Melissa is incredible and definitely a master of her art! My family and I had a wonderful experience working with Melissa for our family mini session we booked with her. From the moment of booking through following up after we had purchased our final products, her communication was phenomenal and timely. Booking our session was very easy and user-friendly (all done online) and she made her instructions and what to expect very clear and straight forward. We knew exactly where to go, when to go, and she was ready for us when we arrived at the beautiful location she had picked out for these sessions. Our session went wonderfully and we were so in love with our photos. She also made several options available to expanding our package from our base package that we started with, which made picking out photos for different family members a very easy and streamlined process. We would recommend her in a heartbeat and will definitely book her again in the future. read more

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I truly cannot say enough great things about Melissa. Her gorgeous portfolio of photos speak for themselves, but equally important is how incredible she was to work with over the last year. From our engagement photos to our rehearsal dinner to the wedding day (which she flew across the country for!), she was there for us. She went above and beyond by meeting with our wedding planner to curate the perfect timeline so we could make the most out of our time together, coming to our wedding venue the day before to scope out all the good locations, and so much more. Melissa made us feel so at ease in front of the camera and was just such a positive energy to have around on the wedding day. This was so important to us when choosing a wedding photographer, because we knew we'd be spending so much of the day together. She didn't shy away from the craziness of our very large wedding party and she was so attentive to me and made sure I was in good spirits the whole day. Even our friends and family were commenting on how much they loved her! After the wedding, we got so many sneak peaks within just a few days. Even if I never saw another wedding photo, I'd still be content from just the preview. They were better than we ever could have imagined and we got tons of compliments from the people we shared them with. My personal favorite comment from my sister was, "I wish she would have been my wedding photographer!" That pretty much says everything you need to know. I have no idea how she does what she does, she makes it seem so effortless. We are beyond grateful for Melissa! read more

I can't talk Melissa up enough; the other reviews that mention her feeling like an old friend are 1) true and 2) make me slightly jealous because I THOUGHT I WAS SPECIAL AND YOU LOVED ONLY ME, MELISSA. Kidding. Mostly. She shot our engagement photos and our wedding day and both sessions did not disappoint. She goes above and beyond as a wedding photographer; she went from taking photos and safety pinning my dress to giving me breathing exercises and coaching me through some of the biggest moments of our wedding day. She is hilarious, kind, and an all around wonderful human being. I absolutely love her and cannot recommend her any more highly. read more

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SIMPLY THE BEST!! Melissa is hands down the most talented wedding + lifestyle photographer. I cannot recommend her more! She recently took my maternity photos and my husband and I were absolutely blown away by how they turned out. Our families were totally speechless in reviewing the gallery - everyone was brought to tears and overwhelmed with joy. We were nervous to have our photos taken (my husband is on the shy side), but Melissa made us feel SO comfortable right off the bat. She brought music, directed us with positions when we weren't sure what to do, and made us laugh throughout the session. She's such a delight to work with! It all felt so natural and easy with her guiding us. And as I said - the results were overwhelmingly beautiful. This pregnancy has been hard for us, given that it's happened during a pandemic (COVID)! But every ounce of disappointment and sadness over the things we feel we've missed out on has completely washed away since reviewing these photos. Her photos reminded us what is most important - the love we have for each other and this great adventure we're about to embark on. Without her, I'm not sure that spark would have taken off. For that we are eternally grateful. Do yourself a favor and BOOK HER for your next shoot. You will not regret it! read more

Melissa Atle - Session Photography Near Me

Wow oh Wow! Melissa actually made me enjoy taking photos. I proposed to my girlfriend this past weekend and made her my fiancé. She has always loved taking photos, especially professional photos and I have... not. Melissa helped take care of all the details, did her homework so I didn't need to, and made the experience flawless. The few friends that were in attendance saw the "sneak peek" photos that evening and said they were some of the best photos they have ever seen. These friends were not mentioning us in the photos, but specifically the colors, the backgrounds captured, and the essence of the whole event - things that not everyone can do. We live in Las Vegas, photographed and proposed in Napa, and I can only hope that she would be willing to come to Las Vegas to photograph the actual wedding... read more

