First, I want to say that Melissa is very kind and makes the experience comfortable, even if you're nervous or shy in front of the camera. She's warm, welcoming, and easy to work with. I received around 80 edited proofs to choose from, and there were plenty of great options for my final selections. She also offers a wardrobe with beautiful dresses, as well as some clothing options for men. The location suggestions she provided were excellent, and she did a great job capturing the style and vibe I had in mind. That said, I do feel the need to mention some concerns about professionalism and turnaround time. Her contract states that proofs will be delivered within 2-4 weeks. While 4 weeks already feels a bit long, I was patient and checked in about once a week for updates. When the 4-week mark passed without receiving anything, I was disappointed. I ended up receiving the proofs after 4 weeks and 3 days. I reviewed and returned my selections the same day, but her contract didn't specify a timeline for final edits, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The final images were delivered 15 days later. When I received them, it seemed like the only changes made were removing the watermarks. Some photos still had bags and other items in the background, even though she had mentioned those would be edited out. Communication was also inconsistent. There were times when my messages were read but not answered, and at one point--about two weeks after the shoot--she indicated she hadn't started editing yet. It left me feeling like my time and excitement weren't fully considered. By the time I received my maternity photos, my baby was already three weeks old, and I had already shared photos of her arrival, despite scheduling the shoot at 34 weeks as recommended. Would I recommend Melissa? Yes, but with some expectations in mind. Her pricing is fair, and you do receive a large number of photos. However, turnaround time may be slower than expected, and communication can feel a bit casual at times. (She did provide 5 additional images to make up for the delay in delivering the proofs.) I had originally intended to do a new born shoot with her as well but I was waiting for my maternity photos to make sure I really liked them and unfortunately by the time I received them my baby was outside the 7-14 day old window she wants for newborns. Between that and the turn around time I decided against it. read more

See all

I can't recommend Melissa highly enough! I had lots of extended family members in town and wanted to get a group family photo. Melissa was really easy to coordinate with and very flexible. All my folks felt very at ease and the pictures speak for themselves. If I could, I would give Melissa an extra star for going the extra mile with helping us narrow down our wardrobe choices. Thank you Melissa! I'll forever treasure the memories from our foggy Half Moon Bay photo shoot and you can expect me to be calling you in the future! read more

See all

Melissa is an amazing photographer and she is also super flexible and easy to work with. My husband and I have done our maternity photos and as our family grows, family photos as well. We are always thrilled with the photos Melissa takes! read more

See all

We've been going to Mellisa for our family photos for years. She is a talented photographer with an acute eye for beauty and ambiance She is super skilled at what she does. It's always a delightful experience and the photos come out stunning! read more

Melissa was so much fun to work with! My mom and daughter photos turned out better than I ever expected and I will cherish them forever! You will not regret booking with her! read more

Melissa Ohms Photography - Mommy and baby - Session Photography Near Me - Livermore, California

Beautiful newborn photos! We were so lucky that she managed to book us on short notice.

Melissa is wonderful! She is so sweet and kind! Her photos are beautiful! She is so reasonably priced and is a dream to work with! She is a gem! read more

I found Melissa after searching for a local photographer. I instantly loved her style - all natural and no cheesy poses! I reached out to her for a maternity/family photoshoot in the fall and loved the results so much that I reached out again when baby #3 came for a newborn/lifestyle photoshoot. Melissa is great - she's friendly, professional, creative, communicates quickly and is super patient with young active kids. She is very helpful with suggesting outfits and has a VERY large closet of clothes to borrow from for every family member, if needed. I love all the pictures she has taken and now my problem is deciding which ones I want to hang! read more

