Word on the Street...
— Kevin L.
— Maggie W.
— Rahul S.
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— Nathalie L.
— Emily B.
— Chelsi H.
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"My husband and I are so glad we were able to work with Melissa for our wedding photos! She responded to emails and texts in a professional and timely manner. Melissa was also very knowledgeable in the courthouse procedure, so we knew what to expect on the day of the ceremony.
During the photoshoot, we could tell Melissa knew what she was doing. She was friendly and made us feel at ease. Even though we have no modeling/posing experiences, our pictures turned out phenomenal! It was so hard to believe we were the ones in the photos.
We highly recommend Melissa. She was such a pleasure to work with. We love our photos, and we are so happy we had Melissa as our photographer to capture our special day! (:"
— Sarah B.
— Anjeanette C.
— Jenni T.
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— Joanna K.
— Kimberly C.
— Chad R.
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— Claudia M.
— Andrea C.
— Michelle L.
— Maria A.
— Leigh G.
— Billie Jo S.
"Melissa is the bomb! I needed profile pictures and she was all over it. From the initial consult brainstorming locations, to the attire selection/consultation, the shoot, she was prompt and responsive every step of the way. Once the final pics were chosen, editing was fast and she even followed up to make sure my downloads went smooth. I highly recommend Melissa."
"Melissa was super helpful and patient throughout the process. she is a great communicator and so fun to work with. I won't hesitate to work with her again!"
— Austen C.
— Diane K.
— Scott C.
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— Jacob C.
— Iliana T.
— Michael M.
— Minh W.
— Simranjit S.
— Natalie L.
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— Michael W.
— Cassie V.
— Nicole L.
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— Mareike B.
— Aliza M.
— Sara K.
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— Molly B.
— Eren F.
— Kelli M.
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"It was such a JOY to work with Melissa! We had our wedding at the County Administration Center in San Diego, but just by looking at our pictures, you would not even believe that we were at a government building. Melissa met with us the day before our wedding and walked us through the entire process and around the building. Her knowledge of just the courthouse wedding process put us at ease, but it was truly her creativity in seeing/explaining her shots that blew us away.
Melissa produces BEAUTIFUL pictures and we are obsessed. The turn around for our sneak peaks and our full gallery was so quick and well within her quoted time.
I cannot recommend Melissa Montoya Photography enough. Thank you so much, Melissa, for helping make our little courthouse wedding feel so magical."
— Mayra H.
— Lauren R.
— Gabrielle L.
— Jacob S.
— Isabella B.
— Ellen T.
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— Justine Y.
— Brooke C.
— Kelly S.
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"We hired Melissa for a corporate photoshoot. It was a last-minute hire and on a very tight timeline. Not only did she make herself available immediately, she was also so easy to work with and delivered incredible photos.
Bottom line: Talented and delightful to work with!
Highly recommend!"
— Sydney S.
— Tara N.
— Trisha D., Fiverr
Word on the Street...
— Allison P.
— Hannah H.
— Alexix S.
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"Melissa was great! She has a bubbly personality and a great sense of humor, so I was relaxed and having fun for the entire session. She has a great eye for lighting and angles, and the photos came out just as I was hoping. Since she has so many ideas for poses and backgrounds I had tons of options to choose from for my final selection. I would highly recommend working with her!"
"Hiring Melissa to capture our intimate elopement was the best decision ever! From the first time we met her for our venue walk-through, she was extremely friendly, professional, and passionate. On the big day, she provided fantastic creative direction and made my husband and I feel very comfortable. Her energy and passion for her work are undeniable, and we were absolutely thrilled with the pictures and special moments she captured on our big day. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their elopement/wedding!"
"Melissa is absolutely Amazing! I'm so happy that I booked her for our maternity/family photos. I love how personable and friendly she is, you will definitely feel comfortable and beautiful (especially being pregnant lol). You can tell she is very passionate about photography and very knowledgeable about locations, angles, poses, and lighting! I love how our pictures came out! I can't thank her enough!"
