I'm a natural light photographer based in the Tampa Bay area, but I'll happily go wherever your story takes us.

Originally from New Jersey, I traded scraping ice off my windshield for Florida sunshine. It was a great decision... except in July.

Outside of photography, I'm an architectural designer, a wife, and a dog mom (my kids bark). I've been with my husband, Casey, for almost 14 years, and he's still my favorite person on this Earth. Being married to my best friend has influenced so much of how I photograph couples. Real love isn't perfect or posed, it's comfortable, effortless, and full of little moments that probably don't seem important until years later.

Because of photography, I've seen more of this world than I ever dreamed . I've stood on mountaintops before sunrise, wandered through forests, chased waves, and witnessed some of life's most meaningful moments, all because people trusted me to tell their stories. I don't take that privilege lightly.

After losing both of my parents at a young age, I came to understand just how priceless photographs become. They're more than images..they're proof that love existed, moments happened, and people were here.

That perspective is why I photograph the way I do. I'm drawn to the in-between moments: the tears you didn't know were falling,  the belly laughs, happy tears, windblown hair, quiet glances, and everything that makes your story uniquely yours.

Whether we're hiking to an overlook, running barefoot on the beach, or saying "I do" in a courthouse, I'm here to tell your story honestly, artistically, and in a way that feels like you.

If you've made it this far, thank you for considering me. It truly means the world that you'd trust me to preserve one of the most important chapters of your life. I feel incredibly lucky to do what I love, and even luckier that you're here considering me to tell your story.

I can't wait to meet you and capture your magic ♡

Tampa FL Photographer

Hi friend, my name's Melissa!

I know how easy it is to overlook the moments we think we don’t want to remember—the messy, imperfect, and ordinary ones that seem insignificant at the time. But when the people we love are gone, we often find ourselves wishing we could go back and take those pictures—the quiet moments, the everyday gestures, the small but meaningful details that time has a way of erasing. My aim is to capture those fleeting moments for you, to preserve the parts of life we sometimes take for granted. These are the memories that, once lost, can never be recreated, and through photography, we have a chance to hold onto them forever.

Growing up, I hated being in photos, never fully appreciating their value. But after losing my parents, I realized how deeply I longed for those moments we didn’t capture. Grief changed my perspective, and I began to photograph because of it. Through the lens, I developed the art of noticing—the small, beautiful moments that often go overlooked. Now, I see the significance in every smile, every gesture, every fleeting glance. Photography has become my way of holding onto those memories, preserving the love and connection I wish I could still hold in my hands. In the photos I do have of my parents, I can almost hear my dad's jokes and my mom's laugh, and in that way, I keep them alive with me always.

And honestly? I photograph because I grieve.

As a photographer, I have an unwavering passion for love in all its forms - not just the big moments, but the small, often overlooked glimpses of authentic connection.  It’s  these fleeting moments, the quiet glances, the subtle touches, that I strive to immortalize. These are the memories that have carried you through the years but can be forgotten with time, and I believe they deserve to be preserved. My goal is to capture those short-lived but forever-felt moments in a way that you’ll feel them all over again, even years later, as you flip through an album in a nursing home, with the warmth of those memories still alive in your heart.

Here to capture your love in a way that keeps it as vibrant and alive, just as the day it happened.

piano  & ukulele

Instruments I can play

italy & greece

Dream destination:

anything with caramel

Go to Coffee order:

THE OFFICE

Favorite tv show:

Fun Facts

Night out

Night in

Fall

Summer

Pizza

Sushi

digital

film

Tea

Coffee

This or That

Get to know me

Englih & tagalog

Languages I can speak:

I can't wait to capture your love

Ready to create?