I am no Ed McMahon but I am searching for STARS who are ready to S H I N E!  Read more below.

~ CASTING CALL ~

*searching for girls ages 4-9 (only) for a styled commercial photo session . must be comfortable in front of the camera with a lively personality that takes direction well . clothing will be fully styled by myself

*please send name, age, recent snapshot, child’s size and description of how child does in front of the camera to: melissaperryphoto@yahoo.com

*you will be compensated with a $300 print credit and my session fee of $225 will be waived . must sign full model release

*you will be emailed back only if you are needed for an upcoming project

*thanks for the many who have already submitted . i am keeping all info

thanks and God bless! ♥ xo mel

**dress by gigiCreations**

For quite some time I have pondered how amazing it would be to work with a designer of children’s clothing.  I have watched other photographers have jobs working exclusively with a designer setting up styled shoots and getting the chance to photograph AH-MAZING clothes while really bringing the spirit of design to life.  It has always been somewhat of a deep desire of mine to one day have the chance to do the same.  I knew I had the passion for fashion (hello we all know I LOVE clothes!) and in particular kid’s fashion and photography makes my head spin with ideas.  Enter Stephanie…

A few weeks back I emailed Stephanie.  Stephanie is the owner and designer of gigiCreations.  (or ggC for those of us in the know) ;)  Stephanie’s clothing is fun, colorful, spirited, whimsical and full of LIFE!  It is perfect for a photographer like me who loves to work with color and modern as well as vintage styles.  Her creations are also FABulous for parents who want to give their children clothing they will absolutely adore.  (more on that later)  Anyway back to the story…I emailed Stephanie a few weeks back as I had seen her work via Facebook.  I inquired on how I could possibly purchase a piece or two that I could use in upcoming photo sessions with my clients.  She emailed me back and was so warm and lovely.  She suggested we might be able to work out a trade at some point and told me about some of her upcoming changes to her website and branding.  Fast forward about a week and a half later and we were in contact again.  This time Stephanie proposed an idea that blew my socks off.  She wanted little old me to be the exclusive photographer to work with her photographing her entire line this season!  To say I was ecstatic is an understatement.  This was like hitting the photography lottery!  I get to photograph amazing clothes, work on concept and styled sessions and dip my toes in the water of commercial photography.  This coupled with the fact that I get to work with a super kind and talented designer…are you kidding me???  It felt like Christmas and my birthday wrapped into one!

I of course jumped at the chance and eagerly awaited her first glorious creation.  As luck (well I don’t believe in luck I believe GOD plans all things) would have it I had a photo session on the calendar for this past weekend.  All I had to do was give Stephanie the size and she made the dress to fit!  The little dress you see pictured here is the first ggC piece I got to photograph and I am totally in LOVE with it!  And I must give you this piece of information.  When I pulled the dress out and showed it to Rylan (sweet little model…and also my niece) she literally BEAMED with happiness.  She could not wait to put it on!  I have honestly never seen her act that way over clothing.  There was just something about this darling dress that she just was so drawn to…the color, the texture, the feel…she just wanted to put it on right then and there!

It was a blast photographing Miss Rylan in this ggC creation and as I edited the images I just felt this wave of happiness come over me.  This happiness is not by chance however.  I believe God leads us all to the place we are at in our lives.  This was something I wanted to have a to do but I had no clue it was coming my way at this time in my life.  And that is the pure fun and joy of the situation!  I honestly believe God led my path and Stephanie’s paths to cross at just the right time.  We both were looking for some change and opportunities.  Timing is everything and God had us both ready for a new adVENTURE together!  I recently finished having my studio put in our home.  Stephanie is currently working on rebranding and coming up with new concepts and designs for her own business.  She happened to be interested in some studio work and wouldn’t you know I have a brand new studio ready and waiting.  Coincidence…I think not.  God’s hand always guides us.  Of that I am certain.

I will be posting pictures of many more ggC looks in the future…the very NEAR future.  In fact I have a session this coming weekend and I will be using three ggC outfits for this session.  I cannot wait to see how wonderful this partnership will be.  I feel blessed that Stephanie chose me to work with and I look forward to all that is in store.  Stephanie and I are like two kindred spirits.  We are both women who value our families and our FAITH.  And hey we even love those Beachbody workouts.  It’s a match made in Heaven…more to come!  And more on ggC coming as well!   Check out the ggC blog, ggCwebsite and ggC facebook page.  Show Stephanie some LOVE!

Look at this sweet little dress!  It is so mod and so very cool!  The colors are just awesome and the textures and prints DIVINE!

Stephanie pays attention to the details (LOVE that) case in point are these sweet little buttons down the back of the dress.  So PRESH!