— Alexandria G.
— Nik C.
— Lilly K.
Word on the Street...
"I have had the privilege to work with Melissa in multiple occasions and we knew she would be our photographer for our wedding day. She still continues to surprise me with her ability to catch the most breathtaking lighting and intimate little moments of the day. I am able to look back at these photographs and feel the amount of love that was present that day. It is so special to have someone like Melissa being there in your most important days of lives. Moments that you want to relive everyday. I wouldn't trust anyone else to capture those moments. Melissa, you have a client for life!"
"Melissa does it again! This time, it was for a day I will never forget, my wedding day. She captured the love that was shared that day with our family and friends. Moments that I will forever look back on and for that I am so grateful for Melissa. She captures incredible lighting, delivers the photos in excellent time and surpasses expectations. Gives AMAZING direction!! She scouts the bests locations and knows the time of day that will give you the results you want. You can tell Melissa loves what she does for a living, very I evolved and high energy!! Melissa, you have a client for life!!!"
"Melissa is amazing!! I'm so happy for the family photoshoot she did for us she is kind and fun, so passionate about her job. I won't doubt to recommend her and obviously call her for more photoshoots in the future. Thank you so much Meli!!!"
"We met Melissa during the recent San Diego Bridal Bazaar. When we left we were the most impressed with Melissa’s photos and felt she really would do our wedding justice, but we were still open. Luckily we won an engagement shoot with Melissa and could use that opportunity to truly understand her work and process. Not only were the images amazing but Melissa has exemplary responsiveness. She booked the session immediately. She sent the unedited images within a few hours and when we selected images to edit she also sent those completed within a day! That alone was so reassuring and an important element we want for our wedding vendor team. From even the unedited images we had no doubts about booking Melissa for our wedding. Very excited to work with her again!"
— Carolina V.
— Bianca M.
— Verina O.
Word on the Street...
"I love Melissa. She is very energetic and inspiring. It was our first time doing the photoshoot and she made it seems so easy for us. Her work turned out amazing. Within 2 weeks, we have already got our photos. Thank you so much Melissa! Definitely see you soon!"
"I was so impressed with Melissa and would recommend her to anyone! She responded to my questions within an hour each time we emailed/texted and was very prompt. The hardest thing for me was determining a schedule of events (we had an unconventional wedding at the courthouse and wanted pictures in a few locations) and Melissa planned the whole day seamlessly, even giving me multiple options to choose from. My pictures were ready much faster than I had expected and I've already gotten SO many compliments on them from friends and family. We have a perfect mix of posed and casual shots, with everyone's happiness perfectly captured. She even managed to wrangle my dog in the photos. She made everyone feel really comfortable in the photos; my fiancé and I were nervous at being the centers of attention and she really put us at ease. 10/10!"
"Melissa is fantastic! I hired her to take professional photos for my business and she exceeded all of my expectations. She is professional, on time and made the process super fun. She has a great eye for light and surrounding textures making for some incredible photos. I am already hiring her again for my family photos and more!"
— Tram N.
— Melissa J.
— Emily F.
Word on the Street...
"Melissa was extremely helpful with my surprise proposal and photo shoot. She helped me plan out a location that would be better setting and for better lighting, as well as got there early and helped me plan out ideal locations for the proposal. She was very professional and took some amazing pictures that we will remember forever. Not to mention she was able to provide our edited photos back in less than a day! Highly recommend Melissa for any photo shoots you may need."
