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It’s finally your time to feel cherished, beautiful, and at-ease in front of the camera (and hang those priceless moments in your home to remind you of your family values and once-in a lifetime memories)

Our Vision

AS SEEN ON

I believe in making your portraits feel like you and your family, without the angst to be perfect or cookie-cutter. I make it easy to capture the real you, to show off your authentic self with confidence and fun.

PROMISE

my

Maybe you've hired a photographer before and it's been a disaster...
Kids won't listen...
Family members wander off...
Suddenly those closest to you become like herding cats...

And the whole shoot felt like such a letdown and disappointment.

I know this pain - I've been here before and I NEVER want you to experience this same kind of disappointment when all you want, is a few priceless images of your family, your friends (your wedding too!) to hang on your wall, showing all the unique ways that you LOVE your spouse and kiddos.

We have the same goal...

ALEX & SARA

“They are incredibly kind people as well as extremely talented photographers and we would highly recommend them.”

I

NO

MAY & PETER

“From the moment we met Melissa, we knew she was the perfect photographer for our wedding.”

II

No

Simon & Liz

III

No

“Stop what you're doing right now and reserve Melissa! The images she creates are gorgeous!”

Your Family Photos will reflect the authentic heart and story of your relationship (not the cookiecutter ‘gram photos you see everyone else spew, but REAL moments captured for REAL moms)

Authentic heart & story-telling

will lead you from stress to ease, as I manage every situation / person / event the day of your photoshoot, ensuring you can relax and enjoy your day, as if you were on vacation 24/7 (count me as your extra mom bestie who knows exactly what you need so you feel supported and understood all day long)

My trusted award-winning wedding service

as a Traverse City Family Portrait Photographer guarantees a full 100+ pictures in your photo gallery that will highlight the most pivotal once-in-a-lifetime laughter, blowing kisses, playing in the sand moments you’ve dreamed of your entire mom life

My unparalleled 15+ years experience

Just Imagine...

But what if the solution wasn’t just dreaming about a portrait shoot, but actually hiring a photographer whose
1 GOAL is the SAME AS YOURS?

Not surprisingly, your walls remain blank and you sigh, telling yourself that someday things will be easier…

^^ Because your memories matter...

Family and Wedding Photos don’t have to be the ultimate stress test for you (even if past photoshoots seem to prove this true!) You’re tired of missing out on all those little moments between you and your kids, and never having any way to enjoy them again.

As your Wedding  and Family Photographer for your northern Michigan photography session, you will experience a luxury portrait service that will truly tell your story and relationship, in the most romantic and candid way possible.

The photos I take at your Wedding or Family Portrait Session will makes you smile, make you laugh, and will remind you of exactly why you fell in love, in the first place.

My promise to you is to help you feel beautiful & confident, as if you could grace the pages of a magazine. You will relive the magic of your day each time you view your images and in this way so this lifetime of memories will be forever remembered, cherished, and loved!!! 

Each image is intentionally curated with YOU in mind, knowing that even after your portrait session day, the images of your marriage and family deserve to be nurtured for many years to come.

WE CURATE EMOTIONAL, ROMANTIC & GENUINE IMAGES THAT REFLECT MOMENT-BY-MOMENT, THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIVES


What we Do

THE HEART BEHIND

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roberta robinson

from

Melissa was a dream to work with. Such a great communicator prior to my big day but on the actual day, her creativity just flowed"

“

What brides & their moms are saying

01/04

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may + peter swift

from

Melissa was an absolute joy to work with!! Highly recommend!!! From the moment we booked she had incredible communication and many words of wisdom and advice along the way. On our wedding day she was very professional and also made us feel very comfortable and at ease. We can’t say enough great things about our experience with her.

“

What brides & their moms are saying

02/04

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simon + liz smith

from

Stop what you're doing right now and reserve Melissa! The images she captured are once-in-a-lifetime &  gorgeous!”

“

What brides & their moms are saying

03/04

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amiee danson

from

I feel like there are not enough words to describe how truly amazing our experience with our choice for Melissa as our photographer for our wedding. Not only was she incredible with constant communication. She made us feel at ease with everything."

“

What brides & their moms are saying

04/04

Hey, I’m Melissa, and I believe in creating dreamy, REAL wedding photos for REAL couples, who value joy over hustle, fun in the present moment, and laughing at the imperfect moments of life.

Because your wedding is more than just a one-and-done sorta day. It’s a huge milestone that you’ve been waiting for your entire lifetime for. And as a professional painter-turned-photographer, I’m here to tell the visual story of your day, led with heartfelt emotion and genuine experiences with the people you cherish most to share in this magical day.

Years from now, I don’t want you to look back and feel like your photos are just another digital folder on your desktop that you should do something with. Everytime you view your gallery, my goal is to transport you right back to the moment, so you can relive and fall head over heels in love, all over again.

I’m your sunset chaser, dog lover, probably-dance-at-your-reception kinda girl

About melissa

As someone who ACTUALLY promises to be dedicated to your happiness, I will be here for you, day in and day out, to be your cheerleader and support system and to personally guarantee that you will LOVE your wedding portraits.

