MELISSA MONTOYA

San Diego Courthouse Wedding Photographer

San Diego Lifestyle Photographer

San Diego Portrait Photographer

San Diego Elopement Photographer

MY STYLE

I would describe my photography aesthetic as a Renaissance painting. My mom took me to many art museums when I was younger (gracias mami) and it definitely influenced the way I edit my photos. Moody but emotionally lit.

I want my photos to make you feel something! To take you on a visual journey.

I would describe my photography sessions as work hard, play hard. Though I am Latin, I arrive early to my shoots. I scout locations before shooting your sessions to get a lay of the land and make sure I make your vision come to life. Once session is in progress, my top priority is to make you and/or the talent feel comfortable. Whether you are a trained model or you have never been in front of a camera, I will offer guidance and direction but also will crack jokes to put you at ease and capture those candid moments. I will hype you up so hard you will go through a photo metamorphosis. Also, when you see my spider monkey moves you can't help but burst out laughing. I'll climb high and bend low for your shot!

"Melissa Montoya is one of the most talented photographers I’ve ever worked with! I had a photo shoot last month with her for personal branding and was amazed at how enjoyable my experience was! The pictures were beautiful and far exceeded my expectations. Melissa has a very artistic way to bring out the best of you! She is also organized and has a very pleasant personality. Our photo shoot session went smoothly! I highly recommend Melissa if you are looking for a seasoned photographer who is very creative, efficient and professional!"

"We worked with Melissa for our courthouse wedding, and she was a star from start to finish. She was timely, efficient, and helpful while we were booking and planning our session with her, but she really shone during the photo shoot. She was super creative in using spaces around the courthouse to our advantage, turning unassuming concrete walls, ramps, trees, and hills into beautiful backdrops. She helped wrangle us and our guests for photos (harder than it sounds!) and helped us feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera when it didn't necessarily come naturally. She turned our final gallery around within 48 hours of our wedding, and our friends and family were thrilled with the results. Also, we weren't necessarily looking for a bilingual photographer, but this was very nice bonus, and helpful for ushering our guests through the process. Melissa is energetic, fun, and professional, and I would be pleased to work with her again and recommend her to others."

My experience having Melissa shoot my graduation portraits was fantastic. Over the years I’ve worked with various photographers for different life events (family photos, graduations, etc) and I’ve never been quite satisfied with the lighting or quality. Melissa’s work is phenomenal, and what I mean by that is she knows how to leverage the lighting and environment to her advantage, and is very comfortable to work with.

One personal nitpick I usually have with outdoor photography, particularly shooting against the sun, is that many photographers will have either washed out photos or the subjects will look dark. Melissa’s work perfectly balances keeping the subject in perfect exposure without having a washed out background. This is not easy to do!

Additionally, she knows how to pose you without making you look awkward or uncomfortable, and the turnaround time on photos (both selection and edited photos) was very quick, which pleasantly surprised me.

If you are on the fence about a photographer, let this be your sign to pick Melissa. You will not regret it!

— Wen C.

— Chiara D.

— Patrick B.

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