Sugar and Spice... :: Augusta, GA Child Photographer

...and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of! Heard that before? It's just so true with this little girl. I've had the privelege of watching Madi grow up and she is such a beautiful and sweet little girl.

The difference between boys and girls blows me away on a daily basis. Drew, my son, bounces all day, everyday. He's asking for milk in the kitchen, he's bouncing as he's asking. He goes to get a toy he bounces all the way there. He's loud and crazy and I love him, of course, but to spend an afternoon with a little girl is eye opening. It makes me realize how loud Drew actually is and how rowdy!

Madi was pleasant through the entire shoot. She didn't yell, she spoke sweetly, and the biggest problem I had was when I asked her to sit a certain way, she'd say, "I don't really want to right now." Then I'd tell her we'd do what she wanted right after and voila, she complied happilly! She didn't run while shaking her head to see if it would make her fall down, she skipped and frolicked! She didn't bargain to stay in her jammies, she willingly looked forward to the next dress or skirt. What a breath of fresh air!

The majority of this shoot was spent with Madi wearing her favorite things: a tutu and fairy wings. Her mom said that this is how she spends her days, dressing up and entering the world of make believe. I love all these photos and I hope you all love them too. They make me want to be a part of that make believe world, as well. Thank you for letting me capture your sweet little 3 year old!

No buts about it... :: Augusta, GA Baby Photographer

...this little girl is a cutie!

I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Addison for the first time on Friday afternoon. She is just the sweetest little thing and I'm sad it's taken me this long to meet her. Addison was a little unsure of me at first, but when we broke out her little white rocking chair (her absolute favorite) she was game for just about anything. She even played peek-a-boo with me for a good while.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a hiccup during the session. Poor, sweet Addison fell off the bricks of the fireplace and scraped her little eye, then bumped her head on the cement!!! Her mom and I both saw it and everything was in slow motion. It was just one of those things where you think the child will catch themselves, but take a spill anyway. We felt so bad, but after a couple minutes Addison was back in good spirits. She did probably end up with her first shiner, though! What started out as two little scrapes soon got really red and swelled quite a bit. Miss Addison was such a trooper. I hope I have another chance to photograph her without any unfortunate events.

Amy, thank you for letting me capture some special moments for you, I hope you like your sneak peek.

Teeny Tiny Blessings Part 2 :: Augusta, GA Newborn Photographer

I'm so excited that we had the chance to go and do a second session with little Miss Blakely. The family has been on a wild ride since she's come home and it was nice to have a relaxed morning of photos.
Jessica really wanted some family photos, which we did minus her adorable little boy since he was sick. So, maybe there will be a Part 3 somewhere down the line. After the family photos we got to play around a little more with this sweet little girl.
Jess, as usual it was great to do this with you and your family, thanks again for letting me be a part of it.

Teeny Tiny Blessings :: Augusta, GA Newborn Photographer

I'm convinced that there is nothing more precious than newborns. There is something about their tiny features, the way they curl themselves up, their cooing noises, and yes, even their little cries that melts my heart.
I was priveleged enough to share the afternoon with a teeny tiny blessing yesterday. It makes me think back to when Drew was that size, which doesn't seem that long ago. I spent the majority of my day carrying him around because I just couldn't put him down, and when I finally did put him down, I spent that free time staring at him. Needless to say I didn't get much done for the first several weeks.
Jessica is enjoying these newborn blessings as we speak with her precious little girl, Blakely. Thank you Jess, for letting me be a part of this shoot and I look forward to more very soon.

Two things.... :: Augusta, GA Photographer

Number 1: I did it, I got myself a logo and I LOVE it! I'm so super excited about it. Marie did a fantastic job with it and I'm just so pleased. So, here it is, what do you think?

The Main Logo:


Secondary Logo:


Marie also provided me with just the daisy so I can use that however I want without my name. I am a very happy girl!

