Norfolk Wedding Photographer Duck, NC Wedding

Norfolk Wedding Photographer Duck, NC Wedding

Sharing a peek of some of my most favorite recent work today!! This gorgeous DIY beach wedding in Duck, NC was filled with candid, natural moments, deep abiding love and stunningly sweet details. The colors, oh the colors! Swoon-worthy! And this couple - absolutely two of the finest, most generous and warm-hearted individuals I have ever had the pleasure to work with. A huge congrats to Dagny and Kevin on their amazing wedding and very best wishes for a happily ever after!

See more of Dagny + Kevin's intimate beach cottage wedding here: 

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VA Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer - Destination Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Moments in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to find out more about our wedding photography services, contact us today!

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A Lens on Love - Week 6 Winners Announced!

A Lens on Love - Week 6 Winners Announced!

What is A Lens on Love? I have teamed up with my dear friend and talented British wedding photographer, Sheryl Fish of Oobaloos Photography, to create a space just for wedding photographers. We wanted to create a place for members of our industry to learn, grow, support each other and build relationships. A Lens on Love is a Facebook Page dedicated to wedding photography. We have some of the top wedding photographers from around the world participating in weekly themed competitions. We also have some very exciting guest judges sharing their amazing work and selecting their top 3 images for the theme. It is a great place to make friends in the industry, learn from each other, and grow our audience while having a ton of fun along the way!

Our theme this week was {Emotion} and we had some amazing entries! Our talented guest judge was Codi Shandel of Codi Shandel Photography! She shared a little about her business journey: 

"My goal in this life has always been very simple: to create art. I've been a professional photographer for three years photographing everything from newborns to weddings and have fallen more in love with every second. My style is a mixture of editorial and lifestyle posing, thick with nostalgia, emotion & authenticity. The quiet, peaceful, the elegant, the chaotic, wild fits of laughter...I want it all. I am so inspired each and every day by my clients and the trust they instill in me. Wedding photography specifically is the best kind of challenge. You are there from beginning to end, capturing the emotion and details of a once in a lifetime event. There is nothing more beautiful that two people madly in love surrounded by everyone who loves them, celebrating together. I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

You can find Codi and her fantastic work here: 

http://www.codishandelphotography.com/
http://www.facebook.com/codishandelphotography 
codshandelphotography@yahoo.com

Our three winners for the theme as selected by Codi are:

Image by Right Start Photography "This one, oh me oh my! It makes me nostalgic and it's not even my Dad! Giving your baby away is not something to take lightly, and it's clear that the photographer was in the perfect mindset for this shot, focused in the exact right place." -Codi

Image by Of Fate and Chaos 

"I really love this one because of the spectrum of emotions shown. It's not everyday that you can photograph so many emotions in one image!" -Codi

Image by True Era Photography

"The joy in her expression is priceless. I love the joy - she is clearly in the right place." -Codi

That's it for Week 6. Congrats to the winners and many thanks to all who joined us!

The theme for Week 7 is to be announced on the page shortly by our new guest judge!  Be sure to submit your wedding images on Facebook by Sunday evening 8/14/16!

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On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique portrait experience, contact us today!

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Inspiration to Feed the Soul - Week 9

Inspiration to Feed the Soul - Week 9

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On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique portrait experience, contact us today!

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Virginia Beach Maternity Photographer - Sunset Beach Session

Virginia Beach Maternity Photographer - Sunset Beach Session

These two beautiful people are expecting their first born this fall! They wanted to celebrate this amazing time together and capture the joy and love they share. They contacted me to schedule a maternity mini session and we selected the beach at sunset as the perfect soft, warm backdrop for their images. Here are a few peeks from our Virginia Beach Maternity Photo Session: 

It was a joy to meet this couple and I am thrilled that we were able to photograph these special memories for them.

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If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique beach portrait experience, contact us today: melissablissphotography@gmail.com

On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

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Inspiration to Feed the Soul - Week 8

Inspiration to Feed the Soul - Week 8

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On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique portrait experience, contact us today!

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Sandbridge Beach Family Vacation Photo Session

Sandbridge Beach Family Vacation Photo Session

Today I have another family beach session to share (and quite a few more to come I might add). I only have 3 appointments remaining for beach sessions this year. I am now booking Fall portrait sessions for October-November. If you'd like a beach session, don't delay! They go quickly!!

The Henderson Family gathered in Sandbridge in July for some family vacation fun, grandparents and all! It was such a pleasure to meet this warm, loving family. They are a close-knit group of kind-hearted souls who value family time and good old-fashioned summer fun. What a joy to get to know them! Here are some sneak peeks from our sunset session on Sandbrige Beach in Virginia Beach. 

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If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique beach portrait experience, contact us today: melissablissphotography@gmail.com

On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

Virginia Beach, VA Photographers, Hampton Roads Photographers, Sandbridge Beach Photographers, beach portraits, beach photo session ideas, beach photography

A Lens on Love Wedding Photography - Week 4 Winners

A Lens on Love Wedding Photography - Week 4 Winners

I recently teamed up with my dear friend and talented British wedding photographer, Sheryl Fish of Oobaloos Photography, to create a space just for wedding photographers. We wanted to create a place for those in our industry to learn, grow their businesses, support each other and build relationships. A Lens on Love is a Facebook Page dedicated to wedding photography. We have some of the elite wedding photographers from around the globe participating in weekly themed competitions. We also have some very exciting guest judges popping in each week to share their amazing work and select their top 3 images for the theme. It's a great place to make friends in the industry, learn from each other, and grow our audience while having a ton of fun along the way!

Our fantastic guest judge this week is Jannelle Richardson Connolly of Sweet Connolly Photography based in Massachusetts. Jannelle shared with us a little about how she got started in wedding photography: "I got into wedding photography because being a part of somebody's biggest moment of their life is incredible.... Knowing that I get to partake in a part of their history and watch the newest chapter of their lives unfold with all their loved ones around is an indescribable feeling, and each wedding I walk away with a new appreciation for all kinds of love. I am a sucker for first looks for the simple fact I feel that the bride and groom really get that moment to be themselves, to take in what their day is truly about, and have a private moment to just let their feelings show without holding back."

She adds, "With my photography I've also continued with newborns and families as I want to be a life photographer for my clients and be a part of every moment they have because there is nothing more surreal than watching someone's life blossom into a beautiful family. My photography work is very bright, vivid and bold and I try to capture as much motion throughout the day as possible and have fun with my clients as they become life friends as well. My motto has always been that life is very bittersweet and capturing these images holds onto that bittersweet feeling."

Jannelle's top 3 picks for this week's {Bridal Prep} theme are:

1. Richard Blain Photography

"I love that this woman speaks to me for the fact that it's so peaceful at a time that's usually stressful at the last minute preparations of getting ready." -Jannelle

2. Renee Barth Photography

"I love love LOVE this one .... generations pull at my heart strings because there is so much history and genuine love." - Jannelle

3. True Era Photography

"I love her expression as you know that looks like a very deep felt letter ....which I love when they get letters before as it makes walking down the isle that much more anticipated ." -Jannelle

That's it for Week 4. Congrats to the winners and many thanks to all who joined us!

The theme for Week 5 is "Little Ones at the Big Event." We can't wait to see your interpretations! Be sure to submit your wedding images on Facebook by Sunday evening 7/31/16!

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On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique portrait experience, contact us today!

Norfolk, VA Photographers, Virginia Beach, VA Photographers, Suffolk, VA Photographers, Chesapeake, VA Photographers, Portsmouth, VA Photographers, Sandbridge Photographers,

Smithfield, VA Photographers, Williamsburg, VA Photographers