#SharejOy Campaign Daily Photo Challenge

Last week I kicked off the #sharejOy campaign with a creative activity sharing art with seniors who are quarantined. If you missed that post, it’s not too late to join in!

This week, I have a new activity that I hope will spark some joy. I’ve created a photo challenge with daily prompts to keep you going. Anyone of any skill level is welcome to participate with any camera they have - phone, iPad, point and shoot, DSLR, film, mirrorless…doesn’t matter. The point is to try to see things in a new way, and to find little sparks of joy in the things around you. This would be a great activity for kids too!

Each prompt is open to your interpretation, so there are no rules, really. Get creative and see what you can come up with. You may choose to shoot a particular prompt in several ways and share your favorites. Or, you could limit yourself to one shot per prompt so that you really have to think it through before you click. If you are a seasoned photographer, you might consider adding a challenge like only using one lens, or shooting each prompt with off camera flash. If you miss a day that’s okay too. You can make it up, or just move on to the next prompt. It’s up to you.

Share your images on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtags #sharejOy and the initials #sj+promptname ie. #sjcheerful

I’ll be sharing on my Instagram @dayswithourdanes. I have also created a link up below, so if you decide to blog your images, you can come back here and share your post with us!

Let’s all spread some light and joy, and encourage each other to keep finding the good in each new day. Below the prompt list I’m sharing a few tips for creating compelling images, if you need help getting started. Be sure to check those out. I can’t wait to see what you create!

A few tips before you shoot:

1. Consider what type of feeling you want your image to covey and look for light that enhances that feeling (add or eliminate light if you need to - quality of light matters far more than quantity).

2. Consider how the angle of your lens, and your perspective to the subject, affects the look and feel of your shot.

3. Be mindful of what falls within the frame, and move yourself, or zoom in, to eliminate any distracting elements that don’t add to what you want to convey. Often less is more!

4. Consider leading lines, symmetry, color/tone, movement, balance and framing - how can you incorporate these to lead your viewer’s eye where you want it to go?

5. Think about how many ways you can interpret a prompt before you shoot - perhaps there’s a unique perspective you hadn’t considered before? Push yourself beyond the obvious if you are feeling stuck. You should be able to shoot these prompts safe at home or within close proximity to your home. If you feel too confined by your surroundings, remember that a selfie of you looking at a photo of a sunset, still includes a sunset. ;)

6. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Keep trying. Sometimes the magic happens a few frames after you thought of giving up!

7. Have fun and share the joy in your journey!

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Covid-19 Response Hampton Roads Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

Covid-19 Response Hampton Roads Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

Hello friends! Given recent events and news, I wanted to pop on and post a few updates. I know these have been crazy and trying times. With the news changing day to day, almost hour to hour, we are all uneasy and uncertain about what the future will bring. Businesses and families are struggling, lives are changing, and we are all a bit weary from the stress and anxiety of it all. I’m right there with you!

In the short term, I want to assure you that I’m staying updated on the latest information from the CDC, the WHO and local and state authorities. I am acting responsibly by practicing social distancing and by holding meetings online instead of in person. I am following guidelines to #stayhome as much as possible. Additionally, I am making sure that all of my clients know what to expect from me.

I am working closely with wedding and event clients to reschedule or accommodate changes as necessary. Any sessions affected by the Stay at Home mandate through June 10th, are being rescheduled as well. I am doing my best to work with each client’s scheduling needs, but ask that you confirm a new date as soon as possible so that I can make appropriate calendar changes to accommodate as many clients as possible. I greatly appreciate your patience and flexibility, as we all try our best to navigate this new reality.

Please know that your safety and well-being, and making sure we figure out the best way to capture your memories, are my top priorities. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me.

On a personal note: while I am working at home, I am finding ways to give back to my community (I’d love for you to join my #sharejOy campaign - it feels good to do good!), documenting everyday moments with my own family, participating in online workshops to stretch my creativity, and doing my best to find inspiration in the world around me. I’d love to hear how you are managing! Leave a comment below and let’s stay connected even if we can’t be together.

Be well friends! We’ll get through this. - xoxox, Melissa

Art Provides Meaning - Share Joy Campaign

Art Provides Meaning - Share Joy Campaign

Hello friends! Like so many other small businesses, my lifestyle and wedding photography income, which provides a large portion of our family income, has come to a screeching halt in recent weeks. We are all feeling the pinch and concerned about what the coming days and months might bring. But worrying over what might be won’t make it different. And with all of our new found free time, it just might make us a little crazy. To shift my focus to something more positive, I have been looking for ways that I can help others through this journey.

As Covid-19 continues to spread, the world is changing day by day. We are all experiencing anxiety and fear. Being stuck at home can be isolating, depressing, and let’s face it, sometimes down right maddening! Especially if you have kids to juggle as well. There is no doubt that the world will be different when this is all over, but it can be better if we choose to make it so.

