Hello, I am Brian! Until Melissa and I began shooting together, photography was always just a favorite hobby for me. I shot a few weddings here and there, and photographed a lot of senior portraits and head-shots as a way to help put myself through college. When Melissa fell in love with shooting weddings, photography became something fun and profitable to do together. But it was not until after our own wedding that I realized how much I enjoyed the wedding aspect of photography- the beauty in the “getting-ready” shots, the emotions racing during a wedding ceremony, the breath-taking lighting of a detail-shot, the intensity of the moment when a bride and groom saw each other for the first time on their special day, and the romance of the images captured of the newlyweds just after they’d been pronounced husband and wife! After having an amazing wedding day of our own, we both began to connect with weddings (and all things wedding-related) on a new level. Engagement sessions and bridal portraits became more than just additional income- it became a fun way to get to know our clients and their vision for their wedding!
At the beginning of 2011, Melissa and I had made Project:Life “official” as a side-business, and had 18 weddings booked for the whole year. It was clear, then, that this was more than just a fun hobby to do together, more than an experiment, more than just a side-business. This was what we wanted to do with our lives! We did the math, worked ourselves to the bone, saved up, and quit our day-jobs in October of 2011 to become exclusively self-employed, full-time wedding photographers. We’re honored to wake up every morning with the privilege of getting to do what we love!
Hi there- I’m Melissa! My photography journey began in 2009. I had plenty of experience modeling in front of DSLR cameras, but never truly held one in my hands until a friend of mine called me 2 days before her wedding with a shocking request. Her paid wedding photographer was a man and did not have an assistant… She knew that Brian (who was my boyfriend at the time), had a DSLR and some photography experience, so she asked me if I would borrow Brian’s camera, come early to the wedding, and take photos of her and her bridesmaids getting ready. She wanted “artsy” getting-ready shots, and her only explanation for asking me was, “I just feel like you’d be good at it.” Haha… I agreed somewhat reluctantly, and nervously asked Brian for a short tutorial on his camera and the cheapest, lightest lens he owned! I showed up as requested, and as I began snapping away, I showed the bride the photos. After seeing the photos, she asked me to keep shooting throughout the rest of the wedding day. I did and I had an absolute blast! I came away with great images that we still use today as part of our portfolio! You can view the images from my very first (and very impromptu) wedding here.
Ever since that day, I’ve been in love with wedding photography. Even now, 40 some-odd weddings later, I still get butterflies before every bride walks down the aisle. I love Love LOVE hearing about all the planning details. I cry when couples write their own heart-felt vows. It’s such an honor to be a part of each one of our couples’ big day. Not only so I take my role as a wedding photographer seriously, but I thrive off of and love every minute of it!
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