Love stories from start to finish
Featured Galleries
The H Family
The L Family
The P Family
Orange county ny
The P Family
It was unseasonably cool on that August evening, which made it much easier to chase their sweet little baby girl all around the park! New walkers rarely want to walk - they want to RUN - and run she did! I just love this sweet family, and our family session they plan every year.
Hudson Valley NY
The L Family
It was only fitting to schedule this session at one of my favorite locations because this is one of my favorite locations! Mom says I'm one of the only people who can get a true smile from her little guy, and I'm happy to say that the smiles were abundant that evening togethet.
WARWICK NY
THE H FAMILY
This was our 7th year in a row taking family portraits together and I swear I watch their children age as if they are my own. Every year I look forward to their session and the memories we make together!
Warwick NY
the p family
My first fall session with the P family was absolutely everything a fall session should be - laughs and giggles, perfect weather, fall colors and of course the best outfits!
Vernon NJ
The P Family
Yet another fabulous session with one of my favorite families - full of walking, talking, laughter and giggles. They are the sweetest family and it shows in their images!
orange county ny
The T family
This summer time session was a breath of fresh air with the rich greens and yellow of the world in full bloom - and how gorgeous is this family?
Your Hudson Valley Family Photographer
The melissa marino Experience
"Melissa is an absolutely incredible person to work with. Her communication is top notch, and she's always been nothing but friendly and personable. She truly takes care of the families she works with, not just during the session but before and after as well. We've done 5 sessions with her so far, and we love each one more than the last. There's truly no one else we would go to in the Hudson Valley for family photography. Honestly, there's no one else in the world we would go to...for ANY kind of photography. If you're looking for a truly special experience and gorgeous photos, Melissa is the one you want!"
"...absolutely incredible... a truly special experience... gorgeous photos..."
When booking your family session, you'll want to consider the best time of year based on your vision for the session. Do you love jewel tones and crisp, cool weather? Then you'll want to think about a Fall session. Maybe bright greens and blooming florals are more your speed - if so, think Spring! If you love being near the water, you should consider scheduling your session during one of the Summer months. Of course there's always Winter - if you don't mind cold noses and bundling up for warmth, snowy backgrounds can be GORGEOUS. Whatever season you decide on, I can create gorgeous images for you that highlight your family while also making the most of the scene. But BOOK EARLY! Although we occasionally have last minute openings, we usually book 3-6 months in advance - sometimes more!
1. Say Hello
2. Planning the location
Once you've booked a date on the schedule, we work together to plan a location and wardrobe. In terms of location, we have several special places in the Hudson Valley that we have scouted for the best natural light during each season and - based on your vision for your session - we are happy to suggest a few of these locations to you. We send location ideas using photo examples, so you can choose the location that best fits what you had envisioned for your session.. We are always scouting new locations as well, so the options are ever-changing!
3. Wardrobe planning
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4. nyc
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5. orange county ny
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"Melissa is absolutely phenomenal. She has done several sessions for us from maternity to newborn, family to cake smash, princess to holiday, and even fitness/branding sessions in between. Her studio is lovely and her outdoor sessions are always fast and fun. She is amazing with children and has always been a pleasure to work with."
"Melissa is hands down the best photographer I have ever met! We crossed paths with Melissa in 2021 after every mom on Facebook recommended her to me when I asked about a newborn photographer. From our first interaction I understood why. Melissa is a master at what she does. No detail gets by her and her passion for her craft shows up in the way she’s able to capture each baby’s unique personality. I also appreciate how effortless Melissa makes the experience on me! She has every detail pre-planned from the backdrops to the props to the outfits. All we do is show up!
Melissa makes sure all our photos come out flawless while still capturing the uniqueness of our daughter!
Melissa has now done photos for our daughter at newborn, 3mo, 6mo and 9mo and family photos for us.
We already have more sessions scheduled and I will never work with anyone besides her!"
"I can't even explain the feeling that I got when I saw my baby's 1 year cake smash photos that Melissa did. They are AMAZING. I think something just as awesome was the experience we had while doing them. My little boy took right to Melissa and my husband and I laughed the whole time at how cute it was. He had an absolute blast with his cake (that was delicious and we got to take home) and the fun poses that he got to do. the backdrop in Melissa's studio was phenomenal. I just can't say enough great stuff about this photographer, especially because she put so much work into the set. I ended up buying all the photos...they were all so perfect!"
"Melissa did my daughters 1st birthday photos and they came out AMAZING. Melissa was easy to communicate with and made our birthday theme come to life! Everything was better than we could have imagined. I would highly recommend Melissa for your next photo shoot!"
"I cannot say enough about the luxury experience I received for my maternity session. Melissa provided a variety of gowns that met my specific criteria, and then helped me select the perfect one. She made sure I felt beautiful from head to toe - even going so far as to create a hand made hair piece that matched my dress! The session was fun and enjoyable, and the final images are true perfection! She held my hand through the whole process, from start to finish - all I had to do was show up! Highly, highly recommend this photographer!"
"I absolutely recommend Melissa to anyone and everyone! She is extremely talented and can truly turn any idea into a reality. The images she captures are amazing! Melissa answered all my questions and any messages I sent quickly and no matter how many I sent it never felt like I was bothering her! Her kindness, patience, and friendliness made me feel at ease as I waddled around for my maternity shoot, and then when I brought my newborn to her studio. My son absolutely adores her! Cannot wait to book more sessions!"
"Melissa is absolutely incredible! Her work is truly unmatched! She did my maternity photos and made me feel so beautiful, which all other mamas out there know can be very rare in the third trimester! She has also done my daughters newborn, 3 and 6 month milestone photos, and a mommy and me shoot for my daughter and I. Melissa makes you feel so comfortable, and it’s as if you’ve known her and been friends for some time! I could not recommend her more!!"
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Interested in a session but have more questions? Of course you do - that's normal! Drop me a line below and let's chat!
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