Sandbridge Beach Summer Family Pictures - Extended Family Session

Hey friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted but I have a slew of sessions to share. Kicking it off with this Sandbridge Beach session for a gorgeous crew of 22. We had a golden evening on the shore, just before a storm rolled in. The light and clouds were spectacular!

Another client referred this lively group to me and I’m so happy I got to spend an evening with them! I love a multi-generational shoot and this one was tops! We had the best time playing in the sand and splashing in the waves on Sandbridge Beach.

Just look at those joyful faces!

Toddlers always bring big personalities and I love the freedom a relaxed evening beach session offers. Carefree childhood moments with loved ones and a handful of happy memories to carry home. Those snaps with grandparents and grand babies are absolutely priceless.

I’m looking forward to many summer beach sessions as the new season begins! Summer days are just around the corner. Do you have beach vacation plans this summer? Have you been to Sandbridge Beach?

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If you are in the coastal, VA or NC area and would like to schedule your lifestyle photography session, contact me today! melissablissphotography@gmail.com

Hampton Roads, VA Creative Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

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Lifestyle Photographer - Virginia Beach, VA

Lifestyle Photographer - Virginia Beach, VA

Hello friends! I know I’ve been absent lately and I apologize for not posting more often. I have been busy photographing lots of beautiful families, seniors and couples! But also very busy with buying and selling a home, and prepping for our family move.

I must say that it has been a wacky summer. I’ve felt like the past few months have been some sort of strange time warp. Like I’m hanging in limbo and moving at the speed of light all at once. There has been so much upheaval, controversy, bad news and stress that I’ve been incredibly grateful to be able to get out with my camera and just focus on the lovely people in front of lens.

Getting away to the park or beach, and focusing on the sweet little moments that make life worth while, has done wonders for my psyche. The rest of the world just seems to melt away.

What has been keeping you sane this summer?

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Creative Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer in Hampton Roads, VA

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

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Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photo Sessions

Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photography - Family, Maternity & Couples Sessions

I’m excited to be back in the swing of things! While life certainly does look different these days, working with couples and families to capture beautiful moments has not changed all that much. I am keeping my distance and sanitizing everything religiously, but all in all it feels much the same. And it’s so good to be back doing what I love!

Today, I am sharing some peeks from the sessions I have been shooting. I am thrilled that I have been able to see some of my favorite clients already this summer! Here are a few favorite shots from my recent photo sessions:

How cute is this growing family? We had a great time at our beach maternity session!

I also got to shoot some of my favorite Sandbridge beach regulars!

I headed up to Colonial Williamsburg one sunny evening to meet this lovely family. Their boys were the sweetest!

I also shot this long awaited and heartfelt military family homecoming session. <3 Deployments are always tough, but a deployment extended due to a pandemic is crazy hard. I was thrilled to capture this happy reunion!

I also got to photograph this sunset beach maternity session for one of my wedding couples from last year - what a treat! So excited for them! Stay tuned for newborn photos later this summer. :)

And I captured these fun-filled and sun-soaked moments for this lovely family kicking off their summer vacation at Sandbridge beach!

I am so grateful to be back at work and heading into summer with smiles and snuggles and so many sweet memories in the making. It fills my heart with joy to be able to capture all that love! - XOXOX, Melissa

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your unique family portrait experience, contact us today: melissablissphotography@gmail.com

On location Lifestyle Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

Virginia Beach Lifestyle Photographers, Sandbridge Beach Photographers, family photos, beach session, Norfolk photographers, Chesapeake photographers

Family Mini Session at Chic's Beach, Virginia Beach

Family Mini Session at Chic's Beach, Virginia Beach

Hey friends! What a wacky spring it has been, amiright? Covid-19, self-quarantine, oddly cool temps…I think we could all use a vacation and some carefree days!

Today I am sharing some happy beach memories from a family that is near and dear to my heart. The beautiful J Family has been with me since 2015. I adore this lovely family and was SO thrilled to be able to do this session for them at Chic’s Beach.

We chose Chic’s Beach because, A. it’s gorgeous! And B. they used to live just a block from the beach before they moved to Northern Virginia. Their kiddos are beach babies in every sense of the word.

We had such a great time playing along the bay, and celebrating their daughter’s 1st year! (Check out their newborn lifestyle session here.)

Chic’s, with it’s shallow waters, is the perfect spot for littles to play and explore. They certainly weren’t afraid to get wet!

Our sunset family mini beach session was short and sweet (perfect for mini attention spans) and also filled with happy memories, belly laughs, and love.. What could be better?!

Thank you, J Family, for coming to visit me again! I loved every moment! Come back soon. - XOXOX, Melissa

Let's make a date to document those little moments with big heart for your family!

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area, or plan to be, contact me to schedule your lifestyle photo session!

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 Lifestyle Family and Wedding Photographer

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Beach Maternity Portraits - Creative Maternity Photos in Virginia Beach

Beach Maternity Portraits - Creative Maternity Photos in Virginia Beach

I’m not gonna lie. This will likely be a long post! But, if you’ve come in search of inspiration for a lifestyle beach maternity photo session, you are in the right place! Today I have some gorgeous images to share from my recent winter maternity session with Christie and Zack.

I kinda fell in love with this sweet couple, and subsequently their entire winter beach session, so I had a super hard time culling down images from our session.

