Working with Melanie was a pleasure from start to finish: she is professional, organized, fun, and kind, and she takes great photos. She was very flexible as our plans changed several times, researching downtown Detroit sites ahead of time, helping us figure out how best to use the limited pre-ceremony time, and making arrangements and securing permission to shoot at a location that had a strict time limit. She arrived at the venue early and got to work immediately, refusing payment for the extra time she put in. She was pragmatic and realistic about how much we could get done: she came up with a plan that worked really well and executed it confidently on-the-fly, deftly scouting locations from the driver’s seat.
We wanted a photographer who had a more journalistic style, and Melanie’s skills as a photojournalist were apparent in positive ways. A member of the wedding party commented that there were so many times during the night when she saw a great moment and thought, “If only Melanie were here to capture this,” then realized that, in fact, Melanie WAS there. She blended into the background so that her presence was unobtrusive, but she has a real gift for sensing when something might be happening and capturing it.
Melanie didn’t just blend in, though, she made things happen. During the cocktail hour, she not only took some great photos but made sure the new husband and I had drinks in hand. Also, even though we felt a little silly posing, she knew exactly how to frame us and took great posed shots as well as capturing the spontaneous little looks and gestures that happened as we configured ourselves.
The photos were ready exactly a month after the wedding and look fantastic. We’d highly recommend Melanie and were so glad we hired her!
