Blog has a NEW HOME {Announcement!!}

Melissa Mullen Photography Journal {blog} has a new home! I'm so excited to share this project with you as it's been amazing to work on and create! I had the honor and pleasure of working with the ever so talented, Ashley Jankowski of For the Love of Creating who took my vision to a level I never could have imagined. I love her!! She's brilliant, funny and REALLY patient.

To view the new blog, click here or click the picture below to be directed to the GOODNESS! Please update your bookmarks and/or RSS feeds.



I'll see you over there!

Lots of Love,
Melissa

Home {March Schedule Announcement}

Before I left California, I sold pretty much everything I had for my house. I had a everything must go sale and what didn't sell went to good will. I had my bed, bike and tv shipped across to Maine which means before I move into my new place I have to get all the good stuff again . . .

The package fairy dropped off a little delivery for me today. I'm in the north woods of Maine which means the nearest shopping experience is 2+ hours south. You learn to online shop quick here especially if you're used to hopping in your car whenever you need something. I actually prefer it this way . . . and really dig Kohl's home stuff.



It was a Christmas like feeling or maybe even what it's like to have a registry for your wedding. ;) Hmmmm! Tomorrow, I have an even bigger delivery arriving. I ordered all new office furniture for my new little space in Portland, Maine. I found a perfect space in a great part of the city and an awesome home just a few blocks from my office.

I will be traveling to California, March 4 for my best friend's wedding in Santa Barbara: Jessica Lewis. I will be her photographer/maid of honor so it's going to be a really fun day!! She's going to have two other photographer's there so I get to photograph her and her hubby, Aaron alone.

Then it's a few weeks of family portraits, meeting new babies and seeing friends in California. On March 21, I'm photographing Shari and Mike's wedding in San Diego. Shari is a wedding planner in San Diego, Charmed Events.
Very excited for their big day!

I turn 29 the night of Shari and Mike's wedding which is hard to believe and I will be heading out of California to celebrate my 29th on the East Coast.

I will be heading back to Portland to set up shop in April and before I head out to CA my Dad and I are going to paint the new space and get the furniture set up. Reason #1 that I came home to the east coast - having my Mom and Dad be apart of my everyday life. So, when I get back to ME it'll be time to make home, home.

More details on Portland, the new office and I'll be releasing a new blog which is being designed as I type.

Lots of Love from the East!

An Island Romance {Maine}

Imagine everything being in place.
I don't mean only the pins in the drawers
Though I mean that too but I mean
Your feelings - not squashed or pruned -
But right in place and everything around
You in place, too. That's what
An island is, that kind of chance.

I know you can say that everything is
In place already, that trees can't dance
And birds shed feathers not leaves
And that's the rightness of place that counts -
And it is - but love gets mixed in here,
The love between men and women,
Husband and wife, that we say
We understand the way we understand
Anything that we do over and over
Till it becomes a kind of weather
But I'm talking about a man and woman
Living together more than forty years
On an island and no one else there.
I'm talking about a real man -
Black hair, medium height, a trace
Of a limp on his left side - and a real
Woman - blonde hair, high voice, small hands -
Who sometime in the late 40's - how about
'47? - came to Sheep Island which no
Longer had any sheep and which had gone
Back to spruce and built a house of cement
He rowed over bag by bag from the big island
And of those spruce he cut and fit into cement
Until it looked like a house in a fairy tale -
Each window casing made by hand,
Each pane set in the sash just so,
Each window placed for the fullest light.

He fished enough and she knitted sweaters
And they lived and people wondered but
They weren't bothering anyone. They had as
Much claim to live on a place that no one
Wanted to live on as anyone. When you saw
The two of them together in Cundy's store
As often as not they were holding hands.
They were neat looking - combed and clean -
But you felt a little uneasy because
You felt how deep love could go.
That it could pull you off into a world
Where you stopped caring about what
Others thought, that the merest touch
Of another hand could make your blood simmer
And softly growl with feeling that had to go off
By itself it was that strong

They never invited
Another soul out there ever. They got older
And they used the boat with the engine
Instead of rowing over but they still held
Hands and lived in that house we
Could picture because we had seen it
In children's story books. That's why
The blather about years and bags
Of cement is just blather - the sorry lint
Of facts, the believe in make-believe.
These two people had the sea for ears
And the sky for eyes and when they
Came together as man and woman
The pity of fathoms, the cold ocean notes
That sang outside their windows seemed to waver.

