Melanie West Photography

t want cookie-cutter photos. We wanted our unique experience to show through. Melanie understood that and also added some great suggestions. She listened to what we wanted, used that as a starting point and added her expertise to really make our photos ones that we're proud of! We also appreciated her artistic flair, and the fact that she grew up in Santa Fe came in handy when part of our request was to do some scenic shots in the area. Her calm and kind demeanor made our photo session fun and relaxing, and I have had so many compliments on the quality of our photos! I would recommend Melanie to anyone who needs professional photos taken.

otographer. She is affordable and was able to work with us within our budget, was organized and committed to capturing the important photo groupings we had previously selected. We could not be more happy with Melanie West and highly recommend her for your wedding or other event photos.

tination wedding to Santa Fe, NM. Melanie exceeded my expectations and I can - without hesitation - give her the highest accolades. Her style was photojournalistic- capturing events as they unfolded naturally. She was prompt to return correspondence, has an incredibly reasonable deposit and fee schedule. Day-of, she was on time (early, in fact), was joyful in her work and genuinely loved working with us and our family present. We went for a walking photo shoot downtown Santa Fe after the wedding and she knew all the best places to go. The images we will treasure for the rest of our lives and also I'm sure generations to come. Melanie is truly an essential to anyone's special event and wedding because of her professionalism, her artistic talent and the very joyful nature of who she is - centered, calm, present.

r style and warmth through her website and through our conversation. We met her the first time about 45 minutes before our ceremony, and she made us feel comfortable. What drew me to Melanie initially was her journalistic style--the pictures on her website tell the story of the person in the moment, and given that our ceremony would be so small, that's what I wanted. Someone who would beautifully capture the gorgeous light of New Mexico and love of my family. Most of the ceremony was a blur to me, as much as I tried to stay in the moment, and it was so poignant to see the ceremony in the photographs as an observer. I was especially touched by the photos of my parents the first time they saw me decked out in my dress and flower crown--I couldn't help but cry! So much love and awe there that in my anxiety and excitement, I wasn't noticing. Our ceremony was intimate, only 14 people in attendance in all, and Melanie became a member of our family. Melanie was flexible with our schedule too--when we wanted an extra half hour, she obliged, and stayed to capture Kevin and I putting the finishing touches on dinner. Melanie exceeded our expectations. Thank you Melanie for being part of our ceremony, and we are so grateful to have your photography as part of our lives forever!

reasonable price. We are very awkward people in front of the camera, but Melanie managed to make us comfortable enough throughout the whole process that we actually had fun. The pictures turned out great, I can't believe how great we look in the New Mexican sunset. Also, I want to mention that she did almost all of our photos outdoors, as we requested, and it was very cold. Very, very cold, but she was so happy to be out there for us and help us capture exactly what we wanted of the day. Thank you, Melanie!

around downtown Santa Fe. She also made us feel extremely comfortable. My wife is very outgoing and photogenic, but I am definitely not, and Melanie managed to capture the best in both of us. She was unobtrusive while still not missing any of our moments. We were very happy and very impressed. Melanie is a professional, but she's also an artist, and this really comes through in our photos. They're beautiful. We can't recommend her more highly.

e camera. She was guiding us through the process so subtly and so skillfully. We had a small elopement ceremony in late October '14. We were very happy with the photos and we really enjoyed Melanie's company. We couldn't thank her enough for the understanding and the pictures. Fantastic experience.

. Look no further when it comes to hiring your photographer. Melanie West is one of the most professional, organized, quality photographers in the business. And if these attributes weren't enough to convince you, she is one of the most pleasant people I have ever met as well. I was planning my wedding from Miami and always knew I wanted my wedding in northern New Mexico where I grew up. I discovered Melanie online and after our first phone call, I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for. Melanie takes the time to learn all she can about the bride and groom to get a sense of context and then will follow-up with questions about what the bride and groom would like from their photographer. Melanie is a keen listener and once she has a sense of what her clients want, she ensures every attention to detail is covered. For my husband and I, selecting the photographer was one of the most important aspects of our wedding. We chose a package where Melanie took photos of our rehearsal dinner and photos on the wedding day. It was such a joy to receive the link to our wedding photos because Melanie captured those special moments when neighbors were getting my parent's backyard set-up stringing white lights and lighting the farolitos. She captured my mother trying to hide the wine from my bridesmaids to keep everyone in check before the wedding. Melanie captured the emotion in my father's eyes as he led his only daughter (and now only child) down the aisle. Melanie took some incredible photos of my husband and I exchanging our vows, dancing in each other's arms and all those tender and joyous moments that followed. The smiling faces of all of our loved ones were all there in black and white and color. I couldn't have a higher opinion of Ms. Melanie West. Hire her!

tion in photos is amazing, and that was very evident when I saw my wedding photos. Looking through them brought all the feelings of excitement, love, and even nervousness I felt that day. It rained all day before my outdoor ceremony. I was on the verge of panicking, but I never reached that point because of Melanie. She has this wonderful, calming voice that kept me sane and positive. The chilly rain miraculously stopped for 30 minutes during my ceremony. The photos Melanie took looked as if it never rained a drop that day. They look so bright, sunny and full of warmth! The clouds and light rain came back after the ceremony as we were taking pictures. We stayed out and continued our session because I wanted some outdoor photos; I could see her camera getting wet, but Melanie never once asked if we could move inside to save her equipment. She stayed out in the rain with me to get my shots, and they were stunning with the dark clouds in the background. I love the mix of rain and sunshine in my photos. Not only that, but her photography composition is impeccable. Every picture was perfect. I feel so lucky to have hired Melanie as my wedding photographer. She not only provided beautiful wedding photos that I will cherish forever, but the experience I had with her made my wedding day that much more memorable. She was not only professional, but also very personable, so lovely to work with, and just an all-around awesome person.

s especially good with the children at the wedding and getting smiling photos of them. We appreciated that she got a lot of great shots of the ceremony and candid photos of the afternoon without being intrusive at all. Most of all, we love the photographs! They are full of color and style that really capture our beautiful day in New Mexico. She gave us a mix of saturated colors, intense black and whites, and charming shots on film. Our family members agree with our assessment - they all appreciate the artistry. We definitely recommend her for your wedding!

Melanie is an incredible photographer and artist, and captured what we felt was the true spirit of our wedding. The photos seemed to illuminate the best qualities of every one of our close friends and family members, as if she knew just how to catch us in our best light, the best angle, and at the very best moment. She also held a great space, i.e. she managed to get together and smiling naturally even the family members who can't stand being around each other - we were afraid of drama but she created such a comfortable atmosphere that everyone felt as ease. I highly recommend Melanie for her eye for capturing special moments, her documentary-but-artistic style of photography, and the beautiful, high quality images that we will enjoy for a long time to come. She let us keep all digital images, and the negatives for the film photos she took (yup!) and her pricing is very reasonable. Her work is hanging on our walls now - we are very happy customers.

ring the wedding. And then I ended up with pictures of myself I never knew she took. She really did a great job and for the Austin area, she is super affordable. Once pictures are taken they all belong to you and you can do with them whatever you want, which is exactly what we wanted. We are compiling them into a beautiful book that we are making on the cheap at CVS. Amazing!