a lifetime of adventures to come.

However, there was one adventure they weren't expecting. Lisa was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. It was a devastating verdict for both Lisa and for Jay, the man who loved her. The weeks and months that followed were some of the most challenging the two have known. However with Jay's generous spirit and Lisa's unwavering strength, they overcame one of life's biggest obstacles and Lisa is now cancer free!

What an amazing story these two have and I couldn't be more thrilled to be the one who was chosen to capture the celebration of their love. Jay and Lisa made their committment to one another official on Saturday at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. This retro-style hotel was such a fun place for a wedding. There were so many bright popping colors and fun pieces of art to work with.

Here's some of my favorite photos from the day:



Lisa's mom and sister helped her into her gown:




Jay and Lisa's golden retriever, Mason, hung out with the guys in their suite:




The couple saw each other before the ceremony which gave us plenty of time to walk around the property and get some fun portraits:







The ceremony was done in the round. What an amazing location:


Jay ... Lisa did all of their own paper products and had so much fun doing them that they're thinking of making a business out of it.


Mason did an amazing job as the ring bearer:


Lisa looked unbelievable as her dad walked her down the aisle:


The ceremony was officiated by my favorite officiant -- Scott Swanson -- and included a number of personal touches. A candle was lit and a rose was placed on the front table in rememberance of Jay's father and Lisa's grandmother. A friend sang "All you Need is Love" by the Beatles and Scott read some love letters from Jay ... Lisa to one another. I love what Jay ... Lisa shared in these letters to one another.

Love Letter from Lisa:

"I am certain that Jay is my reward for everything good I've ever done in my life. I am so incredibly lucky to have found both a best friend and an amazing partner in him. He loves me with everything he's got, all the time. And no matter how hard life gets, that never changes. I admire his strength to stand by me through our most difficult challenges and am grateful for his unwavering belief in us. He moves me to tears with the sincerity of his heart and I love that about him. His never-ending quest for all that is good and fair coupled with his smile are daily reminders why this was the best choice I've ever made. I often wonder if everyone sees him in this amazing light. Just get to know him a bit, and you'll know why I'm completely in love with him."

Love Letter from Jay:

"From the time I first laid eyes on Lisa I had a feeling that we would be together. There was something about her joyous smile and confidence. I loved that she was always happy and seemed like she would be a great person to get to know. Years later after our first date I knew that I was right in my feelings about Lisa and that we had a great future together. I love that she puts herself and her feelings out there and is always honest with me. I love her strength. The one thing that stands above all the rest in my things that I love most about Lisa is that she is a fighter. I knew that when she survived cancer it was because of positive outlook on life and her strength. She is my best friend, lover, partner and confidant."


The cocktail hour was held on the roof of the hotel. I know I've said this once already in this post but what an amazing location!


Here are some of the fun reception details.

Flowers by Flowers by Jodi
Cake by La Dolce Pesca


The first dance:


Jay and Lisa have some fun friends who know how to party! Desert House Productions DJs kept the tunes flowing and I had fun capturing the craziness on the dance floor:





Who do you think caught the garter?


Totally looks like purple shirt or groomsman should have had it, right? Instead it went down like most garter tosses I witness at weddings do -- no one caught it. It ended up on the floor. What's up with that guys? Girls have a way better percentage on you with the bouquet and the garter has to be easier to catch. It practically floats. Let's try to step up and be more manly men next time, k? :)

Purple shirt guy ended up swipping it off the ground first and wore it on his head as the proud victor.

Fun times! Click here to see more photos from the day in the slideshow!

]]> Happy birthday Dixie! http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=706&happy-birthday-dixie http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=706&happy-birthday-dixie Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:35:00 GMT
Last month at the PUG meeting, the speaker was talking about the importance of a website for reaching clients. He was saying that although many photographers look at blogs, most normal people still think of blogs as somewhere that people record their weight loss and drivel on and on about their dogs. No sooner did the words come out of his mouth than nearly all eyes in the room turned my direction. Guilty!! And here I am again to show you her cuteness. Sorry -- can't help it! I try to keep the crazy under control but sometimes it rears it's ugly head.