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Melissa is easy-going, professional, and EXTREMELY TALENTED. We did a maternity photoshoot at Mount Tam and it was AMAZING, we couldn't hope for a better photographer and we are now recommending her to everyone! read more

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We hired Melissa for our maternity photo shoot. Her pricing was very competitive. I've been following her work for years so I was excited to get to work with her. She showed up at our house right on time and was so friendly. It really seemed like we were hanging out with a friend. I had Melissa do some boudoir type photos and she made me feel very comfortable. We also took pictures out at a regional park near by and she hiked up a mountain with us to get the best views, even though it was super windy and cold out. One of the best parts is that we got a preview of the photos the next day on social media. We also had our photos back in 2 weeks which was super fast! We LOVE the photos and will cherish them forever. We're so excited for her to come back and shoot photos of our newborn. I'd highly recommend Melissa for all your photos needs. read more

We hired Melissa from Weddings By Sunnyside for photography. Melissa was fabulous and incredibly fun/easy to work with. Important things first - the photos are incredible. Everyone loves them and loves the way they look in all of them. The colors are warm and she did a wonderful job of taking candid and special shots that are both unique and gorgeous. From our first meeting, a site tour and the day-of, Melissa and team were always professional, but as if we had known her for years. Throughout the wedding, Melissa made the photo experience feel natural and special at the same time. I love that the photos capture our actual dance moves, laughs and emotions, they aren't just a bunch of family shots. read more

Melissa Atle - Post ceremony alone time - Session Photography Near Me

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-Melissa was amazing. We were feeling really overwhelmed by everything wedding-related, especially with the uncertainty caused by COVID, but knew that we wanted engagement photos done in SF, and Melissa made that process so seamless and easy. Melissa's portfolio stood out to me in the sea of options because her shots felt so real (no unnatural poses) and her finishing was warm and natural (I don't love the bright and washed-out look that seems to be in vogue). I also had grand ideas about the number of locations and outfit changes I wanted, and Melissa's offerings were a lot more flexible than many other photographers'. I can rave all day about Melissa, but the following really exceeded my expectations: -She was unbelievably flexible and understanding. Our shoot was going to be entirely outdoors, so I knew there was a chance that SF would deliver unideal weather on our shooting day. That's exactly what happened. A few days before our original date, Melissa got in touch, asked if I wanted to move forward with the cloudy forecast on the horizon, and was so understanding and flexible when I asked if we could reschedule for a sunnier day. I am so appreciative! -She has all the pro-tips from all her experience shooting in SF! We had some locations in mind and asked if she knew of any unique "earthier" places to round out our sets. She really came through! She also knew the best day of the week and time of day to get the golden hour shots we wanted. Needless to say, we were super pleased with the final product and are SO glad we found Melissa. She was so professional and personable and just overall a delight to work with. Melissa also includes a slideshow that's fun to watch with family and friends. We would love love to work with Melissa again! read more

Working with Melissa was so fun! We first hired her for our engagement photos and immediately after that shoot, we hired her for our wedding as well (easiest decision we made with our pandemic wedding). My husband and I are both very shy people so we were a little worried the shoot would be uncomfortable and our nerves would show in our photos, but from the second we met Melissa, it felt as if we were just meeting up with a long-time friend. She is so kind, easy-going, and funny! Our engagement photos turned out so great, absolutely no nerves in sight. After the engagement shoot, we dove head first into wedding planning. Planning this thing was ROUGH. But through it all, we knew we had one solid rock we could rely on - Melissa. She stuck by us throughout all of the venue and date changes, stress emails, and just complete insanity of it all and she did so with grace. I cannot explain the relief I felt when she walked into the bridal room the day of the wedding. Her presence has a way of calming and brightening the room - something every bride can appreciate. The moments she captured on our wedding day are truly beautiful. They are minute moments in time full of love and laughter that we didn't even notice, but somehow she and her camera did. Our photos play out as if our wedding was a real life fairy tale and that is all thanks to her. She gave us a gift not only will we cherish for the rest of our lives, but our loved ones will as well. If you aren't sure who to pick as your photographer, pick Melissa. Without a doubt, she is the absolute best. read more

