BABY

The Staiger Family // Washington, DC Family Photographer

This family is always LOADS of fun, and I am lucky to call them friends. I first photographed this crew a few months after Birch (the big sis) was welcomed into the world. Now the littlest one - Maeve - is here and they are SO darn cute together. And I can't forget big (puppy) bro Hank, who loves hamming it up for the camera. Thanks for inviting me back, y'all. Time spent with you guys is a real treat!

2015 Business Recap!

It's been a whirlwind of a year. I honestly cannot believe 2016 is almost here. Blows my mind, actually. Whenever you have kids, the saying "the days are long and the years are short" certainly rings true. Brooklyn is almost 19 months old and we're officially on baby #2 alert (hence my earlier-than-usual recap post!). 

If you remember my recap from 2014, I set some goals for myself for the new year. And a lot of the goals had to do with a shift in re-focusing my business. Let's see how things worked out:

1) Focus more on portrait sessions (versus weddings), because they allow me more flexibility with raising our children. I succeeded in making very intentional decisions this past year about what and who I photographed. Unfortunately, this went hand in hand with having to say "no" to almost every non-local shoot or wedding, but I'm happy because it allowed me more time to be at home with my family. Along with caring for my baby girl full-time, I still managed to shoot five weddings, eight newborn/baby sessions, five family sessions, two engagement sessions and one maternity session. I'm very fortunate to have a mother-in-law nearby who cares for Brooklyn so well AND a husband who supports me and realizes that my photography business is still important in my life.

2) Give my online presence a makeover, including streamlining my sites. I'm almost there with this! I've already consolidated my two previous sites to one portfolio & blog URL via Squarespace, which I'm very happy with. I also switched to a new gallery hosting company called Pixieset that is much more user-friendly and displays photos beautifully. The last thing on my makeover: give my logo a little upgrade!

3) Photograph a live birth. Unfortunately, this still hasn't happened. If you know of someone willing, leave me a note in the comments or e-mail me with suggestions! 

4) Do a session pro bono. I failed miserably with this. Time isn't something I have a lot of these days, but I still want to make this a priority for 2016.

5) Run a contest with a free session catered to local clientele. I hosted this at the beginning of last year, and Paige, if you're reading this... I still owe you a session! : ) 

Even though the season in my life has changed dramatically over the past year+ from seeing myself as primarily a photographer first to now a mama first, I still very much love the moments I spend with my clients. I still get that nervous/giddy/adrenaline-filled feeling right before a session or wedding starts, which shows me that I love and live for photographing people. And I don't think that feeling will ever go away!

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to support my little business. Every comment on social media and my blog puts a huge smile on my face. Cheers to 2015 and all my clients who made it so special! Here is a photo recap (in order!) of every session and wedding from the past year. I look forward to what lies ahead in 2016!

And one last thing: as of today, I am on maternity leave until April. I will still be posting some personal things on the blog in the coming week(s), as long as this little dude en utero stays put. ; )


The Wood Family // Washington, DC Family Photographer

There's nothing quite like photographing a 10-day-old with her (first-time) parents. I LOVE doing lifestyle family shoots when babies are still tiny; the moments between parents and a newborn are so delightfully tender and joyful (even on such little sleep!). Lilly is a precious baby, and I loved her nursery full of adorable rabbits. : ) Enjoy a few of my favorites!


The Wills Family // Alexandria, VA Family Photographer

I loved capturing the Wills family in downtown Alexandria, Virginia. We started out in Founders Park and then hit a couple of charming spots in Old Town. Isabelle, who was only 5 1/2 months old during this session, KILLED it. She is one of the "easiest" babies that I've ever photographed; I had the hardest time choosing favorites for a post because she has so much personality! It's evident how much Kathy and Jon love their precious little lady. Please enjoy my time with this beautiful family!


PRINT YOUR PHOTOS! [A canvas special...]

I’m a BIG believer in printing your photos. Even though we're in a highly digital age, I think photos are meant to be PRINTED and DISPLAYED. You may think that canvas prints are too expensive, but really, it’s the most affordable type of art for your walls. Canvases are still an investment but they hold such great sentimental value. If you’ve always thought about adding a canvas (or two!) to your walls but haven’t made the leap quite yet, here's a little encouragement to do so... I’m running a special for FOUR DAYS ONLY (8/13 through 8/16). This will be my best deal EVER on canvas pricing. Here are the details:

A 16x20" ready-to-hang canvas gallery wrap is $80 off: $169 (normally $249).
A 16x24” ready-to-hang canvas gallery wrap is $100 off: $219 (normally $319).

Each canvas is hand stretched on a custom-built frame, printed with ink rated to last 100 years and spray sealed with a UV inhibitor coat. Your order is shipped directly to you - shipping cost included! I will only offer a very limited amount of these so please contact me by 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 16th (first come, first served). Here’s how it works:

1. Email mel [at] melissatuckphoto [dot] com and let me know which photo(s!) you'd like to use.
2. I’ll email you a proof back of the cropped photo and your total amount due (discounted price + tax).
3. You check off on the proof, and I’ll order your new canvas print!

I want to leave you with a couple of examples of how we display canvases in our house. The first is in our living room. Our wedding photo on the right goes so nicely with the painting from Ryan's Granny. And the bottom collage is from our bedroom. I'll be ordering more of Brooklyn at an older age soon, but I have to leave some room for her baby bro. ; )