Hi, I'm Melinda!! I am a mommy, a wife, a dog lover, and a photographer.

I graduated from SIU Carbondale with a degree in photography but my focus was never on portraits. My main portfolio was on run down abandoned buildings. There is a beauty in old buildings and I sought out the natural character of the building as well as the discarded items and remnants that people left behind. After graduation I worked at the History Museum as a photographer's assistant, then continued on to a portrait studio, then another and another, but never as a photographer, instead I pursued digital imagery and helped with marketing pieces.

Then I had my son...and then my other son, and they both amaze me, I love watching them together and I love seeing their different personalities develop. Nathan says "carry me" and Jacob says "put me down!!" Nathan says "I hate dinners" and Jacob says "nom nom nom!" One is serious and thoughtful and the other screams at the top of his lungs, one hates being splashed in the face and the other thinks it's so much fun! I know this "about me" section should be about ME and I tried to come up with things that I love to do, but what I really love is talking about my boys!! My kids are the reason I started picking up my camera again. So if I photograph your family or your children, you'll find I'm a very quiet photographer. I like to see how you all play together and settle into the picture. I want your pictures to look like the ones I take of my family, comfortable and relaxed, with natural expressions and loving interactions. When you look at them you should say...this is us.