Melissa’s Materinty Leave

Personal, Uncategorized

It’s almost time! If you’re one of my amazing clients or have been following MHP online, you’re probably well aware that the Hayes Twins are coming soon! It sort of feels like forever ago that we found out this crazy, surprising, exciting news in October, but it also feels like just yesterday. I mean, how in the world are we about to add TWO babies to our family?! We’ve been a bit busy around here with preparing for these new additions… all while in the midst of selling our home and moving into a new one that we’re really looking forward to raising our family in.

In anticipation of their arrival, I began my maternity leave on March 1 and plan to be off through May 31, 2019 as of now. I wanted to share a few details of what that means for MHP clients and what you can expect over the next few months as we take a break to grow our little family.

  • Email communication will still be available, however my response time will be longer than usual.
  • If you need to place print orders, you may do so any time via your active online gallery. Otherwise, if you need to order prints directly through me, please contact me prior to April to ensure a timely turnaround on orders.
  • I’m currently booking sessions for June and beyond, so please reach out if you want to book a maternity, newborn, or family session to take place once I’m back from maternity leave.
  • Fall Sessions will be announced in July, so stay tuned! The number of sessions I’ll have available will be smaller this year due to having two small babies at home, but there will be a handful of mini session dates as well as full session options. Clients will receive first dibs on mini sessions via email, so be sure you’re subscribed to the MHP newsletter!

I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of my clients and supporters of MHP who have been so gracious and encouraging during this time for our family! I look forward to sharing our life with twins (and a toddler) once “Cake & Ice Cream” are here!

photos by Jenny Perry Photography

A Special Nashville Session — Davis is Six Months | Atlanta Family Photographer

Children, Families

When one of your best girls asks if you’ll photograph her daughter’s first year (newborn, six months, and one year), and they happen to live in another state… you of course get in the car and start driving! It seems like just yesterday that Davis was born, and now here she is — sitting up and giving the cutest little poses and smiles to the camera. And that full head of hair and beautiful blue eyes? Too much. 🙂 It was absolutely freezing the morning we were supposed to shoot, and we even woke up to a light snow cover on the ground. So needless to say, we opted to shoot at their home instead of outdoors. I love when I have the opportunity to shoot at clients’ homes because it incorporates the most special place that they’ve created together. I mean, look at this beautifully lit corner of the nursery — absolutely perfect for highlighting the love between a mama and her baby.

Fall Session in Buckhead | Atlanta Family Photographer

Children, Families

How about those golden leaves?? The morning we shot this family session, it was cold, wet, and dreary… but the upside is that those beautiful fall leaves really popped against the cloudy sky. I love shooting at this park for the variety of backdrops and the pretty stone walls and bridge… and the trees in the fall and spring never disappoint! I’ve had several grandparents join in on family sessions this fall, and I always enjoy being able to include them in some shots because there is such a loving, joyful dynamic between them and their grand babies. It’s been neat watching the K family grow over the past couple years, and Cade actually turned one the day after this session. Oh, how time flies!

Six Month Milestone with Sawyer | Atlanta Family Photographer

Children, Families

I’ve said it time and time again, but six months is one of my very favorite ages to photograph. Still full-on baby, but they are starting to come into their own personality and are usually SO smiley! Sawyer was no exception when I traveled to their home for her six month milestone session at the end of the year. It looks like she’ll be a red head like her beautiful mama and big sis, which I have a soft spot for, since my own little girl was a surprise red head. 🙂 With a simple white backdrop, we were able to achieve a clean studio look inside their home, and I love it because it allows the viewer to focus on that sweet baby. The G family conveniently has a playground/park in their neighborhood, so we headed outside for some family shots as well. They never disappoint with the love that they show for each other, and I have so enjoyed getting to photograph them with their newest addition over the past six months.

Yellow, Yellow Everywhere | Atlanta Family Photographer

Uncategorized

I first got to photograph Chrissy and her daddies last December when she turned one, so I was excited to see them again this fall for another session right before she turned two.  We met at a favorite in-town park and ended up getting the most beautiful shots before we even walked down into the actual park… these yellow leaves were covering every inch of the ground near the street, and I couldn’t resist them. Neither could Chrissy!
She is such a darling girl, and I just loved her little braids and hair bows. Felipe’s mom was in town visiting, so we made sure to include her in their session as well. Enjoy some highlights with all of this beautiful fall foliage!