The dress looks great sleeveless or paired with a cardi- gives you LOTS of options for many seasons of wear.  I could also see it with flip flops or boots or layered with a t-shirt underneath.  The options are endless!

SWOON…be still my heart…

I just love the interplay of color and texture.  Stephanie this dress is PERFECTION!  Shout out to Ry for being such a wonderful little model!

until next time…

~ xo mel ~

On Friday in my class (for those who don’t know I teach Kindergarten full time all day everyday and LOVE it) we talked about Martin Luther King Jr.  I read a story and spoke to the children about the importance of our “day off” that was coming.  I wanted them to understand that while we can have fun and play and just enjoy some time to do whatever we want, that there is meaning behind this day.  None of them knew (or remembered) who Martin Luther King Jr. was so I started with a blank canvas in terms of telling his story.  As we spoke about the life of Dr. King, the students had many insightful and pointed questions.  They could not imagine that at one time others were unable to have the same chances and opportunities because of the color of their skin.  The students had a sense of pride as they learned that Dr. King stood up for others and wanted everyone to be treated in a fair and just way.  They grasped in their own 5 and 6 year old way (and believe me that is pretty deep) the importance of one voice that cried out for peace, equality, and honoring each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  We talked about Martin’s childhood and how he used what he had learned as a child to help better the world around him.  We of course touched on Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech and  the March on Washington and how people stood together for justice.  We learned that his speech changed history and allowed men and women everywhere to know that there indeed is hope, opportunity and life to be lived to the fullest and that each and EVERY person is entitled to the dream of a better tomorrow.

What is your dream for a better tomorrow?  We ALL have dreams.  Some of us work on making our dreams reality, some of us hang back doing nothing to further our course convinced they will never happen, and some of us are stuck somewhere in the middle.   Many of us have dreams that for some reason or other we have held back from.  Perhaps someone is saying “you can never do that” or “you’re not good enough.”  Perhaps it is we ourselves who hold us back from the dreams that grow deep within.  Held back by fear, doubt, or the voice inside that will not be silenced.  From the smallest of hopes to the largest desires our dreams are within our grasp if we but reach out and take hold.  Taking hold might be the hardest step.  It is easy to have a dream but to make it come true…well that’s where it gets more challenging.  That is something I am working on in 2012—taking ACTION and hold of my DREAMS.  I call my dreams GOALS.

So on this day we remember Martin Luther King Jr. for his inspiration, his life and his legacy.  Many of us will never know what it feels like to be treated in ways of those who came before but if we reach out to our fellow man and show him dignity and respect then we can help Dr. King’s message live on.  We are ALL God’s children and we are ALL worthy.  I would like to end with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. King: “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”  What powerful words.   I whole heartedly embrace them.  Have FAITH  that anything you can imagine can become reality…DREAM BIG!

The photo above is one I took of sweet lil’ Miss Nora yesterday. I wonder what she is dreaming about…I know Nora is going to dream BIG!

~ xo mel ~

Birthday Blessings Kate!

  ~xo mel~

After a long and much anticipated wait for return (anticipated by me anyway) I am finally back with a NEW BLOG in tow!  It has been a long time coming and has pretty much felt like forever since I have done this.  I used to be at my computer several times a week documenting my online diary of sorts, sharing my images and thoughts.  I could make excuses such as busy lifestyle, two jobs, waiting on everything to be just perfect, however I am going to stop all of that and just welcome you here—to my page—to my thoughts—and to a piece of me.  First blog post on the new blog…HOLLAAA!   Let me just say right now I am honored that you even choose to read this and that while some of us have met and some of us have not I am so very blessed to have each person take a vested interest in my journey- both photographic and life.  As those who kept up with me before know this is not just a place where I share my photos, it is also a place where I just pose random thoughts to the internet.  So thank you dear readers.

Right now I must give mad props and a huge THANK YOU is to my awesome, patient, talented, uberFAB, incredible blog designer Matt Hudson.  He rocked this design like no one else could have and was so wonderful to work with.  Matt took my ideas (and let me tell you there were so many of them) and streamlined them into one cohesive look.  I think he perfectly captured my modern with a splash of vintage vibe and I am so very grateful to him.  Thank you Thank you Thank you Matt!  Anyone looking for a design should definitely contact Matt through his design company H2 designs.  You can also find him on facebook.

As I close this first short but sweet post I want to leave you with a photo of one of my main sources of inspiration.   Her name is CHALENE JOHNSON.  I have so much to say about Chalene but I will leave that as well as other “do more” thoughts for another time.  Promise i won’t be a stranger!

I took this photo when I attended Camp Do More this past summer in California.  Oh dear friends soooooooo much to tell you about.  Stay tuned!

~xo Mel~