Oh how we adore Melissa!!!! My fiancé was super nervous, he has never had photos taken before... and Melissa did such an amazing job making us feel comfortable and relaxed. She did all our posing and walked us through it all. I can't recommend her enough!!!! If you have the opportunity to book her... DO read more

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Melissa shot our wedding in late September. She is super laid back, friendly and easy to work with. We didn't do engagement photos and had only talked to her over skype before the wedding but as soon as she showed up I felt like we were old friends. I am the least photogenic person I know so I didn't have high hopes about how the photos would turn out but I could not be more pleased with the results and I think a lot of that has to do with Melissa's personality, her natural ability to make us feel comfortable in front of the camera, as well as just her sheer talent. The day ended up being a bit of a blur (I think I blacked out from the adrenaline rush) but when we got the photos back, all the memories and feelings and emotion came rushing back. She perfectly captured the essence of the day. I really can't recommend her enough! read more

Melissa was absolutely the best! I could not recommend her and her crew highly enough. From the very start she gets to know you personally with video calls on top of lots of written communication. This really set her apart from most of the people we worked with, as we felt like we really got to know her over the course of the year before our big day. On our wedding day Melissa couldn't have been more amazing. She was so happy and reassuring, it felt like having an extra friend with us on the day. She always had us where we needed to be, and managed to be ever present without once feeling intrusive or invasive. She adapted to things on the fly to work with the light and the ebb and flow of the day, and took care of everything so we never had to feel stressed. Honestly I couldn't imagine someone doing a better job day of. The obvious cherry on top, when we got the pictures back they were gorgeous! She caught so many beautiful moments in a way that candidly showed the tone of the day! Once again we couldn't recommend her enough. Melissa also works with a team, Northfern, they do video and DJ as well. While they often do events individually we booked all three of them (Donald for Video, and Randy for DJ) They are so close knit and work amazingly well together as a team, booking all three was one of the best choices we made for our wedding day, if you can get them, do it! read more

Melissa was so helpful throughout the entire planning and re-planning (hello, COVID) process. She was very responsive and provided us with great resources, tips, and ideas. It's important to have good vibes with someone you are going to spend a lot of time with on your wedding day and Melissa was just that - she made us feel really comfortable and as such got really great photos. The pictures turned out beautifully and the light, style, look was exactly want we wanted. She sent over a sneak peek right away and the full gallery just a few weeks later. Would work with again in a heartbeat - highly recommend. read more

Couldn't be happier with our engagement session and how our photos turned out. We had the best time with Melissa. She made my fiancé and I feel comfortable the whole time and was so easy to get along with. Melissa is so much fun and so great at her job. Our photos turned out absolutely stunning! read more

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Where do I even begin? We hired Melissa after a lot of research for wedding photographers. My now husband and I really wanted a style that suited our fall themed wedding and as soon as I came across Melissa in our search, I knew I had to reach out. We're totally in love with the moody, warm tones of her photographs, it just suited our needs so well. Melissa was prompt, professional and super friendly. Our first call was on FaceTime and I was so caught off guard. I was in my pajamas, bare faced, just got off work but Melissa and I laughed it off and we clicked instantly. We finally met her in person on our engagement shoot a few months before our wedding. My husband and I had never done a professional photo shoot before and we're both a little on the shy side, but Melissa made it so easy and fun! It was a cold, foggy day but our engagement photos turned out amazing! On our wedding day, Melissa came with Kristen who was her 2nd shooter and they were both amazing! They didn't just capture our wedding photos, they captured moments and emotion that will forever be still for us as we look through our photographs now and in years to come. As soon as she sent us the previews post wedding, I cried lol. Mind you, i was on my honeymoon eating breakfast in a busy restaurant, but that's just what looking at our wedding photos did to me. I remembered every single moment and emotion as if i was re-living it all over again. Melissa isn't just our photographer, she has become our friend throughout the process and I'm so excited for what's to come for her. Highly recommend her! My younger sister is getting married summer 2018 and hired her as well. I can't wait to see her again! read more