I know about age and death, as did they,
But think of the morning when they sat
By the cook stove they'd hauled out there,
When he came back from the out of doors and she
Put down her handiwork and they sat there
With each other, drinking their tea and
Their mouths making little in-drawing sounds
And their putting their cups down
And how the fullness of being alive
Was the rich heat of their imagining.

Written by :
Baron Wormser

Introducing : New Logo and Branding

Hello! I have so many great announcements to make!! The first is to introduce my new logo and branding! I've been working with a designer, Ashley Jankowski of For the Love of Creating, who designed and produced our collective vision for my new journey in New England.

Here is a peak at the new beginnings . . .



She's also working on a brand new blog which I can't wait for - bye bye BLOGGER and she's designed many other pieces that fit together with the look she's created for the logo!!! :)

Please check back for some exciting news on a new location for Melissa Mullen Photography!!

Peace and Love from the East!!

Night time is the right time . . .

It's a beautiful {freezing} night in Maine. The sky is clear except for fast moving clouds and the moon is bright enough outside that with snow reflection it's like daylight. 30 second exposure : could have done more yet my pants were freezing.

Peace and love from the East.

2009

I'm extremely excited about 2009. I've made a huge decision to change my location based on what my heart told me to do. I have no idea what lies ahead and sometimes, I think that's best.



I hope 2009 brings us all enormous amounts of joy, success and love!

<3 M

A Pug Portrait

Leo, my fur child and I have been on many adventures over the past two years. He's now enjoying himself living in New England and my family and I spoiled him quite a bit over the holidays. He needs a long walk to work off those extra calories.

He's the sweetest and on Christmas Day he spent a little time posing for me.

His favorite seated position :







He absolutely knows I'm writing about him because he's scratching at my leg. Time to go for that walk. . .<3

Elizabeth Anne Designs :: {Resource for my ladies}

This post is long, long, well, well overdue. Last year, I discovered an amazing blog that draws a generous amount of my attention.

Rebekah Anne and Ami Elizabeth created the savviest, hands down most interesting blog about weddings that I've found yet. Please visit :
Inspirations & Creations - Elizabeth Anne Designs : A Wedding Blog

There are so many fun ideas, beautiful photographs and most importantly, these ladies are constantly posting which is a breath of fresh air!!

There are many ways to navigate through their blog. For instance, by the many categories listed or even by comments made from their readers. Keep up with the latest of the latest in the wedding industry and if you're a fellow twitter fan like me you can choose to follow Rebekah & Ami to be updated, up to the minute when new posts are added. Wahooo, technology!! I imagine brides at work just oozing over these posts while getting paid to plan their own spectacular event.

Another section to mention is The EAD Library. Here you can locate all of the hottest wedding professionals in the USA and beyond. Pretty fantastico if you ask me.

Enjoy Ladies!!

<3 <3

Mom and Dad : 29 years today

Today, is my parents 29th Wedding Anniversary. 29 years! And that's just how many years they've been married. Mom and Dad met in 1967 when they were 15. They both worked at the soda fountain in Hoffman's in Laurence Harbor, NJ where they grew up. . .the rest is history. . . .



Mom and Dad, I wish you a million more years together!

Dear Maine. . . .

I love waking up here!

Dear California. . .

I'm going to play a little catch up here as it's been quite a while since I've blogged!

On November 11, 2008, I embarked on a new chapter of my life. I relocated myself and Leo {my fur child} to New England to be closer to my family. For years, I personally debated the need to be closer and obviously home won me over. Seeing my family once or twice a year for a short amount of time just wasn't cutting it.

I arrived in California for an audition on November 11, 2001, I was a wide eyed 21 year old with no idea of what was in store. I spent 7 amazing years living in Southern California working for some of the best photographer's in our country and learning more than I could have ever imagined.

There is a novel waiting to be written inside me that will one day tell the story of my time there but let's fast forward to the present. . .

