Melissa Koehler Photography Blog

Happy Birthday Lexi | San Diego Children’s Photographer

Melissa — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:59:06 +0000

Today is my little niece Lexi’s bday. She is one. Where has the time gone? It’s been such an honor being a part of her life. I love her and her parents. My best friend Stacy is an amazing party planner. She puts so much time and detail into what she does. This past weekend was Lexi’s birthday party. Here are a few images from her party. Stacy is amazing. She needs to do this for a living, so if you are interested I am hiring her out for parties

Here are a few images of Lexi a few weeks old

She was so tiny.

Here are some party details from Saturday.

The theme was candy. Stacy did a candy bar and made the tissue balls that you see hanging. She also made the centerpieces. She’s amazing!

Here is the birthday girl! Look at her adorable shirt, tutu and bloomers. SOOOOOOO adorable!

We had done a photoshoot with Lexi prior to the party so we could use the images on the invitation and all around the party.

Stacy made her candy necklace too!

Happy Birthday Lexi-loo, I love you!!

Auntie Missi

Sweet Kasen 9 months | San Diego Lifestyle Photographer

Melissa — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:04:57 +0000

I love photographing kids. They are unpredictable, adorable and oblivious to the reason they are getting their pictures done They have their own agenda and they are going to do what they want to do, regardless of the endless amounts of bribing and acting silly. As strange as that might sound, that is why I love my job. Amidst the perfect chaos that is happening during a shoot with a toddler, I get to capture the moments that are real and “in the moment”. The pure, uninhibited joy that exudes from a child while playing with their parents is among one of the most beautiful things in this world. Well, at least to me it is But also capturing the sweet, serene moments when a child doesn’t know I’m there tops my list of favorites. It’s in those moments where I get to witness a child being completely themselves. I don’t have to try to knock down a wall to capture the essence of who they are. I get to watch, witness and just be.

Before I share some images I feel the need to say that Alicia is a superstar. She has 3 boys all under 3yrs! Just the thought of that makes me tired and she makes it look easy! I can hardly handle my one 3 yr old. So, when Alicia contacted me to do a session with her youngest boy I was excited for more than one reason. 1) She is a good friend of one of my favorite clients/friend, Jill. So I knew she would be wonderful. And…. 2) Her husband plays for my favorite football team. So, needless to say I was excited I put my excitement aside for a while and met up with the Jammer family at their home. We got to know each other a bit and then started to play. Kasen wasn’t too sure about the whole thing at first, but he warmed up

Here is a sneak peek of a few images from my session with Kasen, “in the moment”

There is something about this image that I just love. Maybe it’s the way the sun is hitting him, or his expression. But I love it!

When Daddy is near, no one else will do

I love this expression. He looks like he is getting ready for his GQ magazine cover shoot Dialogue to this would be ” How you doing?”

So happy

Daddy makes him smile

This my new little buddy Kaleb. He is 2 and was my helper for the day. He gave me a flower to put in my hair and liked to help me take pictures with my camera. He’s such a sweetie!!

Adorable!!

Thank you so much Jammer family for being so warm and welcoming me into your lives. Your family is beautiful! Gallery will be coming shortly!

Hugs

Melissa

Brittany and Brandon | Yuma Wedding Photographer

Melissa — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:34:42 +0000

Brittany and Brandon are perfect for each other. All you have to do is be in their presence for a minute to see that they are completely in love. I met Brittany and Brandon last year after I did Brittany’s sister Katie’s senior photos ( phew, say that 3 times fast). I’ve been in close contact with the Peare family ever since. I have some amazing friends in Yuma now thanks to the Zamora’s and the Peare’s. To say I feel blessed to know them all is an understatement.

When Brittany asked me to photograph their wedding I was beyond excited! This family is so warm and loving, so I knew that they would throw an amazing wedding. I just didn’t know exactly how amazing. My dear friend Suzy came along to Yuma with me to help photograph their big day and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to hang out with. Thanks Suzy!

Sit back and relax, because this post is picture heavy. There were so many things I couldn’t leave out. Enjoy!

The wedding was held at the Peare residence in Yuma, AZ. I think they might want to consider renting it out for weddings because it’s amazing!!!

Brittany’s gorgeous dress was hanging like this when we got into the room

Shoes with bling, love it!

All the bridesmaids ( and the bride) had Juicy Couture velour suits with their names on them. I wanted one

I think Brittany’s mom Debbie looks like she could be her sister. Such beautiful ladies

We actually met the guys first at a downtown area to do some shots. Brandon had all the locations already picked out

This bridge is a one way bridge. We literally had to run into the road at the opportune moment to get this shot.

I LOVE these images of Brittany! She reminds me of a movie star!

Their first look. I really encourage my couples to do a first look. It’s so intimate and wonderful!

Their house reminds me of a french villa. I love this shot!

Their bridesmaid shoes were awesome. Who doesn’t like purple glitter?