Melissa and Northfern are not to be matched! She was amazing to work with from our first correspondence. Melissa makes a point of getting to know her clients and her personal touches and immaculate planning put us so at ease on our wedding day. Melissa not only has the best communication style but is such an incredibly talented photographer. Her enthusiasm and passion for photography are so apparent - she guided us perfectly and we are not used to being the focus of the camera. Melissa and Chris captured such gorgeous shots of our groups getting ready separately and also complemented each other perfectly when shooting together. With a form to collect tons of details ahead of time and a few video calls to ensure we were both confident about our schedule and venue details, hopes and dreams! She just fostered a great partnership! You want Melissa at your wedding! In delivery she worked quickly with editing, shared breathtaking sneak peeks as we were chilling on our honeymoon and sent the final usb in a gorgeous box. Every picture is more perfect than the last and we both can't wipe huge smiles off our faces when looking at them! read more

There was something in my gut that drew me to choose Melissa when my fiancé (now husband) and I were looking for a photographer for our engagement shoot. We knew she was special after reading her reviews and seeing her past work, but we really had no idea how incredible she was until we met her in person. Melissa is truly a gem. She is warm, witty, and has a joyous presence and fun energy which could make anyone feel completely at ease. My husband and I had the most incredible time during our photoshoot--Melissa managed to create a space where we felt like we were in our own world. When we got the photos back, there were many tears of happiness shed, both from Michael and I, and our families. Everyone commented on how beautifully the photos captured our love in a way that felt natural and candid. When it came time to choose our wedding photographer, returning to Melissa was a no-brainer. We were so delighted that she was able to travel out of state to accommodate our wedding in Sedona, AZ within our budget. Even before wedding day, Melissa was so helpful in helping us plan details of our wedding that even our wedding planner hadn't thought of. She is exceptionally organized and detail-oriented. We were lucky to have both Melissa and her amazing husband Chris shoot for us on wedding day. From the moment they arrived, they both had such a positive and joyous energy that our wedding party and guests all appreciated. Melissa was a godsend on multiple occasions on wedding day: from being the only one capable of figuring out how to pin my bustle, to feeding me granola bars before the ceremony. Michael and his groomsmen had a blast getting ready with Chris--the pictures he captured of Michael with his groomsmen are some of our favorite shots from the wedding. Most importantly, we could not be happier with the photos that Melissa and Chris shot on wedding day. We were completely blown away when we first received our album - the photos were idyllic. Each shot beautifully captured the emotions we felt that day while also highlighting the natural beauty of the Sedona landscape. Every time we scroll through the photos, we are transported back to that perfect day. We are so excited to have the prints of these photos forever hanging in our home, serving as a timeless reminder of our love. If you have gotten this far into the review, trust your gut and go with Melissa. You won't regret it. read more

Melissa was an absolute gem. I can not even begin to describe her talent. Not only is she an incredible artist, but she made me feel so comfortable in my skin. She went above and beyond to make me feel like I was in a natural setting. When it came to my album, she assembled it perfectly. I am so impressed and feel so blessed to have had her for my photo shoot. I give the highest recommendation to book with Melissa. Thank you again! read more

We hired Melissa and her team for photography and videography at our Napa wedding. I cannot recommend them enough! First, we held an engagement shoot to learn how to be comfortable in front of the camera. My husband and I are not very natural taking photos and Melissa made the whole experience so fun. Plus, we got amazing photos from the engagement shoot that we will treasure forever! As for the wedding...there were so many unexpected twists and turns that Melissa had to navigate (fires nearby, big fat Greek & Irish family to photograph and 48 father of the bride speech!) Melissa not only managed all of these obstacles but was my saving grace in keeping me calm. The wedding photos turned out so fantastic and arrive in a very easy gallery to share with family & friends and to print for gifts, etc. I would 100% recommend Melissa for your wedding (or any event for that matter!) read more