After years of fertility struggles, these two deserve all the joy, love and beauty life can send their way. They will soon be welcoming their first born, and I couldn’t be more excited for them!

Christie & Zack live in Richmond, but had envisioned some beachy images for their maternity session, so that is just what we planned on. I was a wee bit nervous that the weather wouldn’t cooperate for a January session, but we lucked out with a breezy afternoon in the mid-60’s!

Other than an occasional chilly gust from the north, it was the perfect day for a relaxed beach shoot by the water.

These two lovebirds have been together for several years, and are clearly best friends. They told me that they hadn’t had professional photos since their wedding day, and they were a little unsure of what to do in front of the camera.

I was quick to let them know that all they had to do was hang out and enjoy each other, and I would do all the hard work. (Truthfully though, it wasn’t hard at all! I could have photographed these two alllll day.)

The camera loved them. The wind and clouds were perfect. And they were just so adorably sweet and in love with their life together. How could I not take so many lovely shots of these two?

I mean seriously! I looked like a stick figure that swallowed a basketball when I was pregnant. Christie looks like a goddess!

I have four beautiful kiddos, but I have zero maternity photos from any of those pregnancies. Which I totally and absolutely regret. (I was never a big fan of studio work, and photography has come a long way since then, but still, I wish I had something. Anything. To transport me back to those days for a moment or two).

So word to the wise - just do it. It doesn’t have to be scary! Find a photographer whose work you love and make it happen. You will cherish those images always. Especially when your babies are grown and ready to leave the nest.

Anyway, back to this stunning couple! We had such a dreamy session. I love late fall through early spring when the beach is secluded - it can’t be beat!! We managed to get a ton of beautiful shots for them in a just an hour. They thanked me for such a fun and relaxing session, but I thanked them bigger for being so open and awesome! :)

Congratulations Christie & Zack!! I’m SO happy that you have the opportunity to share your love with a sweet babe all your own. I know that you will be amazing parents! Come back to Virginia Beach soon so I can meet that little one! - XOXO, Melissa

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Lifestyle Maternity and Wedding Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

If you are in the Hampton Roads, VA area and would like to schedule your creative photography experience, contact me today!

Unique and Gorgeous Lifestyle Maternity Photography in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and the surrounding Hampton Roads areas

Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photographer - Virginia Beach Photo Sessions

Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photographer - Virginia Beach Photo Sessions

Yikes, I can hardly believe it has been almost a month since I’ve posted here! This summer has been hectic with lots of family sessions, weddings, engagements & elopements…and also carting my 4 kids all over hampton roads to camps, parties and activities as well. Summer just seems to be slipping away! I have posted peeks on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, but have sadly neglected the blogging.

Well, it’s high time that I fixed that, so today I’m sharing some favorites from several lifestyle family beach sessions I shot this summer in Virginia Beach.

From the southern tip of Sandbridge to the north end of bay area, I have met many beautiful families to capture some fun beach vacation photos. I have to say that it is pretty great to be able to enjoy so many beach sunsets as I’m working my way through the summer!

I have met lots of new families this summer, and have also been fortunate to visit with some old familiar friends.

Just like the families themselves, each session is unique! I love getting to know each family, so that I can capture the moments that are authentic to their stories.

That’s it for today! I have plenty more to share, but my editing que is calling. One of these days I’ll learn to be a better juggler, perhaps. Tell me, how has your summer been? Relaxed and easy livin’, or packed full to the brim? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. - XOXOX, Melissa

Melissa Bliss Photography – Timelessly Beautiful. Authentically You.

Thanks for visiting! Looking for more beach photo session ideas? Find beach photo shoot tips here.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it.

If you are in the coastal, VA or NC area and would like to schedule your lifestyle photography session, contact me today! melissablissphotography@gmail.com

Hampton Roads Creative Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

Norfolk Photographers, Virginia Beach Photographers, Suffolk Photographers, Chesapeake Photographers, Lifestyle Photographers, Sandbridge Photographers, Williamsburg Photographers

Sandbridge Beach Annual Family Pictures - Virginia Beach

Sandbridge Beach Annual Family Pictures - Virginia Beach

The Grimaldi Family has been coming to see me for their annual family beach photo since 2015. I love visiting with them each year! It is always a treat to see them and catch up on their news.

It seems a storm is never far behind our sessions, and we usually have to adjust our timing on the fly - not always easy since they only get a couple of days all together at the beach. But, we always find a way to make it work because these family photos are important.

When Tara (Mom) booked their first session with me, she told me that she had recently lost her mom. After her mom passed away, she realized that she only had a small handful of photos of her mother. That just broke her heart. From that moment on, she vowed to make time for annual photos with her kids, so that those images and memories would live on for future generations.

I truly enjoy and look forward to seeing this family every year. And I think it is absolutely wonderful that Tara is keeping this tradition of getting into the frame with her children. She is always so grateful for these images and thanks me profusely for “capturing her heart.” And I am always honored.

Thank you, Grimaldi family, for upholding this beautiful tradition, for dodging storms with me, and for inviting me to photograph the heart of your sweet family! See you next year! - XOXO, Melissa

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Stories in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

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Virginia Beach Photographers, Beach Photo Session Tips, Sandbridge Beach Photographers, beach portraits, beach photo session ideas, beach photography, family vacation photos, Virginia Beach Family Photographer, inspiration family beach photos