"Melissa is such a gem and extremely talented! Photos are what I treasure most and when we started searching for a wedding photographer, it became more daunting than fun. Everyone we had talked to just felt like another business transaction but Melissa made it so personal from the beginning. She wanted to setup a call and asked questions to get to know us and our story. My husband and I are both in customer service and the moment we talked to her, we could tell she truly cared and we did not hesitate to book her. First, we did our engagement photos with Melissa and I was blown away! She has an amazing eye and can capture all the feels. On top of it, her personality makes the shoot so much fun! She's the perfect hype woman - full of energy and great and giving advice on how to look your best. We felt comfortable right away! We had to postpone our big wedding and had a small backyard family one. She was extremely flexible and able to do the small one also. Our families had so much fun with her! She's great at getting the crowd to move and pose. She has the best visions and her photos are just stunning! PLUS her turn around time is unbelievably awesome - SO quick! Book Melissa - you will not regret it for a second. She has the best personality and so great to communicate with. I can't wait for next year's wedding - and will be using for years to come! Thank you Melissa - you've made these moments so special for us!"
"From the very start Melissa was very responsive and easy to talk to. We scheduled a maternity shoot with her at Scripps Pier. She made us feel very comfortable and made the shoot very fun. We'll definitely be using Melissa again for any photos in the future and would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer."
— Shawn B.
— Chirag M.
— Emily K.
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— Carolyn H.
— Amy B.
— Abigail R.
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"Melissa did an incredible job with my professional headshots. She reached out ahead of time to ask for my vision, any specifications, and to discuss location and logistics. She guided me on clothing and hair decisions, and special considerations regarding lighting. Her planning and organization leading up to the shoot made me feel confident and prepared. On the day of the shoot, her energy and enthusiasm were infectious! Any nerves that I had were immediately dampened, as she encouraged and cheered me on. I like how she showed me the images throughout the shoot, building my confidence and helping to guide me in what angles worked and didn't work. My final headshot images were professional and unique. They were exactly what I was looking for. She really made my vision come to life. Such a great experience!"
— Olivia F.
— Taylor L.
— Jennifer D.
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— Imani M.
— Dani K..
— Maya G.
"Melissa is fantastic!! She took our wedding photos during a covid courthouse ceremony. Melissa made everything so easy. She brought joy, energy, and professionalism. Easy communication, great to work with, and fast turnaround. She is super efficient with time, and we got so many different types of photos. We love her mix of candid and posed photos. Melissa also walked us through what to expect during a marriage hut ceremony, texted us reminders the day before the ceremony, and shared tips and advice. Hire Melissa!"
"Melissa made our shoot beyond memorable and amazing. Her creativity and ideas for building the perfect love story was unmeasurable. Such a sweet, silly woman. We walked a mile it felt like to get to the shooting site, but she assured us it was for the perfect spot and place and it really was. We were able to have three outfit changes in a short period of time (due to us running a little late) and so many moments captured. She's a miracle worker!! Here's two I'll post. Thankful to have found her services and glad to be here and recommend her to all of you."
— Harpreet T.
— Kate R.
— Nikki M.
— Silvana C.
— Von D.
— Sepiedeh P.
Word on the Street...
"I cannot say enough great things about Melissa! She made our engagement day so special and the pictures she took are something I look at daily! She went above and beyond helping my fiancé pick the perfect spot to propose. Being from Oklahoma and just visiting San Diego, I found out later on that he had been in contact with her for weeks so she could give him suggestions on where to do it and went so far as to FaceTime him at different locations so he could see what it would look like. She knows her stuff and makes taking pictures so much fun and they turn out absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
We cannot thank her enough and appreciate everything she did to make our day so special!"
"Melissa is amazing! We hired her to be the photographer for our wedding next year and recently had an engagement shoot with her. The shoot went so well! Melissa is very enthusiastic and a true professional. She provides the perfect amount of direction and captures beautiful photos. She is also got the photos back to us within two days! We are so happy that we hired her for our wedding!"
"Melissa is truly a gifted photographer! She makes magic Happen with the snap of her camera! My husband and I were in love with how our wedding pictures came out! She does not only capture the great moments of the day, she also captures wonderful memories. Melissa is such a pleasure to work with and such an awesome energy to have. She is very flexible and just rolls with the punches. We cannot praise her enough with how amazing her work is."
— Colette A.
— Selene Z.
— Cady S.
