Ideas in Bloom: Vendor Spotlight – Samantha Melanson Photography

Happy Wednesday all! I don’t know about you, but all this talk of more rain and snow in the next few days has really dampened my spirits. It’s like last Wednesday all over again! Luckily for me, and for you, we have the bright photography talent of Samantha Melanson to cheer us up.

Samantha was one of the talented vendors featured with us at the Vintage Wedding Weekend at Robin’s Egg a few weeks ago. She has some shots of the event to share with us all very soon, but for now, learn a little more about Samantha and her work…

Your name: Samantha Melanson

Your business name: Samantha Melanson Photography

Your location: I am based in Central Mass though I am available for travel all over New England and beyond. I have even shot a couple weddings in California and Virginia.

How and why did you start your business? I had just graduated from photography school and wanted to dive right into photography as a full time career. I decided to mainly photograph weddings because I absolutely loved capturing real stories of love and true human emotions and connections. I wanted to be able to freeze these amazing moments and connections in people’s lives and to share them with these people in a form so vivid and true, as imagery. I set up a website and shortly after I booked a few weddings and then my business started to take off mostly through word of mouth referrals. It all happened so much faster than I ever dreamed it would and I am so thankful for that! I have my dream job. Photography has always been my passion and now I am making a living doing it and there is nothing better than that!

How many years have you been in business? Almost 5

Samantha Melanson Nautical Wedding

What makes you stand out from other photographers? I have a unique style in that I can simultaneously capture real moments as they unfold on the wedding day (by taking a photojournalistic approach to the events and moments on a wedding day) while also using my sense of style and my trained eye to capture beautiful and creative detail shots and portraits of my couples and their friends and families that will be cherished forever.

What's your favorite part of the trade? My absolute favorite part of my job is that I get to be surrounded by and to capture incredibly precious and intimate moments full of love and emotion for wonderful people. I LOVE when my couples say that viewing their images for the first time brought tears of happiness and really brought back all of the excitement and love that they felt on their special day, as if they were reliving the moments. There is no better feeling for me than being able to give someone a life time of memories so vivid that would otherwise fade with time. Aside from that I also love that my job enables me to travel and to see so many beautiful places and also to meet and spend time with all of these uniquely amazing people who I would probably never have met otherwise.

Are you seeing any trends emerge for the next season? In regards to wedding trends in general I am seeing that a lot of people are opting for “unplugged” wedding ceremonies which means that they are asking their guests to leave cell phone and cameras at the door so that they are fully present with them during their exchanging of vows. A lot of photographers are noticing now that since everyone has a cell phone or an ipad that can take photos almost every guest gets up with a camera to try to capture a piece of the action, but a lot of couples are reminding their guests that that is why they hired a photographer. Couples want their guests to actually witness the ceremony first hand and to really be fully present with them instead of viewing their ceremony on their iphone or the back of an lcd screen. I can’t tell you how many photographs I have taken where the guest snapping photos of the recessional wears a concentrated but emotionless face while a guest next to them gazes excitedly and loving at the newlyweds with wide eyes and huge smiles, and no camera in front of their face. I think this is really important, though I do also understand that everyone wants to freeze these moments to hang onto them. Here is a good article on the topic – probably a lot better than my description above! - http://shangchenphoto.com/weddings/say-yes-to-an-unplugged-wedding-ceremony/

I am also seeing that vintage props and décor are becoming widely popular. People are letting go of some of the most traditional aspects of a wedding and latching onto more forward thinking and fun ideas. I am not a very traditional person and so I love a lot of the new ideas that are surfacing such as letting your bridesmaids wear different style and even different color tones in dresses. Things like the garter toss and bouquet toss are fading out for example. I love the more relaxed and casual feel of a hilltop ceremony and mason jar covered tables. Burlap and mason jars are huge, so is the color mint.

What's the single best piece of advice you can impart to a newly engaged couple? Not to let the craziness of life and wedding planning overwhelm and stress you out. Slow down and take the time to love each other and to be happy! That’s what your wedding is all about anyway! Don’t let the precious moments slip by you because everything flies by so fast. Just enjoy your time together and enjoy being engaged, young and in love.

Pricing information: A full day of wedding coverage begins at $3000 and you can create your own custom package, which includes only exactly what you want.

If you have any spare time, how do you spend it? Or some other personal tid-bit you don't mind sharing. I spend as much time as possible with family and friends and with my boyfriend and our dog Tucker. When I have time I love to travel to see new places and try out new restaurants. I also love to craft! I’m always looking for new ways to let that creativity flow. On a typical day off Andy and I love to take Tucker for walks together or to grab some coffee and peruse local consignment shops.