Melissa Johnston Photography

Miranda & Matt :: Engaged

Melissa — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:49:23 +0000

I’ve known Miranda for a while now because she works in the wedding industry as well, as a wedding coordinator at The Courtyard Restaurant. I’ve done numerous weddings with her and can truly say – she’s great at what she does!

Seeing Miranda with Matt was awesome. I loved how Matt made her laugh the entire shoot (actually he made us both laugh hysterically). It’s always nice to work with such a playful couple and am excited to see how fun their wedding will turn out to be in just a few more weeks now!

Wedding albums

Melissa — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:26:39 +0000

I’m so excited to share with you a few wedding album samples that we have here in the studio. If you haven’t had the chance to stop by my booth at a wedding show or meet with me in person over coffee, you haven’t been able to take a peek at these beauties! There are a few styles to choose from to suit your desires. Check them out:

The first album is a flushmount, coffee table style album. You have the choice of having a designed or image wrap around cover.

The creases in the middle of the book are practically non-existent, therefore you can have full page spreads.

These next albums are also flushmount but have material covers. You also have the choice of having a 3×3 photo opening on the cover.

Images are printed directly onto the thick, durable pages.

I prefer album designs to be simple and clean. There are no overlapping of pictures, but the design will be discussed and approved prior to printing.

The following albums are very similar to the last with the same cover material options except are much smaller (half the size to be exact). They are served as parent albums or brag books. They make excellent gifts or can also be that album you keep in your purse to show off your beautiful wedding images.

There are many different cover materials to choose from for the previous two albums shown such as leather, suede, silk brocades and many more.

These books are a GREAT way to display and showcase your wedding images to family and friends.

Contact me if you have any questions about the albums or if you’d like to purchase one for yourself. It’s also never too late to add one to your wedding package.

Your wedding images deserve to be shown off!

Guest albums

Melissa — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:18:24 +0000

I’ve decided to post a few photos of my products since I often get asked about them and what they look like. I’ll start with my popular guest albums but stay tuned later on this week for posts on other great products such as wedding albums, canvases and wood prints.

These albums are a great way to share your engagement photos with your family and friends and serve as a unique way to have your guests sign as a guestbook at your wedding.

My guest albums are hard covered, coffee table style albums.

Once opened, they lay completely flat and have lots of white spaces for messages and signatures.

Contact me to get your engagement session made as a guest album!

Change is good

Melissa — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:36:17 +0000

It’s obvious. There has been huge changes around here, and for the better!
For a long time I’ve been dwelling over the fact that my business and I needed a major overhaul. I didn’t know where to start and because of that overwhelming feeling, I kept pushing it farther onto the back burner…that is until I met Meg Long from Meg Long Creative. I cant remember exactly how she so gracefully fulfilled herself into my life, but am I ever glad she did. She saved me. She saved my brand. She saved my business!
Branding is a huge deal in the photography business (or any business for that matter). It’s how people perceive you and what you have to offer. Its the first impression, and that’s a big deal. For me, my brand is the first thing that people see when my site or blog loads up on their screen or even just that initial feeling they get from a single piece of card stock like a business card or flyer. So when I over looked my brand and didn’t even recognize myself, I knew there were problems.

I knew all about branding but I never really knew how important it was until I truly realized I wasn’t attracting my target market. I wasn’t getting my point across with my look or with my work and that just wasn’t right.
A few years ago I worked with a company who tried to help me rebuild my brand and site for me. The only problem was, they never really took into account WHO I was and what I really wanted out of the whole experience. They never even really got to know me. (That should have been the first red flag!). I figured that since they had done this a gazillion times before, that they must have known what they were doing so I just went with it. I ended up with a product that I not only over paid for but that I actually didn’t even like. It was a disaster…So after lots of thought and getting to know the ‘real me’ in the last year or so (more on that in a more personal post), I figured it was time…time for change. Not only was I ready for a big change in my personal life, but I was going to tackle the business end of it too. After speaking to Meg a couple months ago, I was feeling more confident that I was going to end up with something that represented the person I was and what I wanted to offer. I wanted something more mature since I had done so much growing myself, and I wanted my brand to follow. After many emails back and fourth with Meg, an inspiration and branding board and countless modifications- here it is! The new and improved Melissa Johnston Photography! The new and improved me

Both my website and blog have changed tremendously so take a look around and feel free to leave me some love and your thoughts below.