"Melissa took our family holiday photos. She did a great job of helping us find the right beach for the best background, entertaining our 1 year old to get smiles, and was super easy to work with as always. She also got our photos turned around at lightning speed. Will definitely use her again next year. We originally used Melissa for our wedding photos back in 2017. She did an amazing job, and we always get complimented on our great photos."
"One word... amazing. I learned about Melissa from our neighbor friend. They gave us a holiday card with their photos for two years and I always notice the photos on them. I finally asked who took them so I can reach out for our first family picture. As it turned out, I had two other people who used her and highly recommended her. This was our first professional family photo session and Melissa made it so comfortable and fun. I felt like I've known her for a while even though I had just met her. She just has a natural welcoming aura. She has such a high energy and a contagious laugh and smile...which made it easier for us to give her our smiles :) She handle our toddler so well and captured him smiling...yay!!! :) I always prefer more candid photos to truly capture the people and that's exactly what she did with ours. It's taken me some time picking out which photos I wanted because they were all so good. I've definitely and will continue to refer Melissa to family and friends. We can't wait to do more sessions with her. So excited to print our photos to hang in our home and include as part of our holiday cards. P.S. She really does have a great package deal. I would say even better than any you will find on Groupon. Melissa...YOU ROCK!!!"
"Melissa did an amazing job with our family/maternity photos! She was so flexible with time and location. She shot me pregnant with my husband and two little girls, 5 and 3. She was so good with them and let them play and waited for they to warm up to the camera. We're waiting for our baby to get a few more months older to do another photo shoot."
— Nikki A.
— Maria H.
— Anne B.
"We have finally found a photographer that we will use as long as she is in business! Melissa is such a catch! I asked her to do our annual family photos this year, a session which also needed to double as a maternity shoot, and my husband and I were blown away by the experience. She suggested a site which allowed her to take photos that made it look like we were in multiple locations, she helped with wardrobe decisions, she came prepared and energized for us and she was so entertaining that my three year old didn't tire of saying "cheese" over and over for two hours! Melissa turned around hundreds of photos and let me pick which out of that batch I wanted to keep as the ones I paid for in my package. She was fun and professional and we love the photos she took more than any others we have done professionally. We will be using her again, and recommending her to anyone who asks!"
"Melissa is amazing. There's no other way to put it. My maternity shoot with her was truly an experience to remember. She was very prompt with her responses and helped me decide on a location. She's sweet, fun and honest which is huge when your capturing moments and memories that you will hold dear to your heart for a lifetime. We loved it so much that we've since had 2 family shoots with her and look forward to future shoots with Melissa. So grateful that we found her. From beginning to end she is quite simply, THE BEST."
"Melissa is the sweetest with a great eye, she made my maternity photoshoot fun, energetic, and brought our love to life. My hubby and I are not cheesy photo people, but we loved our experience and best of all beautiful photos to remember my 32 week pregnant moments. She was earliy to our appointment and a pleasure to work with. It shows that she loves taking photos!"
— Shauri W. I.
— Marina M.
— Meghan D.
"What can I say but nothing short of amazing! I met Melissa through mutual friends who had hired her for their wedding. One meeting with her and the rest was history. She has an amazing personality which cascades into an awesome vibe. Started off with an engagement shoot with her and had huge plans for our wedding but when Covid hit, my wife and I were stressing if we were even going to have one. Melissa was there every step of the way to help us, answer questions and just chat. Ended up finding a new venue, had to replan an entire wedding in a month, she accommodated us and worked with us to shoot an amazing day for us. My wife and I cannot thank her enough for such an amazing job. Will definitely be hiring her for more pictures and shoots very soon! You will not be disappointed!!"
"Where do I even begin?! Melissa is beyond amazing. We have worked with Melissa multiple times. From our San Diego courthouse wedding to our maternity shoot. She is insanely talented. She makes you feel comfortable (even when you have no idea what to do) by giving great direction and a great sense of humor. We are always amazed at the moments she can capture. Melissa is extremely versatile. From weddings to commercial shoots, she can really do it all. We are always impressed with her talent, work ethic, and infectious personality. We will continue to have her document our special life moments for years to come."
