About Melissa Officer
 

Light, location, posing, and props are all important factors in creating a stunning image that tells your story. I specialize in creating portraits of women, children, and families in Napa Valley and northern California. If you are looking for a photographer who is fun, flexible, and willing to get down in the dirt for the perfect angle, you've found her.

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I'm a mom and a wife before anything else, so I only take a 1-2 clients a month. Plus I have major ADHD tendencies, so I'm always DIY-ing something, crafting, reading, writing, thrifting, and coming up with projects that help me stay creative and allow me to socialize with like-minded people who feed my soul, like Bleu Brunch.

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Whether it's meeting clients at local cafes, thrifting for props, location scouting, or photographing things for my own stock photography, I find myself most inspired by the charm and beauty and community of Napa Valley, which is where I was born and raised. I moved away after high school, and never imagined I'd find my way back 15 years later to start a family of my own. My kids go to public school here in Napa, my husband has his own business in the valley as a wastewater consultant for wineries, and although we love to travel, we also really love to enjoy our hometown every chance we get.

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I write a monthly newsletter called Milk Break, where I share bits about my life: what photography sessions I've done lately, or have coming up; new and old favorite restaurants, cafes, shops, and more, that I love patronizing, and musings on life, art, and more. (Click here to subscribe!) I actually earned my B.A. in English Lit and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, and I'm at work at a handful of writing projects, including a novel, and a children's book series.

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Feel free to reach out at any time! I love meeting new people! And if you are interested in hiring me to be your photographer, it is especially important to me that I know who I am photographing, so that your session will simply feel like hanging out with a friend, and less like a photoshoot in a shopping mall.

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