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to get maternity photos taken and started casually searching (Google and Yelp). I knew I wanted someone local at a reasonable price point and luckily came across Melissa's work. Looking through her portfolio I was immediately drawn to her style. My husband and I are both pretty introverted and photo shoots make us especially awkward but just by our initial phone conversation I knew she was the perfect person for the job. Since I booked her pretty far in advance, there wasn't much communication in the beginning but as the date approached she was very responsive and helpful in suggesting a time and location, and even let me borrow a dress for my second outfit (I had given up my search at this point and was stressingg). The day of the shoot came and she immediately put us at ease with her bubbly, fun, laidback personality. I loved learning about her artistic vision and passion for photography, it showed us how serious she was about capturing memories while still having fun with it. My husband and I had a great time and it shows in our photos! read more

Melissa Ohms Photography - hard to choose a favorite but I love how happy we look here! - Session Photography Near Me - Livermore, California

Melissa's is absolutely amazing! Such a great person and photographer. She's so good with the babies, good with the mommas... Seriously couldn't have asked for a better experience for me and my beautiful son! I can't wait to see the final product! read more

Melissa is absolutely amazing! Such a great person and photographer. She's so good with the babies, good with the mommas... Seriously couldn't have asked for a better experience for me and my beautiful son! I can't wait to see the final product! read more

I 1000% recommend Melissa for maternity and newborn photos! My husband and I had the best experience working with Melissa and we loved the way our pictures turned out! We were in search of a local photographer for our maternity pictures and that's how we came across her yelp page and website. I'm not someone who is comfortable taking pictures and get very nervous when the attention is on me, but Melissa made me feel so comfortable In my skin and it came through in our pictures. Then when our son was born we reached out again to do his newborn pictures and Melissa was able to get us in for a session shortly after reaching out. As a FTM it's definitely nerve wrecking handling a newborn but she made the whole session a breeze. Our little one was so comfortable he was able to sleep the whole session. I highly recommend Melissa and I'm excited to go back for future family pictures. read more

Melissa Ohms Photography - Session Photography Near Me - Livermore, California

See all

New parents here who were in need of a new born photography. We were recommended Melissa and are very happy with the result. Melissa has great communication and was helpful in choosing colors, clothing, and design. The studio was warm and inviting. It has everything needed for a great photograph. Melissa was welcoming, friendly, and treated our newborn with gentleness. The final result and edits were exactly what we were hoping for. We are throughly happy with our decision. Highly recommend. Thank you Melissa for capturing this moment in time. read more

Stumbled upon Melissa through Yelp and she was able to accommodate a last min booking with us for a newborn session. She was super patient as our little one was pretty stubborn and didn't want to cooperate. She was able to snap some excellent photos! Would def recommend her to those that are looking to have photos done! Studio is next to some good food joints also! read more

See all

Melissa is so skilled with newborns and made our whole family feel at ease to take some lifestyle shots of our crew. She's very intuitive and great at accessing what you want to capture and also a great communicator to make sure things go well. I'm so in love with the documentation she provided of the early days of our family of four. I know her art will be hanging in my household forever. Thank you Melissa! read more

See all

I was so lucky to find her through a networking group on Facebook! Our first experience was incredible - she traveled for a family photo shoot we requested on the beach. Because she was earlier than we were, she scouted out the best places for us to pose. Melissa knows what she is doing! Those pictures were framed and mounted on our walls so everyone will see them when they come over. We used them for our holiday card, too! Luckily our daughters are the same age, so at another time, she treated me to a mock mini and me shoot that was also a playdate! (see profile photo) Melissa knows how to capture the right moments I am already making plans for this year's session and made sure to alert my friends to her offer. You should take advantage of them, too!! read more

We did our maternity shoot with Melissa and it was such a great experience! Not to mention the photos turned out so beautiful that we had to order extra prints! She has a great eye for detail and we loved how she was able to capture our family in our natural state rather than being too posed. Melissa was very responsive through text/email and flexible with our schedule. She did a wonderful job capturing my baby bump as well as our active 2yo daughter. Definitely will book with Melissa again for future photoshoots! read more

I can't say enough about the wonderful experience that Melissa brings to the table. She knows what she is doing and you don't have to worry about how your photos will turn out. They are all perfection. I did maternity and newborn pics with her and we LOVE them. The responses I got on social media were mind blowing. She is now our go to photographer moving forward! read more

