Photography is all about the art of light," Melissa told me. Looking through her portfolios and digital pictures on her Mac, I realized that I had met a fairy who, instead of a magic wand, used her camera to give life to her photographs. Her mastery is particularly apparent in difficult light situations, such as the one of the couple at the Boston State Room, shown in the first picture.

The beautiful golden light is tempting her to divide her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston, where she is still in demand in the summer and fall season. "Winter weddings in Boston are rare," she told me. "It is not only the poor light in winter, but also the looming threat of snow storms that can shut down the city for a few days." So, instead of a snowy Boston, she showed me beach weddings in Florida, where she followed her clients. Her work reports all aspects of the celebration, capturing the story and detail from the Friday rehearsal dinner to the intimate Sunday brunch.

Her custom-designed albums are fabulous and are selected according to the wedding's color theme. The album Melissa showed me had two different leather textures: a sugar plum pink surrounding the cover picture in front and a sea breeze weave on the rest. Her motto is "Quality over Quantity," thus limiting her weddings to no more than 15 a year.

In 1995, fresh out of the New England School of Photography, with a BFA in painting and photo journalism, Melissa accepted her first wedding assignment to pay the bills. Soon she realized the possibilities of wedding photography. "I like all aspects: meeting with my clients, conquering the challenges of difficult venues, networking, and even marketing," she told me.

Melissa's up-scale weddings have been featured in wedding magazines, such as Martha Stewart, Grace Ormond and Inside Weddings, as well as in several books. She has won several awards through the Wedding Photojournalists Association. (WPJA). Her customer love her creativity, humor, and professionalism.