A year or so ago, I was editing some images, at 2 am, as usual, listening to music. I heard a song that stuck with me, and I began playing it on repeat. As I did, a story started weaving itself in my head. I […]
Emergency Mini-sessions for Grey Cat!
A good friend of mine was going to foster a sweet outdoor cat while he recovered from a limp. It turned out that the limp was much more serious than they thought, and Grey Cat needs immediate surgery or he will have to be […]
the one where my exhaustion caused me to run out of metaphors, which is probably for the best
As I sit down to type this, I am unshowered, wearing very unflattering pajamas that are covered in crumbs, and I have no makeup on. My bathroom has bath toys and towels strewn about, and there is cat food from one end of the kitchen […]
the one where charlie breaks my heart and rebuilds it all at once
The time has come to get serious about Charlie and occupational therapy and diagnosis. Part of me always knew this was coming – it is certainly not my first rodeo. But part of me held out hope that he would be spared the uphill climb. […]
the one that I almost didn’t post, so read it, but don’t tell me you read it, ok?
So, I found this blog post that I wrote in 2011, but never published. I never published it because I am a pretty private person. But I decided to publish it now for two reasons…. 1. it kind of goes along with my This is […]
10 tips for taking better photos with your phone
Since we are sharing photos of every day moments for the session giveaway, I thought it would be a good time to talk about some ways you can get better images when using your phone’s camera. I don’t love calling these tips. They are more […]
the one about honesty, and why I failed marketing 101
As I got ready to announce my new website and the new type of sessions I am offering, I began thinking of ways that I could engage people. Ways to show them the importance of having photos of the every day things that we often […]
session giveaway!
To tie in with my new This is Everything sessions, I am encouraging everyone to start documenting the beauty in life’s every day moments. To help this along, I am offering up two free sessions. So, how do you win a session? Over the next […]
a mother daughter photo session at union station
Since I started changing things up with my business a little, I kind of stopped blogging sessions. While my photography was having an identity crisis, I photographed some really fun people. In fact, I actually shot one of my favorite sessions ever right after declaring […]
not all anniversaries are the good kind – visiting yarnell
The rock in the above image is from Yarnell, Arizona. I picked it up from the exact spot that my cousin, Andrew Ashcraft, deployed his fire shelter on June 30, 2013. It was tucked into the desert soil, along with tiny bits of silver foil […]
the one about people in love being super gross
Ever hang out with two people so in love that they make you want to puke? No, but like, in a good way…..mostly. I spent the day with a couple that is in love in the best/worst way. My lovely friend, Lyric, recently got engaged […]
the one about tattoos and my poor impulse control
So, I bought myself a tattoo for my birthday. Another one. I wasn’t feeling like myself. I was going to lose weight and work on becoming more productive, but that sounded pretty hard, so I opted for a haircut and a tattoo instead. Instant gratification […]
melodee tonti - Family Photography - Murrieta, Temecula, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire 