Melissa Shelby Photography » Engagement photos

Engaged | Anchorage Portrait Photography

Mel — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:45:44 +0000

Jamie and Nathaniel were recently engaged and I had the good fortune of taking their photos. They picked the location — the library — based on Jamie’s love for reading. What a great backdrop that turned out to be! We were only “shushed” once and that was during our very first photo. We quickly learned how to speak via hand signals after that!

Congratulations on your engagement!

Trenchcoats Never Go Out of Style | Engaged in Anchorage

Mel — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:06:25 +0000

On a day like today when it is at least 50 or 60 degrees outside, it’s hard to remember what is feels like when you are constantly being hit by arctic gusts of wind. The day we headed out for Michelle and Brian’s engagement shoot was one of those days.

Michelle & Brian had on the coolest set of trench coats– which reminds me I still need to add one of those to my wardrobe! These guys were fun! They didn’t even flinch at the chill in the air. They were so accommodating to all my silly ideas for poses that they even came up with several of their own ideas and locations.

This was the second shoot in a month where water was involved or someone falling into water was involved. This time it was my beloved flash unit taking a digger right after we finished shooting. I was breaking everything down and launched that baby up into the air for a splashdown completely underwater. Brian leapt to my rescue and, of course, landed in the water. He did, however, save my flash from certain death! I am happy to announce it has now made a full recovery and I think Brian survived unscathed as well!

Brian & Michelle, thank you for your patience in the chilling winds of fall! I had no idea how cold it was until the drive home so I know you guys must have been freezing!

Congratulations on your engagement!

Alisa & Casey | Anchorage Engagement Photography

Mel — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:57:43 +0000

Last week I headed down to Turnagain Arm to meet with Alisa & Casey and capture some engagement photos for their upcoming August wedding. We picked a beautiful but crazy day to venture out next to the inlet! The wind was knocking us off our feet so after a brief meetup at Beluga Point, we opted to head inland and find some wind breaks. We tucked into the trees and really lucked out with some great locations. The weather was remarkably tame until the rain clouds decided to let loose but fortunately we were wrapping things up. It was perfect timing, anyway, to free Casey from the joy of never ending photographs!

Be sure to check out Alisa if you are in need of a photographer down in the Kenai Peninsula. She will be relocating there after the wedding and getting back into the groove of photography sometime thereafter!

Congratulations Alisa & Casey! Here are some favorites from the day.

Engagement Book – Anchorage Engagement Photographer

Mel — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:18:57 +0000

While in Alabama I’ve been researching every type of Album company I can find. I’ve finally settled on three great great vendors that I am very excited about. I just received my first small album with panoramic spreads and I’m thrilled about the opportunities for this style. It is a beautiful excellently crafted piece that is great for an engagment album or parent album. The pages are thick and sturdy just like a flush mount wedding album but the press printed style allows the album to be offered at a more exciting price. Sizes, however, are limited up to 8 inches square. The paper can be linen, pearl, or semi-gloss and the full page spreads are gorgeous. I am seriously digging this book!