Today I thought I’d get personal and share 10 things you probably didn’t know about me!

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Melissa

Dayton, Ohio Photographer

 

1 | I have a bachelor’s degree in English Writing.

I actually started out thinking I wanted to pursue nursing, but turns out I can barely pass a math or science class, so that was a no go for me. I’ve always loved writing & reading and that’s where my strengths lie, so pursuing English was very much “me.”

 

2 | I’ve run a handful of half-marathons and two full marathons (aka 26.2 miles at once!).

I actually did not come to running until I was an adult. My husband is in the military and has always had to run, so he got me to start running. One of my good friend’s from our first duty station was an avid runner and asked me to do a race with her. After that first half-marathon, I was hooked!

This is one of my favorite photos of myself, while running the Honolulu Marathon in December of 2018. I had no idea this photo was being taken at the time, so it was a fun surprise after the race.

Photo by Jess Hooper 

 

3 | I played the violin for almost 5 years, starting in 5th grade.

I ended up quitting in high school because the amount of time I was having to practice was interfering with my school work! It was really hard. I still absolutely love to listen to classical music and am glad I tried to play for as long as I did.

 

4 | I got engaged at age 21 and married at age 23.

We were babies!

Photo by Brennan McKissick

We will celebrate our 10 year anniversary next summer 🥰

 

5 | I broke my foot falling down the stairs when I was 17.

Lest to say, I will not be wearing platform flipflop sandals ever again. 😂

 

6 | I said I never wanted to get into wedding photography!

I was very content with doing portrait work for families, newborns, couples, and children for a few years. Wedding photography intimidated me before I actually got into it, so I said I didn’t ever want to get into it.

A couple I did engagement photos for loved their photos so much, they asked me to photograph their wedding and it was one the best decisions of my life! Never say never!

I am so glad I expanded my photo services to include wedding photography in Dayton. They are my absolute favorite to capture!

 

7 | I’m an avid reader.

Which maybe isn’t a surprise now that you know I was an English major. I’ve always loved reading. When I was younger, I read all of the Babysitter’s Little Sister’s Club books. Anyone remember those?! I loved Harry Potter too.

I’m usually reading some kind of self-help/self-improvement/motivational book and also something for pleasure. I usually read multiple books at the same time. Last year I read 26 books and this year my goal is 30.

 

8 | I’ve always used Sony Cameras.

Everyone always asks photographers, “Canon or Nikon?” When people find out I shoot Sony, they also often ask what I switched from. But I have never used either Canon or Nikon!

Thanks to Arianna Belle for this photo

I grew up using Sony CyberShot point and shoot cameras that my dad got me. Sony was all I knew, and those cameras served me well. So when I looked into a DSLR, I only looked at Sonys. I started on Sony and have stuck with them ever since. I’ve owned the Sony A300, A7ii, A7riii, and A7rIV. I love them all and have never had a single issue with my Sony products. Highly recommend!

 

9 | I cannot stand clutter and am a total organizational freak.

I’ve always been like this, but being a military spouse has put that into overdrive for me. Because we move so often, I have gotten in the habit of keeping our things organized all the time. We always have a donate pile going and I am not very attached to “stuff” because we rotate through things so often between moves!

 

10 | The reason I got into photography at all was spurred on by having my kids.

Wanting to document my kid’s lives on something better than a cell phone camera, I got my first Sony DSLR when I was pregnant with my first daughter, Claire. I used the camera for my personal blog when I was still pregnant and then documented her first year of life.

Here’s a major throw back photo of Claire’s first days. This was her seven month photo.

And yes, this was using a decent DSLR and I thought this was “really good” photography. 😂 How I have grown!! I am still happy to have the memories even if they’re not up to par with my current work now.

Then I realized I really loved taking photos and offered it to some families I knew. And the rest is history!

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I hope you enjoyed this post with 10 things you probably didn’t know about me. Did any of these facts surprise you?

xo Melissa

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