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While our thumbs might not quite be green, we do enjoy cultivating herbs, picking pumpkins in the fall and the occasional blueberry harvest. 

our garden

working in

When we're not designing homes, you'll find us

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I should probably get a t-shirt that says “I’ll say hi to your dog before I say hi to you.” I am an absurd helicopter parent when it comes to my pups

mom

crazy dog

I once had 6 dogs, so people call me a...

I went to art school in Duluth, MN and majored in painting, film photography, and Graphic Design. 

in hand

with a paintbrush

In my spare time, you'll find me

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You don’t need more stress in your life by trying to plan for “perfect photos.” I’ll take care of all the details for you so you can relax, knowing your heartfelt moments won’t ever be forgotten again. 

Your dreamy moments will stand out from all the other pictures you see on the gram.

You don’t need more to-do items to plan for the perfect photos…you need someone you can trust to handle the chaos, the outfit choices and location details, so you can relax and trust that your heartfelt moments will never be forgotten again.

Think of me as your bestie / photographer

From timeline planning, outfit selections, wedding preparations, and hair/makeup styling - you will always feel beautiful, valued, loved, and appreciated from our planning process, to the shoot, and when decorating your home.

From day 1 of planning, to the day of your session, to decorating your home with your most beloved images, you will feel beautiful (inside & out), valued, loved, and appreciated.

Pictures matter.

Ensure your photos will grace the walls of your home for years to come, reminding you of these fleeting moments and genuine emotion that you will cherish forever.

love our clients

why we love

got married and started our own family with the greatest love of my life

2023 / 

engagement couples, families and portrait shoots in beautiful northern michigan

800+ / 

years awarded the knot's best wedding photographer in michigan award

4 + / 

experience as a fine art wedding photographer in michigan and landscape painter

15 yrs / 

weddings in traverse city, glen arbor, petoskey and northern michigan

300+ / 

YEARS

Through the

Your Wedding and Family  photos are the only part of your day you get to take with you for the rest of your life (imagine if you had one of the most important moments of your life - your grandma holding you for the first time after you say “I do” as if to say, “welcome to the sisterhood of marriage”, lost forever to you?!) I know this pain! And I NEVER want you to feel this lifelong regret.

it’s no secret...

Our unparalleled, luxury experience for the fun loving woman who values story-driven images that are authentically YOU

Once you book with us, receive a life’s worth of inspiring step-by-step Wedding  or Portrait Photography advice (especially if you’re planning a destination wedding or vacation in Traverse City), customized Day-Of Timeline, Family Shot Lists, Outfit Guidelines, and Posing Instructions to feel candid and REAL - all to easily set you up for success - so you can experience your wedding day in Northern Michigan with vibrancy and joy in a way that works for YOU… all designed and curated so you can receive the best gallery of photos you will ever have!

This process is the exact method I have used to perfect the wedding experience of over 300+ brides, and 15+ years photographing weddings in Traverse City of award-winning experience for brides JUST like you, looking to hire a wedding photographer that feels more like another bestie, rather than a random vendor and stranger.

portrait session info & pricing

For Maternity

portrait session info & pricing

For Families

wedding process & more

For Couples

It’s finally your time to feel cherished, beautiful, and at-ease in front of the camera (and hang those priceless moments in your home to remind you of your family values and once-in a lifetime memories). 

ready to work together?

Inquire

portrait session info & pricing

For Newborns

portrait session info & pricing

For Seniors

Cassandra, traverse city mi

I

NO

Melissa was absolutely wonderful, she made my wedding day so much smoother as she stayed completely relaxed despite all the ongoing chaos of the day. She worked very well under a short timeline, she was able to get in our desired photos including some very complex family photos which we really appreciated. She had a wonderful attitude throughout and stayed positive!

MAY & PETER, traverse city mi

"Working with Melissa was a dream. She made our day so enjoyable. We felt totally comfortable and loved every second of it. Our photos turned out perfect. I would absolutely recommend working with her for any event."

II

No

Simon & Liz, traverse city mi

III

No

Melissa was perfect! I cannot say enough good things about her. We had an engagement session with her and she also was our wedding photographer. We were in constant communication about details, our wedding timeline, and shots that we wanted for our wedding day. She was also helpful with decor suggestions and other ideas about what she had seen in the past and what she had done personally. Her photos are beautiful and she makes you feel so comfortable behind the camera. She loves loves loves weddings and it shows in her attitude and photos. We had a wonderful experience with Melissa, she is awesome!

Fill out the contact form below for our Northern Michigan photography pricing and session information. Or use rhe Contact Page link to send us an email

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Please, fill out the form below with as much information as possible-this will give you the best answer from me! email me at melissa@luxlightphotography.net If you don't hear back within 24 hours, please check your SPAM!

Please check your SPAM folder if you do not get a response from me within 24 hours! This will ensure that you can get your wedding info and photography booked as quick as you need it!

Please note that office hours at 12-4pm, M-F. I will respond to your email within that time frame. If you email me on the weekend, I will respond the following Monday. Thank you!

thank you!