"Where do I even start? Melissa is amazing! Super personable and she has great energy! She made my little family feel so comfortable during our photo shoot. She gives great direction when trying to make sure the picture looks perfect. The location she had us meet at was perfect. So many different backgrounds all within a few minutes walking. She was great with our one year old, even with him just waking up from a nap and being a little cranky. Overall great experience. I'm glad my friend referred me and I will definitely refer her to everyone."
— Christine F.
— Lauren R.
— Anthony K.
"Melissa was absolutely amazing! My two childhood best friends and myself were reuniting for the first time in 2 years and, for the first time, our husbands and kids were joining the party too. We decided we wanted to capture this joyous time together and I did some research for a photographer in Southern California. Melissa was prompt with all her communication, extremely helpful with ideas and outfits, and made me feel like I was her only client ever. She was professional and fun and somehow managed to entertain 6 adults and 2 squirrely kids for an hour and a half. And the best part: the photos look stunning! I couldn't have asked for a better experience!"
"Where to even begin..... Melissa is an absolute joy to work with. I have always been a detail oriented and organizational person and look to hire individuals with those same qualities. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, especially during a pandemic. Melissa was flexible from the start and understanding as well as accommodating when we had to reschedule our big destination wedding. She was so wonderful that we still wanted to work with her for our very intimate wedding. Melissa was able to make the whole process exceedingly smooth, even for us deciding on an intimate wedding last minute. From discussing our needs, wants, signing contracts, making payments, to the day of the event, everything was very well organized to my taste. Also, I am very camera shy and can be awkward when shooting photos. She was able to provide great direction on poses and locations to shoot. Something I loved was that she makes it a priority to go to the location site before the event to pick out scenery that we would like and that suits our taste. Feeling comfortable is of great importance to me when working/collaborating with someone and she did that and more!! She provides such a positive energy and professionalism, not to mention she made the session about my partner and me. Even after shooting our event, she was able to provide us about 30 or more sample photos that same day!! I was totally not expecting this as I have worked with other photographers and had a longer turn around. It was such a splendid surprise to see such high-quality photos of our wedding so quickly. Additionally, she sent us all our photos that same week. Overall, this experience was absolutely sensational. Melissa definitely sets the standards high for what a professional photographer should be providing. Not to mention that she is genuinely passionate about her art. We are so thrilled we found her and am excited to shoot our big wedding next year with her!! We cannot thank you enough Melissa!!"
"We just got back our photos from our first ever family photo session and Melissa's beautiful work has me crying tears of joy! I cannot believe how amazing these images are! We are new-ish parents and we decided we should take family pictures. Three years ago, Melissa took our engagement photos and we knew then that she was an amazing talent who truly loves what she does. We did not hesitate to re-book Melissa for our first ever family shoot. We are so glad we made that choice as we are blown away by the results! After our shoot, Melissa sent us hundreds of photos to choose from, all of which I would be thrilled to have framed in our home. This is no small feat with a nine-month old baby. As I am sure happens often to Melissa, our baby completely fell in love with her. She got him to smile in so many pictures. Both my husband and I do not love posing for pictures, but Melissa made us feel so comfortable and at peace. We both enjoyed the experience and it shows in the beautiful prints she created. She was able to have all of us smiling and engaged in each frame! We are laughing, smiling, happy, and you can see how much our little family loves each other in these images. Not only did Melissa make the whole experience enjoyable, but she also went above and beyond. She helped me coordinate outfits for the whole family beforehand and suggested a location that made it look like we were in 5 different places! We got so much variety in one photo session. She completely understood the vibe I wanted and delivered beyond my wildest expectations. She has a gift that is unparalleled in the industry. I feel so lucky that I got to work with her and will be working with her for years to come."
— Rebecca M.