As a global community, we have the power to recognize our shared responsibility for humanity. Though we can’t be together right now, we can rise in solidarity.

Feeling helpless is awful and leads to despair, but feeling helpful is empowering and leads to hope.

I am kicking off a kindness campaign and I’d LOVE for you to join me in spreading a little joy around the globe. I will be sharing ideas on how to do just that, even if you are stuck at home. My hope is that these small acts will have a ripple effect, sparking joy and creating positive energy that empowers us all to find new ways to thrive in this new reality.

Join in and share your experience online with the campaign hashtag #sharejOy

First up: share some joy by creating art at home and sending it to a retirement community.

Our elderly are at great risk of contracting and suffering from the worst of the Coronavirus. Most retirement communities are on lock down and many residents are unable to visit with loved ones, or even visit in common areas. At the same time, children all over the country are home from school and missing regular activities. Why not encourage our kids to draw, paint, write and create, and then share that creativity with our elderly neighbors by sending this art in the mail. We’re encouraging our kids to express themselves in healthy ways, while also connecting with the elderly so they know they have not been forgotten. It is a small gesture, but sometimes that’s all it takes to brighten someone’s outlook.

To participate, just create cards, pictures, poems, or whatever you feel moved to do, and mail them to the address below, or you could contact your local retirement center to see if they’d like to participate as well. (Make sure you ask permission first, in case the staff is not prepared for the influx of mail).

Be sure to take a photo of your art and post it online with the hashtag so that we can encourage each other along the way!

Please help spread the word and we can all make a difference together! This would be a great project to share with scout groups, homeschool communities or art classes that are currently unable to meet regularly. If you need help getting started, I’m listing a few resources below. Adults are more than welcome to join in too! Thank you for caring and for helping to #sharejOy

I love to support local businesses and artists whenever possible. Virginia Beach muralist OnieTonie is offering a free download of his custom coloring pages. Check out his joy-filled art, guaranteed to put a smile on your face! :) Mo Willems is offering free daily lunch doodles online as well. And Mark Kistler is offering free daily art lessons at noon CST on Facebook and YouTube. Or, check out these drawing lessons for kids from Jerry’s Artarama.

Please do NOT go out shopping for supplies. Stay home and get creative with what you have on hand, or order online if you must. As always, use common sense in protecting yourself and others. If you are unwell or quarantined, you are welcome to snap a photo of your art and share it online to encourage others.

Mail your art to:

Anna Little, Atlantic Shores, 1200 Atlantic Shores Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23454

By the way, I’ve been homeschooling for 12 years, if you are looking for educational ideas for keeping kids busy at home, I created a post on my personal blog with lots of resources grouped by grade levels. Be sure to check that out! Be well friends! - XOXOX, Melissa

Front Porch Sessions - Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photographer

Front Porch Sessions - Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photographer

While many of us are stuck at home, anxious and worried about what the future holds (and also a little stir crazy😜) I thought the #frontstepsproject originally started by a photographer in Massachusetts, would be an ideal way to help make a difference in our community. It’s a way to spread a little joy, without spreading the Coronavirus.

Events and weddings are being cancelled left and right, and group gatherings in public places are not recommended, but I can still do my part to bring some focus back to what is most important in our lives - the love and relationships we share.

Now is the time to lean into that, and to support each other through this struggle. I've decided to offer front steps sessions to our local community for those who would like a family photo at home. Social distancing rules apply, of course, and these sessions will be short and sweet. Just a quick family photo on your porch, taken from a safe distance.

In lieu of a session fee, I ask that you make a minimum $20 donation to The United Way Emergency Relief Fund, Feed America or the Portsmouth Humane Society.

Please contact me for details if you are interested in participating.

Be safe. Be well. And together we'll get through this. Thank you friends!!

Creative Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer in Hampton Roads, VA

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

Norfolk Photographer, Virginia Beach Photographer, Suffolk Photographer, Chesapeake Photographer, Lifestyle Photographer, Sandbridge Photographer, Portsmouth Family Photographer

Noland Trail, Mariner's Museum Engagement Photos, Newport News

Noland Trail, Mariner's Museum Engagement Photos, Newport News

Hey friends! I’ve got some lovely engagement photos to share this week from Kieran and Bryce’s golden sunset session on the Noland Trail!

I spent a recent evening getting to know this wonderful couple as we wandered the trails near the Mariner’s Museum during our sunset engagement shoot. Kieran and Bryce are both in the military, and are engaged to be married this year!

As we walked, we stopped to pet all the puppies, and bonded over our love of dogs and the outdoors. It was a beautiful winter evening and we took full advantage of the dreamy sunset light.