I could write a dang novel about Melissa. The most kind hearted, supportive, positive, wonderful person and I don't know that I would have gotten through our pandemic wedding planning without her. When we first met via facetime, I felt an instant connection to her warm personality, and I knew that she was the person I needed to photograph my wedding. When the pandemic hit, I was distraught, 2 months away from our wedding. Melissa was a support system to get through not just rescheduling once, but TWICE, and then ultimately cancelling in favor of a small elopement in Minnesota. When I emailed Melissa about our cancellation, I expressed how sad I would be that I wouldn't get to wear my dress. Melissa suggested a wedding portrait session. We'd get all dressed up and just go for it. She sent me 6 locations in Sonoma County and we ended up shooting at Bodega Head. HOLY COW, DID MELISSA F**KING DELIVER. She brought the JAMS on a little speaker, she was totally on board with my antics of needing a champagne popping photo, she was jumping over rocks on cliffs to get the perfect shot, I mean this woman went above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. She even helped me in and out of my massive ballgown in a parking lot. I am a very insecure person, and uncomfortable in front of the camera, but Melissa has a way of shooting where you absolutely feel like a super star. I have seriously never had the type of confidence I had during that portrait shoot. NOW, THE PHOTOS. Melissa is a true artist. These photos are INSANE. She captured the utter happiness between me and my husband perfectly. She made me feel like the bride I wanted to be in 2020. I don't care where you live in the world, you need to hire Melissa for your wedding. You will have fine art photos to hang in your house, and portraits that will stand the test of time. I just can't wait to stare at these photos forever. Thank you thank you Melissa, you made our YEAR and we are eternally grateful to have met and worked with you. read more

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Hands-down the best engagement photography experience possible! It's not possible to recommend her enough! I cannot imagine how our engagement photos could have come out any better. She made us feel super comfortable immediately from the first phone call and upon meeting her the day of the shoot, she helped calmed our nerves. Everything was so comfortable with her that we were able to relax, be ourselves and get our best photos possible. Not only is she an excellent photographer, her use of light and composition makes for incredibly compelling photos that initially drew us to her, but we laughed the entire session with her, and had so much fun. Melissa was not only incredibly talented and knowledgeable about shooting in the Bay Area, but also very accommodating with our busier than average travel schedule. She helped us pick a day and place that worked perfectly. Absolutely hire Melissa! read more

We originally didn't want any pictures taken for our engagement, however our friends convinced us that this will be a once in a lifetime event so we might as well suck it up and do it. We looked at A LOT of portfolios and decided to go with Illuminest Photography. Their pricing was also super fair and it fit our wedding budget. Best decision EVER!!! Melissa was very accommodating and made sure to craft the pictures to fit our personalities. My husband and I are natural goofballs who laugh at almost everything. Being lovey dovey was not something we were good at. Melissa was very patient with this and made us laugh even more during the entire session :) I highly recommend Melissa!! Great service, personality and quality. You can't beat that! read more

Melissa is an incredible photographer. She captured our love shoot so perfectly, we could not be happier. We stare at the photos on our wall often and are amazed everyday at how well she has captured us, our souls, and our love. Her eye for natural light photography is out of this world. She is attentive, and listens to all of your needs and worries. She's great with setting up poses (because I'm awkward as hell) and has a way with making a photo shoot super fun and really easy. I would recommend Melissa and Illuminest Photography for any of your family and newborn/maternity shoots. She is a one-of-a-kind photographer and human being! read more