See all

We found Melissa through a co-worker after seeing their family photos. We hired her for our maternity and newborn photos. All I can say is thank you Melissa! Your patience and attention to detail has lead to some of the best photos of our family. I highly recommend Melissa for family, newborn, maternity, milestone, etc photos. She is willing to listen to your ideas and make them a reality. read more

See all

Melissa was able to get some wonderful images of my slightly cranky newborn daughter. Very happy with our images! She's definitely passionate about what she does and has a kind soul read more

Melissa Ohms Photography - Newborn session - Session Photography Near Me - Livermore, California

Melissa is an amazing photographer, dedication on site and with extraordinary skills in photography angles and in addition , she has few best costumes and we felt like home. read more

By far the best photographer I've ever meet and so easy to feel comfortable with. When you want your pictures done obviously you want to look good and have no idea what to wear or how to even pose. When I booked with Melissa she helped me from beginning to the end. She helped guide me in picking the right outfits for everyone and when it was picture time she didn't just let you stand there and feel lost. She talked us all through it and made us feel more relaxed and comfortable and we forget that we were even taking pictures it just felt so natural. I highly recommend Melissa, Thank you again and will be coming to you each and every time. read more

We did our newborn photography with Melissa and can't be more happier with the results. She was really good with my boy and was able to calm him down during the whole shoot. I loved how we could combine so many props and setups. She squeezed us last minute when no one else was available. Highly recommend. read more

My husband and I are obsessed with our maternity photos!!! They turned out stunning! Couldn't have asked for better pictures. We had an amazing experience with Melissa. I was nervous with this whole pandemic situation but after emailing Melissa I felt super comfortable to proceed. I would of regret skipping this opportunity. Melissa was super professional and was amazing with my 18 mo old. I'd say she's a toddler guru. I initially wanted sunset photos, but morning photos worked best with my lil one's schedule. We met at Sunol Ohlone park around 8am, it was grey and real cloudy. I was worried the photos wouldn't turn the way I had planned, but Melissa assured me the weather was just perfect and she was right! She absolutely captured the look I was going for. Before the session I warned her about how awkward I am with posing and taking photos, she was so comfortable and made me feel at ease during the entire process. She made this 36 week mama feel beautiful! I can't wait to take family/newborn photos once baby boy arrives. Highly, highly recommend. read more

We did a combination lifestyle and newborn studio style shoot with Melissa. Amazing! She was so patient with all 3 of us as we are not models by any means, and you never know how a newborn is going to do! She helped us feel comfortable during the lifestyle portion and captured our family comfortably in our home. She was so careful with our newborn and we really felt she cared about our baby rather than just rushing around to get the pictures done. If you are looking for a photographer to photograph your growing family year to year, definitely go with Melissa! We're already discussing our next shoot and it's only been a week since we saw her last! read more

Melissa did our new born pictures!! She did an amazing job. We are beyond happy. When she was working with Ashley, Melissa was so kind and gentle. It made the experience that much more. She was so graceful with her poses. She was so patient loving and caring for our sweet little new born baby. We will be forever grateful to have these pictures. read more

We've done 3 photo sessions with Melissa. Two newborn and one 1 year. The images she gets are great with lots of attention to detail. She is so easy to work with and does amazing work. Not only does she focus on the baby or bday child, but has always gotten great shots of our family and siblings and individual! She does them all! read more

Melissa has been wonderful to work with! She did our son's newborn and 1st year cake smash photos. She also shot some beautiful fall family photos last year. Melissa is flexible and willing to work with your schedule. Definitely recommend her and can't wait to get some family photos taken soon! read more

What a wonderful photo session, with a wonderful photographer and most importantly wonderful photos to treasure for a lifetime. I could not be happier with our family photos. I highly recommend Melissa Ohms to photograph your next special life moments read more