Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Barnes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I think my Love In Ordinary Places photo series has been one of the most meaningful photo projects of mine.
Love In Ordinary Places is where I take couples and do a photoshoot in the most normal-every day locations and make it romantic somehow. I just wanted to show by example that your photos, where you do them, or even your relationship doesn’t have to be extravagant to be truly romantic.
I do get some inspiration from films and books but a lot of it is from stories from people I love and also my own relationship with my husband. My love languages are acts of service and quality time, so for me, I don’t feel the love with the big, grand gestures. Those things can be sweet too, don’t get me wrong. But it’s in the every-day little things. My husband and I have been together for 11 years and I’ve learned that love isn’t always when he buys me a nice gift, but when he does the dishes for me without me asking when he see’s I’m tired, or when we’ve sacrificed missing out on short-term fun in order to build our first home together.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Melissa, I am originally from NJ and have moved to FL for school where I went for interior architecture. I currently work in an architecture firm as a project manager & architectural designer and I love my job dearly, but I needed something creative on the side to fuel my soul. Photography has always been a creative outlet for me, I’m artistic by nature and am so lucky that I get to get paid to meet wonderful people and preserve their cherished memories by making art with them.
I specialize in couples, boudoir, and creative sessions but I also take on grads, maternity, family, etc.
I think what I am both proud of and sets me apart is my client experience. The common feedback I hear from my clients is that I have a quick turn-around time and that they truly feel so comfortable in front of the camera with me. The ultimate goal I have is to make it seem like you’re taking photos with an old friend, so it makes me happy to hear that clients can easily put that trust in me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I grew up with a lot of trauma as a kid. I am a cancer survivor, a SA survivor, and came from a broken home. I feel like I have gone through so much so young that almost any other obstacle doesn’t seem so bad in comparison, and has taught me to keep positive and has shaped this attitude of mine where I tend to make light in hard situations. I don’t really like to say that those hard circumstances has made into a strong and resilient person but has shown me that I’m resilient despite those things.
I think this also shaped my Love In Ordinary Places project because finding love in the smallest of things helped me survive. I’ve also had some clients go through challenging times and being able to relate to them in a way has helped build trust even more. For example, a client of mine had finally divorced her abusive husband and booked a boudoir session with me to celebrate herself. I can’t describe how fulfilling it is being able to be there for her in this moment coming from a more understanding place of her battle.
How did you build your audience on social media?
This is going to sound very cliche, but be authentically yourself.
When I first started I thought I had to act PC, very Linked-In on my Instagram page. It wasn’t working. People have told me not to, but I’ve talked about trauma on my instagram page, I’ve talked about things going on in this industry that I don’t like, I talked about my thoughts and feelings etc. The more I did that, the more people wanted to connect with me. I learned that people have a desire to connect with other people. They want to relate to you, not your logo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mmbphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmb_.photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMBPhotographyy/
- Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@mmbphotography