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Melissa and her team at Weddings By Sunnyside!!! The TLDR; is that Melissa is one of the most TALENTED photographers in the greater Bay Area, but also the best-priced, most fun, and easy to work with. In summary, she's the TOTAL PACKAGE! Look no further! Seriously!!! Melissa is a truly gifted photographer. As a photographer myself I knew that I was going to be very selective about the photography for our wedding. After looking at over 50 different photographers, Melissa's work POPPED off the page and I instantly knew I loved her style. Most other wedding photographers have a tendency to overexpose their wedding work, which is usually intended to give the subjects a "glow", but often takes away from the naturally beautiful color and contrast of the photography. Melissa's work is crisp, properly exposed, and truly tells the story of the moment being captured. We live in Santa Clara, but our wedding venue was in Santa Rosa so we met Melissa at Aroma Roasters (great coffee!) in Santa Rosa. From the moment we sat down we knew we loved her, and wanted her to be a part of our big day. Choosing a photographer was one of the most critical decisions for us so we wanted to take some time and think about it, but in the 60 second walk to our car, my wife and I had already made up our minds with zero hesitation; Melissa was the one we wanted! We decided to book our engagement shoot with her as a "trial run". We wanted the classic "fall look" for our engagement shoot, but due to the California drought it was pretty difficult to find a time and place where the tree leaves would be turning autumn colors. Because of this we had to reschedule a time or two, and Melissa was completely flexible and accommodating. On the day of the shoot, Melissa was happy to walk around the Davis Arboretum with us to shoot a couple of different locations, and she made us feel very comfortable in an otherwise typically awkward situation. Despite the 90° heat and sweating like pigs, our engagement photos turned out amazing! Booking the Big Day was then a no-brainer. Melissa and her second-shooter Sarah had an awesome energy together that easily translated to the wedding party. Both Melissa and Sarah are the nicest people you'll ever meet, but had no problem "herding" our families and guests to ensure that we got all of the photos we wanted. Exactly 5 weeks after our wedding we received an email with a link to our wedding photo gallery on Pixieset. Just the simple fact that Melissa chooses to host her photo galleries on Pixiset is a testament to the level-of-detail that she puts into all of her work! The gallery was stunning, and we definitely had a hard time choosing our favorite "selects". Melissa was very generous and provided a large number of extra photos at no additional cost. We live 2 hours from Santa Rosa but we will absolutely be using Melissa for our baby photos, family photos, and more! Crossing our fingers that she continues professional photography for many, many years to come. Thank you Melissa, Sarah, Chris, and the rest of the team at Weddings By Sunnyside for carefully ensuring that our once-in-a-lifetime day was captured in the most beautiful way possible! read more

A good friend recommended Illuminest photography to us and we are so happy with the experience and outcome! Illuminest is based in Sonoma but they were more than happy to come down to SF to shoot our maternity photos. Before the shoot we emailed to discuss the details and Melissa was very responsive, open to what we wanted, location, etc. On the day of she was very easy to work with, we were able to get a lot of shots in a 1-1.5 hour time frame and got a large variety of shots. And it only took 2 weeks to get our pictures through Dropbox! We are so happy with the experience and photos, Illuminest will also be doing our newborn session :) Overall, great experience, great people, would highly recommend! read more

Melissa took family photos for us last year and we are SO GLAD we decided to have her do it. We have a photographer in the family and are used to having lots of candid, every day shots- but we were wholly unused to the way Melissa photographs. We felt so comfortable and easy with her- and she knows exactly how to guide people into the best shots! She has such an eye for people and their best looks and that goes such a long way! We never felt overly posed or unsure of what to do, she manages to find the perfect balance. Our photos came out absolutely stunning and we will be back to her EVERY TIME for our photography needs. Thanks Melissa and Chris! read more

How do I even start with Melissa? Melissa is SO awesome. Melissa is a beautiful person inside and out! She is very professional and also so much fun to be around. I met her when she was the photographer for my sister's wedding, before I was even engaged. And I was thinking to myself, "I definitely NEED Melissa to shoot for my future wedding." Once I got engaged, I told my husband (fiancé at the time) that we need Melissa for our wedding. He trusted my word and we had Melissa for our engagement shoot and for our wedding! Hanging with Melissa for our engagement shoot was great. My husband and I aren't the most photogenic couple but Melissa made it easy for us. Also, It was so cold and windy and I was thinking that I would look crazy in all of the photos but they came out PERFECT. Fast forward to our wedding day, Melissa was great and literally everyone in our bridal party loved her. At times where Melissa would take photos, she made it so much fun. Once my husband and I returned from our honeymoon, we received the pictures from our wedding and we absolutely LOVED them!!! They seriously came out perfect! We showed our wedding party and family the photos and they were in awe of how amazing they were. It was so nice to look back at our wedding through the photos and remember how much of an amazing/perfect time we had that night. Melissa captured it all! It was really so great being able to work with her. We can't thank Melissa enough. We will cherish the photos from the engagement shoot AND wedding day forever! read more

Melissa and Chris... what a dream team! She did such a fantastic job with our engagement shoot and wedding - even with the rain! When we look through our wedding photos, it truly feels like we're reliving that perfect day over and over again. What more could you ask for? She was so fun to work with and she was stern with the groomsmen, which I loved!! Trying to organize a group of 26 year old (tipsy) men is NOT easy, she got it done. I loved working with her and have already recommended her to MANY brides-to-be. THANK YOU MELISSA! read more