Kieran and Bryce told me they met and fell in love quickly, and without drama. It seemed to me that they’d been the best of friends for years. They definitely have a deep connection.

After spending only an hour together, I feel certain that these two will enjoy many happy years together! Congrats on your engagement Kieran & Bryce! Thank you for inviting me to create some engagement portraits for you. All my best wishes - XOXOX, Melissa

To find out more about my wedding photography services, contact me today! Serving VA & NC. Also available for travel destinations worldwide.

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Suffolk, VA Newborn Lifestyle Photography

Suffolk, VA Newborn Lifestyle Photography

If you ask me, there’s nothing sweeter than those first few days at home with a newborn baby. Those precious fleeting moments of sleepy snuggles, wide-eyed wonder and pure unfiltered love.

I just don’t think anything can top those amazing first days together, when the whole world melts away and nothing matters, but family.

Today I’m sharing images from my newborn lifestyle session with the beautiful Terry family!

They are a military family of four, who invited me into their Suffolk home to document their first moments bringing home baby Hollis.

Big sister made sure to keep a careful eye on baby Hollis, and to shower him with kisses.

She was a big help all throughout the session, giving me a tour and letting me know the laws of the land. :)

She was eager to help keep her baby brother happy with snuggles and bottle feedings. She even climbed into his crib to make sure he wasn’t lonely. She drew the line at diaper changes though!

I love capturing these newborn family moments! These are the photos that will serve as the foundation of a sibling bond and the memory of those foggy first weeks together as a family of four.

Welcome to the world sweet baby Hollis! You certainly are surrounded by love.

Thank you Terry family, for inviting me to photograph these beautiful newborn memories for you. All my best wishes for many happy days together! - XOXO, Melissa

Thanks for visiting! If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule a newborn lifestyle session, contact me today!  melissablissphotography@gmail.com 757-646-7408

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Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

Virginia Beach Newborn Photographers, Norfolk Newborn Photographers, Chesapeake Newborn Photographer, Williamsburg Family Photographer, newborn lifestyle pictures

Beach Maternity Portraits - Creative Maternity Photos in Virginia Beach

Beach Maternity Portraits - Creative Maternity Photos in Virginia Beach

I’m not gonna lie. This will likely be a long post! But, if you’ve come in search of inspiration for a lifestyle beach maternity photo session, you are in the right place! Today I have some gorgeous images to share from my recent winter maternity session with Christie and Zack.

I kinda fell in love with this sweet couple, and subsequently their entire winter beach session, so I had a super hard time culling down images from our session.

After years of fertility struggles, these two deserve all the joy, love and beauty life can send their way. They will soon be welcoming their first born, and I couldn’t be more excited for them!

Christie & Zack live in Richmond, but had envisioned some beachy images for their maternity session, so that is just what we planned on. I was a wee bit nervous that the weather wouldn’t cooperate for a January session, but we lucked out with a breezy afternoon in the mid-60’s!

Other than an occasional chilly gust from the north, it was the perfect day for a relaxed beach shoot by the water.

These two lovebirds have been together for several years, and are clearly best friends. They told me that they hadn’t had professional photos since their wedding day, and they were a little unsure of what to do in front of the camera.

I was quick to let them know that all they had to do was hang out and enjoy each other, and I would do all the hard work. (Truthfully though, it wasn’t hard at all! I could have photographed these two alllll day.)

The camera loved them. The wind and clouds were perfect. And they were just so adorably sweet and in love with their life together. How could I not take so many lovely shots of these two?

I mean seriously! I looked like a stick figure that swallowed a basketball when I was pregnant. Christie looks like a goddess!

I have four beautiful kiddos, but I have zero maternity photos from any of those pregnancies. Which I totally and absolutely regret. (I was never a big fan of studio work, and photography has come a long way since then, but still, I wish I had something. Anything. To transport me back to those days for a moment or two).

So word to the wise - just do it. It doesn’t have to be scary! Find a photographer whose work you love and make it happen. You will cherish those images always. Especially when your babies are grown and ready to leave the nest.

Anyway, back to this stunning couple! We had such a dreamy session. I love late fall through early spring when the beach is secluded - it can’t be beat!! We managed to get a ton of beautiful shots for them in a just an hour. They thanked me for such a fun and relaxing session, but I thanked them bigger for being so open and awesome! :)

Congratulations Christie & Zack!! I’m SO happy that you have the opportunity to share your love with a sweet babe all your own. I know that you will be amazing parents! Come back to Virginia Beach soon so I can meet that little one! - XOXO, Melissa

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Lifestyle Maternity and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your creative photography experience, contact me today!

Unique and Gorgeous Lifestyle Maternity Photography in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and the surrounding Hampton Roads areas