It's my Dixie-girl's 3rd birthday today and since she lights up my life on a daily basis, I've tried to make it special for her. Yesterday we went shopping and among other things got Dixie a seatbelt harness so she can be safe when we travel in the car. Here she is modeling:


We went to my friend Jennifer Stein's house for lunch and a doggie play date. Jen is a former bride of mine -- she's been married for almost 5 years! -- and she is the creator and editor of the fabulous national wedding magazine Destination I Do! Jen and her husband Tony live in a gorgeous historical home in central Phoenix and their yard is the actual physical location of dog heaven. It's huge, fenced in and has huge trees that look like they have no place being in Arizona.

Here's a cute shot of Jen with her two girls Kylie and Snoop-dog:


Dixie got to spend a few hours playing, eating treats and her all-time favorite: running around sniffing stuff. In the meantime Jen treated me to a delicious lunch and we caught up.

When we got home I made Dixie pose with her new toy that she loves and that will very shortly be in shreds:


And since I know from experience that I'll get comments, I'll just tell you up front -- yes, the eyelashes are real. No, I don't put fake eyelashes on my dog. She is just naturally the cutest thing ever and we actually have to trim them because they continue to grow at the same rate her hair does.

So thankful for my Dixie-girl!!

]]> cutest invitation http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=705&cutest-invitation http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=705&cutest-invitation Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:23:00 GMT
If you're ever wanting to GUARANTEE that someone will come to your event -- this is the way to do it.

I was just hand-delivered the cutest invitation I've ever received from the ladies at Outstanding Occastions. Of course, it's outstanding. They're wedding coordinators with the word "outstanding" in their business name. So you know everything they do has to be amazing, but I can't believe how cute this is!! It was all I could do to take photos of it before tearing into it. I tried the lemon bar already. Yum.

Heidi with Idieh Design designed the card and I love it! Everything about this invitation makes me want to go. And to top it all off -- it's a picnic. I JUST put "go on a picnic" on my 101 in 1001 list! So obviously I'm there.

Thanks ladies! Can't wait!!

]]> Wedding Chronicle Feature! http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=704&wedding-chronicle-feature http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=704&wedding-chronicle-feature Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:27:00 GMT
I just found out that The Wedding Chronicle featured one of my weddings in their January/February issue! So fun! I love to see past weddings in print -- it's so fun to celebrate the memories months, and in this case, over a year later! Nelson and Kimberly were marriend in November of 2008 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge. It was such a great day! To see more photos from this wedding click here!

]]> training video to benefit Thirst Relief http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=703&training-video-to-benefit-thirst-relief http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=703&training-video-to-benefit-thirst-relief Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:28:00 GMT WPPI next week will have the chance to purchase a super-cool training DVD that was filmed on location in Tanzania. The DVD includes 3 hours of photography ... business instruction from me, Mike Colon and the other talented photographers on our team. We even share tips as we shoot the models we photographed for the Grace Ormonde feature. And the best thing about this deal is that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the DVDs go to benefit Thirst Relief! I don't know the exact price yet, but the DVD will run less than $100. Look for it on sale at our platform presentation Tuesday night and at the Thirst Relief booth at the trade show!

Here's a taste:

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Thirst Relief ... Grace Ormonde Tanzania Benefit Shoot Instructional DVD from ben harrison on Vimeo.



]]> rug conundrum http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=702&rug-conundrum http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=702&rug-conundrum Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:30:00 GMT
I think it's time for a new rug in my upstairs living space. The one I have was originally supposed to be a temp and it's been with me for 4+ years -- clear through puppy potty training and all. It's just time. But I can't decide which rug to go with. I'm shopping online and sometimes it's SO hard to visualize what they will look like in my space.

So I thought I'd share my conundrum with my super-helpful internet friends and see if the haze clears. Just so you get an idea of what I have going on with the colors ... patterns in the space already, here's some details:


And here's an overall shot with the current rug:


Another section of the room:


And one more perspective:


The rugs I'm considering are from Crate ... Barrel and Dash ... Albert. Here they are:



So do I have any decorating experts out there?!?

I kind of am liking #4 ... #7 right now for the clean textured look but I know they will get dirty quick. #1, although it has some of the colors in my space is a bit on the crazy-bright side and some of the patterned rugs feel like they might be a little strong. So that's my conundrum. I would love to hear your thoughts! Help a girl out and leave me a comment with your pick! Or if you know of another place I should shop, let me know that too!

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