Melissa did a newborn shoot for us recently and we couldn't have been happier with the experience and the photos! She was so easy to communicate with from the beginning. She took all the appropriate COVID precautions coming into our home, and we felt so comfortable with her photographing us. It just felt like we were having a friend over! We are so so happy with how to photos turned out. She has a great eye and captured some precious moments that we will always cherish! I would highly recommend Melissa! read more

Great wedding photographer, I absolutely loved working with Melissa and her amazing crew. On such a incredible, happy, loving and as you all know stressful day she was extremely patient, up beat and showed great confidence. She did our engagement photos, as well as our maternity photos and once again they were breathtaking. She was so easy going, funny and had such great ideas to try for our pictures. I all around love her style. She was able to captured these amazing life changing moments that we will cherish forever. Thank you so much Melissa all the love and hard work you put into our photos, it truly shows. I am extremely confident when saying I highly recommend Melissa with Illuminest Photography. read more

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Melissa is AH-MAZING! I fell in love with her work on Instagram... I love the way she captures that golden light and takes candid photos of her couples. So dreamy. Our first meeting was via FaceTime. I felt like we clicked right away. She was very patient and happy to answer any questions we had in the booking process. We chose the adventure engagement session/wedding photography package. My fiancé is not normally used to taking photos so I made sure to practice a bit before hand. The day of our shoot Melissa made us feel incredibly comfortable. I'd describe it like having your BFF photograph you. Robert had fun and enjoyed the shoot with Melissa - YAY! Then we got the photos (within a week!) and we couldn't believe how perfectly she captured us. She communicated with us frequently leading up to our big day. I 100% know it was because of her that we were both able to relax on our big day and be in the moment knowing Melissa had our backs. I still don't know how she did it but she was even able to send us a few preview pictures that night. We are both so happy with the way the photos turned out. Thank you Melissa!!! We can't wait to make excuses for many more reasons to book you in the future! read more

Melissa is one of our favorite vendors from our wedding. Let's go back to the very beginning. I reached out to Melissa inquiring about her availability to photograph our wedding. After a few emails back and forth we scheduled a time to meet for coffee one morning. When we met, it felt like everything instantly clicked. I seriously thought to myself "did we just become best friends". After that meeting I knew she was the one! Her photography was amazing, her personality was amazing, it was a dream come true. Melissa captured our engagement photos and to be honest I was extremely nervous about them being that we have never had professional photos taken. I thought it was going to feel extremely staged and awkward and in fact it was the complete opposite. Melissa made us feel very comfortable, we laughed the entire time and our photos turned out amazing. After receiving our engagement photos we couldn't wait for her to photograph our wedding day. Well ladies and gentlemen, the wait was totally worth it. Melissa showed up on our wedding day ready to rock and boy did she rock it. The day was fun and it moved fast but she was able to capture everything. We received our wedding day photos and we love every single one of them! Melissa captured the day, our emotions, and our guests perfectly. Three words to sum everything up: we love her! read more

All I can say is, "YAASSS!!" *insert praise hands emojis* What you see is what you get, folks! When I first started the daunting task of looking for a photographer who had that magical combination of an artful eye, understanding of composition/color, and (most importantly, to me) an aesthetic that I LOVED paired with the ability to capture special details in a meaningful way, I was overwhelmed to say the least... Once I came across Melissa's work, my search ended. If you're reading this, no need to look any further!! I've done the legwork for you, Melissa is the ultimate combination of everything you could ask for! Do yourself a favor and book her NOW!!! You will get everything you want and more! Melissa's quality of work and talent speak through her photographs. I could gush about what a talented photographer she is forever... Beyond her visual talents, Melissa has an amazing skill of being able to integrate and meld with people that puts everyone at ease, and in turn, she captures truly magical moments that are honest and beautiful. You will cherish her images and your memories FOREVER! My family couldn't stop talking about how much they enjoyed Melissa, she kept us laughing and felt like one of the family! I will always treasure the memory of running through dreamy fields by the ocean and laughing our butts off, while Melissa worked her magic. Thank you for making our photo shoot a magical adventure! read more