Brittany’s little sister Sydney was the flower girl. She is the most adorable thing ever!!

Lots of wedding details

Mr and Mrs!!

Lots more reception details. The reception was insane!

There were 400 people there to help celebrate. I don’t think I even know 400 people

I LOVE this shot!!

I feel like I could go on and on about how wonderful everything was. I felt like I was in the middle of a fairy-tale happening. I can’t express how incredibly lucky I feel to be able to do what I do. I get to meet the most amazing people. The Peare’s are among those. I truly love my job and this wedding makes me love it even more. Thank you so much Peare family for making me feel like a part of your family. I love you guys!!

Congratulations!

With much love

Melissa xo

I’m published in BRIDES Southern California magazine | San Diego photographer

Melissa — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:31:14 +0000

I am beyond thrilled to announce that I have been published in BRIDES Southern California magazine. The beautiful wedding featured is Grace and Chris. I am beyond honored to be in the “Real Weddings”section along with Jasmine Star, One Love Photo, Linda Chaja and Charey Star*Photo. A special thanks to my second shooter Jena Olson who helped make this happen The awesome coordinator was Melanie Montoya of Something Blue Weddings who is one of the best. DJ Phreek made the reception so much fun and The Catamaran resort is gorgeous.

So, go check it out if you have time.

Here’s the spread on Grace and Chris.

Thank you for allowing me to be giddy with you!! I am beyond excited!! I can check one goal off my list now

-I have a few sessions to blog. I also just did an amazing wedding in Yuma this past weekend. I need to sort through the images and get a blog post up. SO, stay tuned.

Hugs

Sweet Charlotte and her family | San Diego photographer

Melissa — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:50:53 +0000

I’ve know Christa since middle school. Back when neon shirts, big bangs and Ace of Base was cool. Oh the good old days. Needless to say things have changed, thank goodness! We’re all grown up, married with kids. It’s always so much fun for me to photograph people that I have known “back in the day”. You’ve seen Christa and her adorable family on the blog before, and I am excited to share them again to celebrate Charlotte turning one. I can’t believe that she is going to be one already. It seems like I just did Christa’s maternity pictures. If you missed those click HERE. We started the photoshoot with balloons, but didn’t end with them. Charlotte was sick, but Ava was the one not cooperating. Strange as it may sound I love shoots like this. It’s the real moments that I love capturing, and when things aren’t perfect it makes me smile. I know that parents usually get frustrated and want to tear their hair out because the endless hours of bribing with cookies has backfired. But, if you just sit back, relax and watch everything that is going on you can appreciate the beauty of the imperfect session. So, here are a few of my favorite captures of this beautiful family being perfectly imperfect.

I love this shot, however my loving husband pointed out that it looks likes shes “tooting” ( no, he didn’t use that word) balloons. Leave it to a man to see that.

Sisters being adorable

Then we took a few shots of Christa and Scott, looking hot.

Love this shot. Christa likes textures on her photos, so I wanted to make her happy

Look at this pretty lady!

We turned around and, poof the balloons were well on their way up in the sky. I did make a valiant effort to run, jump and try to catch them. I failed and Ava lost it. I felt so bad for her.

Charlotte looking up at the balloons, while Christa is consoling Ava in the background

Ok, lied about not being perfect. Aren’t they adorable?

Christa calls Charlotte her “crunch”, this looks like a cute crunch shot Love it!

Could she be any cuter?

I LOVE this shot of Charlotte!!

Cute family, love this shot!

Another perfect family shot!!

Thank you so much Asaro family, you are always wonderful to be around!!

Hugs

Confessions of a work at home mom #1 | San Diego kids photographer

Melissa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:41:05 +0000

The New Year has brought about some resolutions, personal and for my business. One of my resolutions is to start writing from my heart on my blog posts. Most of the time I just simply write commentary on my blog posts for the pure simplicity of it, but secretly it’s because I feel like I don’t have anything witty or exciting to talk about. Mostly it’s because I was afraid to be vulnerable and show the “real me”. Ok, I admit that sounds a bit dramatic in a sense, but it’s the truth. So, in an effort to keep my resolution on writing from the heart I am going to share something with you that happened yesterday.

It started out like a normal morning…. I had to wash Aiden’s sheets for the 5th morning in a row because he wet the bed. Potty training at night is NOT my thing and want nothing more than to result back to pull ups at night!! ( any helpful tips would be appreciated) So, after I started the washer I made breakfast for me and my monkey. “Cheerio’s and bananas please Mommmy” is the standard answer to what he wants for breakfast. We ate, we played a little bit and then it was time to get ready Aiden for school. Dressed, hair combed and teeth brushed, we got in the car for the ride to school. We got about 5 minutes from school and all of a sudden Aiden says, ” I want a new mommy. Please can I have a new mommy, I don’t love you” Yes, I know he’s 3 and he doesn’t know what he’s saying, but the tears starting to flow from my eyes. I couldn’t control myself. I was a blubbering mess. Those words hit my heart hard. I dropped him off at school and called Mark to console me. After a few minutes of consolation I felt better. I wonder if I’m the only one that has let their 3 yr crush them like that. Of course, when I picked him up from school he had forgotten all about his harsh words earlier that day and was more than happy to see me.