Number 2:
We're coming very close to the end of my Casting Call promotion. I've had an amazing response, better than I expected and I'm filling up quickly. You have four days, just four days to contact me if you'd like to receive the promotional rate.

Remember if you book with me by Sunday, the 28th - 9pm I will waive your $125 session fee. You will have a full standard shoot with no charge. So, shoot me an email at melissagrooters@yahoo.com if you're interested.

(Your session does not have to be by the 28th, it just has to be booked by then.)

*This promotion covers the session fee only. Session CD and/or prints will be regular price.


(Contact me for pricing)


*Pictures from your session will be used on my blog and possibly future advertisements.

And I can't sign off without sharing a picture with my new and improved watermark!

Happy Valentine's Day! :: Augusta, GA Photographer

Drew came downstairs to his V-day goodies this morning and we're getting ready to make our annual pink waffles! It looks like it'll be a wonderful day except that I'm missing Charley who is on call in Atlanta. We'll just have to extend Valentine's Day :o)
Anyway, here's wishing you a wonderful day with your loved ones!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas... :: Augusta, GA Photographer

...in time for Valentine's Day! I can't believe it, but we did get snow. Not just a dusting or flurries, real snow! It started yesterday around 2:30 or so and by 4:30 there was already enough on the ground to coat it. We ended up with about 6 inches total and we made the most of it.

We went outside around 4:30 yesterday to check out the snow and play a little before heading to a friend's house. Drew has seen snow before, but nothing like this. He was so cute. I expected him to run outside and just get right into it, but he took his time and just observed from the porch for a while, taking it all in. I told him he could go down onto the sidewalk or in the grass and he asked if the grass was still grassy! I talked him into catching snowflakes on his tongue, but when some got in his eye, he was done. Within five minutes he was at the door saying he wanted to go in because he was cold - I guess he truly is my child. Snow is beautiful, but give me a beach any day of the week!

Today was a different story, we were out playing by 8:15 this morning building a snowman, throwing snowballs (Drew's favorite), playing with Whiskey (our dog), and just having a great time. I tried to get Drew to do a snow angel, but he just said, "No, you do it, I don't want to." So that was the end of that. We came in to warm up and then headed back out before lunch. The second time around he did do a snow angel without much prompting and we even got to walk around the neighborhood and count/criticize the other snowmen. Each one we passed Drew would say, "He doesn't have eyes," or "He doesn't have a hat." He was quite the snowman judge! Anyway below are a few pictures from the last couple days, enjoy!

Taking it all in...


Hmmm, a little further...


There we go...


Our house...


Purity...

Road Trip :: Augusta, GA Photographer

Well, we headed out of town last Friday for my second half marathon on Tybee Island. I didn't train nearly as hard for this one and ended up getting Drew's stomach bug the night before. Needless to say it didn't go well. I still ran, but had to walk a lot from being dehydrated. I finished just under 2 and 1/2 hours...ugh! I will definitely have to do another to redeem myself.
You can see in the picture that I was not looking so fresh, but I did finish, so I'm posting the picture anyway :o)



Anyway, even though the race didn't go as planned we did get to do a few fun things like tour the lighthouses, head out to the beach at sunrise, and hit up Savannah. So, here are a few pics I came home with.

Tybee Lighthouse





Old Southern Beauty

Warmer Weather = Happy Girl with a Camera! :: Augusta, GA Photographer

These days we've been teased non-stop with slightly warmer weather. I cannot wait, I repeat, I cannot wait for spring. But, in the meantime, we'll settle for a 60 degree day here and there. It keeps me from going totally crazy. So, last Thursday I met Rachael out at Phinizy Swamp just to get some fresh air and play around with pictures. Here's what I left with :o)

I love this picture. I couldn't believe how green the grass was in comparison to everything else! It looks like a place that could hold a really good story.



Oh, the possibilities...



A new perspective...



In my happy place...



Mission Accomplished!