Wow... where do we even begin?! We are absolutely speechless with how amazing our wedding day photos turned out. We were so worried about the rainy weather and not getting to be able to get as many photos in as we had hoped, but Melissa exceeded all of our expectations! Melissa went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable even when everything around us wasn't very comfortable :) She got so many more photos than we had thought and for this we are so thankful. Thank you for being such a trooper during the whole day and letting me take the cutest photos ever with your umbrella! We can't wait to look at these over and over to remember such a special day. We can't wait to work with her in the future!!!! Thanks again Melissa! read more

Melissa was amazing to work with from start to finish. When we had to postpone our larger wedding due to COVID, we needed to find new vendors for a smaller wedding in Sonoma County in short order. Melissa was very responsive and flexible. She not only recommended venues since we weren't local, but also was willing to accommodate our requests for flexibility around length of service and payments due to the uncertainty of COVID restrictions tightening again. When we had to replan our wedding a second time due to mandatory evacuations in Guerneville, Melissa was very willing to travel to San Francisco and meet our needs. She executed beautifully on the surprise first look with the t-rex and all the subsequent photos. She was able to capture the candid moments (especially the ones with our pup) perfectly! We were so pleased with how quickly Melissa was able to get us back the edited photos. We love the photos and are so happy we were able to get such an amazing photographer on such short notice. read more

When we were looking for our photographer, we were referred to Melissa from a friend of a friend. I reached out to Melissa and we quickly setup a Facetime to talk through the packages, details, etc. During that call, like others have said, I felt instantly comfortable with her, almost like I had known her for years. We flew out to NCAL for the engagement photos first and the weather ended up being a shit show. It was freezing, rainy, and muddy, but Melissa took it like a champ and took the most beautiful photos. I honestly thought my hair was going to be a hot mess with the rain, but you could not tell from the photos she took. She also sent us around 5 sneak peek photos from our shoot that same night! I had a coworker who happened to have his engagement session the weekend prior to mine and after comparing notes, it took him several weeks to even see 1 photo from his shoot, so I'm guessing this isn't the norm! Moving on to the wedding day. We decided to write our own vows which was probably the most nerve-racking thing I've ever done to myself. I was terrified all day leading up to the ceremony because of this and could not relax. Not only did this girl take amazing pictures, but Melissa helped me to keep my shit together while I was in this state of panic. She brought me snacks and a drink before the ceremony when she realized I had barely eaten anything and needed a drink to calm down. She kicked family out of my bridal suite when I was losing it. And when it came time for me to recite my vows and I was still freaking out, Melissa took charge to get the microphone moved away from me so I could get through them. SHE IS SOOOOO MUCH MORE THAN A PHOTOGRAPHER. My mom and bridesmaids were even telling her she should be a wedding planner since she was basically running the show. All that said, if you need someone to make you look fantastic, even when you're not comfortable in front of a camera or photogenic, and you also need someone to keep the show running smoothly, Melissa is your gal! She also brought her husband along who shot the guys while they were getting ready and he got amazing photos too. They were fun to be around, great people, and so good at what they do. I could not recommend her more! read more

Working with Melissa was so wonderful. She made both myself and my fiancé feel comfortable in front of the camera, which is a hard place to be at 8 months pregnant. She was professional when scheduling the session, had the photos ready in two days(!), and made the whole experience of documenting my pregnancy wonderful. Plus, the photos are absolutely gorgeous. We will definitely be contacting her for all of our photography needs in the future. read more

Melissa Atle - Just a sample! - Session Photography Near Me

Melissa was fantastic and the perfect choice for our little woodland elopement! Besides having a keen eye for capturing our most unstaged, silly selves, she is a gem of a human to work with. The collection she put together for us (and quite quickly I might add) was a beautiful record of every moment we wanted to capture, and most importantly, the spontaneous ones we didn't plan. We're so grateful to her for making the long winding drive into the woods for us at a fantastic rate, and for such beautiful photos of our love. Trust in Melissa's dependability, skill, and sweet spirit. Highly recommend! read more

We hired Melissa for my daughter's "barn wedding" in St. Helena. Melissa is an amazing photographer and was so delightful to work with! We were on a strict budget and she was able to come up with a package that met our needs perfectly. The photos are absolutely incredible and we are very happy we chose her to work with! 5 stars + read more