So, this morning I grabbed a quick shot of him at the table. He was in a good mood and ” he loved me”. Believe it or not, he picked out his outfit for today ( I was shocked). You can still see the remnants of the stamp on his hand that he got yesterday at tumbling class. This is my boy. He’s a crazy, energy filled little person. Whether he loves me on Monday and doesn’t on Tuesday, I love him always!

**For all my Clickin Mom’s friends that have been encouraging me on this new writing journey, thank you!! I know you are reading this and hope to see you comment Ha, you’re on the spot now **

Hugs

2009 A year in review | San Diego photographer

Melissa — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:47:44 +0000

This past year has been amazing. I met the most wonderful people. Words cannot truly express the gratitude I have towards my family, my friends and my clients for making this year so unforgettable.

Each year brings new and exciting things to my business, but 2009 brought more than I could have dreamed of. I am blessed beyond measure with what I have been a part of this year. Thank you to my amazing clients that have allowed me to be a part of their lives. I have been fortunate to see many marriages, pregnancies, babies and families. It’s truly been my pleasure to be a part of my clients lives!

In addition to sessions I did two workshops, 15 One on One online mentorships and one in person mentorship.

I put together a slideshow with all of my sessions from this past year. I chose the song Dream by Priscilla Ahn, because it perfectly fits my emotions for this year. I watched the slideshow with the song and I cried. It’s a humbling experience to see your dream come to fruition. God has blessed me more than I could imagine or deserve! ( ** it takes a minute to load, but it’s worth it)

Thank you so much for an incredible 2009!

You-nique Photography Workshop | San Diego workshops

Melissa — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:11:49 +0000

This post is LONG overdue! With the Christmas season and about a million holiday sessions (ok maybe not a million) this post got put on the back burner. It wasn’t because I didn’t think it was important at all, there were just priorities that needed to be done first :) Last month I hosted my third workshop with my amazingly talented and wonderful friend Amber Dawn. The theme of the workshop was “You-nique Photography, tailoring your business to fit YOU” We tried to go with a “tailoring” theme with buttons and measuring tape. I think it turned out great! Together we taught some amazing women over a weekend. Both of us had an unforgettable time getting to know all the wonderful ladies. We had a gorgeous house to host the workshop at. It was amazing! Words cannot express how much I loved hanging out with everyone and helping them along in their photography journey. We had some fabulous models (thank you, thank you, thank you!!). Our friend Emily modeled for us AND took some images for us. Thank you Em!! To say the least I felt completely blessed by our attendees and models. So, without further ado here are some images from our workshop

A big thanks to Julie for this next few images of us in “action”

Amber climbs wherever she needs to get the shot

So do I

Here’s the result.

Our beautiful model Jessica. She gave birth to baby Madalin 3 1/2 weeks ago Congrats Jess!

Jessica’s oldest daughter Caralin being adorable!

Amber “chimping” :0

Paparazzi

Amber and I each did head shots of the attendees if they wanted us to. I took a slightly less conventional approach

I think I look completely ridiculous here but it makes me laugh

Tammy is Amber’s beautiful sister-in-law that came out to model for us. Thanks Tammy!

Tahlia was too cute! She told me she bought a hat because she liked that I wore hats.

Candace Sheets, Amy Herndon, Julie Socher, Danielle Bryan, Tahlia Essman, Megan Smykal, Michelle Eichelberger, Wendy Tienken, Michelle, Amber, me

Our amazing vendors that helped make this workshop as awesome as it was

Pixel 2 Canvas

Willette Designs

Monkey Tails

Madilu Designs

Simply Couture Designs

Professional Photographers Theme

Kaleidoscope

Thank you SOOO much to all the wonderful ladies that helped to make this workshop as memorable as it was!

The Anderson family | San Diego Lifestyle photographer

Melissa — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:57:06 +0000

This beautiful family came all the way from Arizona. I had a great time with them. The girls were so adorable and did such a great job, but they are no strangers to having a camera in front of them. Their mommy is an awesome photographer in Arizona. Photographing another photographer is really nerve racking, but Kelly and her family made me feel so at ease. Plus, they were pros in front of the camera. Here are a few of my favorites from their session

I love this shot, if you could have only heard what the girls kept asking

Thank you so much Kelly and family for getting up so early to brave this session with me!! Much hugs to you

Out of office-next week

Melissa — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:11:00 +0000

I hope that everyone is enjoying their holidays! I am wrapping up a family session I had this week (soon to be on the blog) and then it’s MY family time I know Mark and Aiden will be happy, but not as happy as me!

I will be out of the office Dec 22nd-January 8th for some much needed family time!

Blog post coming soon