Marisa & Jon :: Engaged

Melissa — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:25:51 +0000

I brought Marisa and Jon to a secluded place with an abandoned house and barn on a mild winters day. Jon made a comment that he was a little weary about following me into the bush to a place he’d never been before (lol!), but he ended up trusting me and we got amazing shots to prove how perfect the location was for them! I really enjoyed spending time with these two and after speaking to Marisa about her wedding plans, it got me so excited for their wedding coming up in August.

Ottawa Wedding Show Recap

Melissa — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:34:16 +0000

Last weekend I spent two full days at the Ottawa Wedding Show meeting new faces and seeing old ones. I met so many potential clients and as a result, my inbox has been filling up daily!

I love wedding shows! I find it’s a great way to meet people face to face and get a feel of who the vendors are first hand. You get to ask questions, view and feel their products and just get a sense of their style.

Many inquiries were for 2014 and I have already started booking for next year! I also noticed that quite a few people were still wondering about 2013 dates. Here are the prime season (May-October) dates that I have left:

September 7th

October 19th, 26th

If you are having a weekday, Sunday or off season wedding (November-April), please contact me for availability.

Thanks to all who came to say ‘hello!’. It was a pleasure to meet each and everyone one of you and hopefully we get to work together one day

*This photo was taken with a point and shoot.

2012 Business Recap

Melissa — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:36:12 +0000

2012 was yet another geat year for Melissa Johnston Photography. Work was plentyful and due to some personal over comings throughout the year (more on that on a more personal blog rant), made me not only rethink certain aspects of my life but my business too.

With 34 weddings, (5 of those being destination weddings), I had a very busy season but I wouldn’t change anything in the world for my full schedule all thanks to my wonderful clients!

I took a little step back last year and really just focused on the weddings and shoots that came my way. Even though I have less to show in terms of creative projects or achievements, I was able to focus and to reassess certain facets of the business. Sometimes you just need to stop, breath and simply follow your heart and I did just that. I made a list of things that worked well and things that needed an overhaul.

I love lists. They keep me grounded and sane. I once made a joke to someone that I start out my ‘to do’ lists in the morning with ‘make a to do list’ and I’m not lying when I say it feels so good scratching it off! So I went ahead and made a list of business goals that I wanted to accomplish this year. Some might be a bit vague to you, but they make perfect sense to me and I already have a few ideas on how I’m going to be tackling some of them. They are as follows:

1. Be a better blogger – at least 3 times a week
2. Buy a few equipment pieces that I’ve been longing for!
3. Plan an amazing styled shoot over the spring/summer with some of the best vendors in the area (already got some fun ideas!)
4. Submit my work to popular blogs and even some magazines
6. Attend a business seminar, workshop or convention
7. Build more friendships with local vendors in order to broaden my network in the wedding and photography industry
8. Maintain a schedule and be more productive with my time
9. Be more involved with my clients and their weddings by offering a unique experience
10. And simply be the best photographer and business person that I can be!!! Don’t be afraid to do things outside of the norm. Quit comparing yourself to others. You are your own person

That being said, quite a few things are going to change around here, but for the better I think…

Here is an overview of all 34 weddings that I was blessed to photographed in 2012 in no particular order:

Lindsay & Dave :: Married

Melissa — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:49:36 +0000

Lindsay and Dave were originally supposed to have their wedding in August but due to an unexpected illness, their date had to be bumped up. Determined to marry the man of her dreams, Lindsay was able to find a date that would accomodate all of their chosen vendors and make the change for November. November is a completely unpredictable month when it comes to weather here in Ontario, but they couldn’t have had a more beautiful day! The entire celebration was nothing short of perfect and their photos turned out amazing topped with a gorgeous golden sunset. So happy for the both of them

Location: St. Patrick’s Church/St. Elias Reception Center

Dress: Mikaella from Sinders

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Suits: Jimmy Suits

Bridesmaids dresses: J-crew

Flowers: Ottawa Flowers