— Danni I.
— Brenda V.
"Melissa is absolutely amazing!! She captured our family perfectly! We have three small children and she kept them laughing and smiling the entire time. She is fun, patient, and professional. We couldn't be happier with the way our family photos turned out!"
"So much fun! Great attitude and pictures turned out absolutely amazing!"
"Melissa did such an amazing job taking my maternity pictures! She made it fun & comfortable! Definitely pictures of a lifetime, 10/10 would recommend! Best photographer out there!!"
— Jeff C.
— Natalie C.
— Laura O.
“Hands down the best photographer out there! She’s super nice and gets super excited about shots, makes you laugh and has that creative eye. My family enjoyed her as well! Would highly recommend her and book her again for future shoots! Already told my sister to book her for her wedding next year!”
"Melissa recently took senior photos of my daughter and we could not have asked for a better experience. My daughter does not enjoy having her photo taken but Melissa was able to get her to loosen up and she ended up having so much fun. Melissa is so creative and her energy is beyond fantastic. I would definitely recommend her!"
"Melissa took our courthouse wedding photos, and did an amazing job. She went above and beyond for our photos. Got everyone to laugh and smile for the camera, and got tons of compliments from both sides of the family. All our friends and family commented on how great she did with the photos, and interacting with everyone. She is very bubbly, personable, and energizing. She got our family members to smile, loosen up, and enjoy the photo taking process. All our friends and family commented on how great she did with the photos, and interacting with everyone.am still stunned by our photos she took. I will definitely be going back to her for more photos in the future."
— Georgia M.
— Jamie W.
— Lauren P.
"Simply put - Melissa is the best. We hired her for our courthouse wedding in downtown San Diego. She did a walk through with us the week prior (super helpful). She is very responsive, arrives early, and stays late to get that perfect shot. She is full of positive energy and encouragement; she will keep you smiling throughout the entire shoot. She uploaded our photos quickly (and provided sneak peaks). I would 100% book Melissa again and recommend her to any friend. Our photos are stunning. She is A++, zero complaints, only praise."
"My magical day was beautifully captured by Melissa and I will always be thankful! Even though my wedding was set under certain COVID regulations, Melissa blessed us with her energy and captured THE most breath taking memories! Since reaching out to Melissa, she has provided the best support and was a true blessing to have by my side. She ensured there was communication to bring my dream memories to life. It was a pleasure to work with Melissa and I look forward to work with her in the future!"
"I needed some lifestyle photos for a business venture and I was beyond happy with my photos! Melissa is professional, communicative, and FUN! She creates such a relaxing energy during the shoot that gets the best shots out you. Feels good to know I have found my photographer for life! Thanks Melissa!!"
— Keith C.
— Maria G.
— Hannah R.
Melissa is a great photographer! She is very professional and has a fantastic energy. We’re so glad she could be a part of our special day!
Melissa was awesome and our photos were amazing. She knew all the best spots to photograph us and she kept it fun, while making sure we were always comfortable. Melissa communicated promptly and clearly, and was also patient and understanding. We had such a great time working with her and I would highly recommend hiring her!
I worked with Melissa a few months ago because I needed more photos for marketing my health coaching biz on Instagram. A friend of mine had referred me to her and we set up our shoot super quickly! She was so helpful during our time together and made me feel so natural and comfortable. I'm no model so I told her I needed direction and she delivered. She is also just the sweetest human ever and such a pleasure to work with :)
Our wedding plans for June 2020 were changed due to unseen circumstances of COVID. We still made the best out of our day, and got married! I found Melissa on Instagram and fell in love with her work. When we initially met her and started our session, she made us feel so comfortable as if we’ve known her for so long and as if we have been doing photoshoots- as this was our first ever photoshoot; so our experience with her was beyond what we could have imagined- she is so fun to be with!! The pictures came out amazing, her visions for every picture she took was more than we expected when we saw the final product. Thank you Melissa SO much for capturing our special day.
— Dana C.