My Mom accompanied me on the cross country journey home which was so much fun and we got to spend much needed quality time together. It took us a week to get to New Jersey and then another two weeks for me to make it to Maine. My parents moved to Maine last October to a town where we vacationed my whole life. Their town is small and as they say in New England, it's a wicked small town. Located in the North Woods of Maine about 15 miles from the Canadian border.

Photograph taken last year during my first visit to the house



Last year, this area wound up with about 16 feet of snow. One of the worst winters in 50 years. We have absolutely no idea what we're in for this winter. This morning, I woke up and looked out my window. The sun wasn't even up yet so it was just barely light and I sat up and said, "NO WAY!" The snow was all the way up to my window and drifts had crusted the window panes. Yesterday, Maine received a nice dumping of the fluffy stuff from sweet Mother Nature. We guess we ended up with 2 feet of snow but it's hard to tell because we already had an accumulation of 1.5ish feet.

Today, I officially feel like I've arrived in New England. I got a true taste of what it's like to live here and although I love California and the consistent breezy 72 degrees, I love New England MORE. :)

Here are some photographs I took when the sun came up of our house.

First things first in the morning. Leo must do his business. Today, he was officially screwed because the snow was way way over his head. We dug him a spot and we stood there and laughed at him. He had NO idea what this was and just cracked us up.



View to the road




This is one of my favorites. Tunnel to the road.



A big topic in our house is how in the world the animals survive this weather. It's the ARCTIC!! Where do they sleep!? How do they move around!!



I got a little chilly so I headed back to the house.





My Mom's car



My hard working, frosty Dad







On his way back out to the road



My favorite photograph from this morning.



It sums up what this blizzard feels like, the hard work it takes to dig out and being home. So, California it's almost 7:30 am and you're just waking up. The forecast says you'll have a little rain today and your highs are around 58 degrees. Here it'll reach a high of about 11 and with the wind, it'll feel -2. LOL!

Even though it's rough outside, we have everything and more that we need inside.

To my California family, I'm wishing you were all here to experience Mother Nature and drink something warm with me while we watch the snow blow around from a warm, cozy house.

Lots of love!
Melissa and Leo from the Arctic!

Imelda + Raul from Washington

Imelda + Raul came to San Diego last week for some well deserved R&R. Imelda has been serving in Iraq and had an opportunity to take some time away with her husband Raul. They both serve in the Army and have had to be a part for some time.

We got together at the Ivy Hotel where they were staying and cruised around the area downtown together. I'm SO stoked on their session! They brought the love and laughter! I'm just about finished with production for their session and wanted to post a sneak peak.



Imelda and Raul, it was so much fun spending an evening with you two! I hope you enjoyed San Diego and I hope you went to Phil's BBQ! :) Lots of Love!

Sarah + Alex : October 4, 2008

Sarah and Alex were married on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at Maderes Country Club in Poway, California. The day was beautiful and I enjoyed every minute! To me, the weather was beautiful and it sprinkled a little to bless their ceremony even more. Here is a sneak peak. . .stay tuned for more.

Inkbox Design Boutique :: Vendor Spotlight

Wow! I just discovered . . . .



Lisa Tse, created Inkbox Designs after planning her own wedding. Her tag line is. . .

. . . inking outside the box.

I absolutely LOVE what she's creating. . .!! By all means, stop what you're doing if you're getting married, having a baby or just enjoy good design and check out her work by clicking on her logo above. Check out her portfolio for the killer work she's done for baby announcements, rehearsal dinners, weddings, baby showers, bat mitzvah, charity events. . .beautiful, creative, clean design and really fun! And my favorite. . . she offers letterpress!!

Ladies, she's also created Cake which is her product line offering gift items for your bridesmaids, your maid of honor and even your fur children. Fun, pink and swirly!! Brides, I suggest the pink hoodie for your wedding day!! So cute, comfy for getting ready and you just unzip once your hair is finished and then easily slip into your dress.

Here are examples of the Cake products ::



One of my favorite designs that caught my eye is the : Nature Nuptials



and a custom wedding favor to go along with the theme . . .



I think these wedding invitation designs leave your guests feeling that your love is so put together. From the save the dates, invitations and packaging it's just so well done. When guests have these in their hands, they'll feel something and make a connection with the day that most likely won't be forgotten.

Thank you to Lisa for putting her heart and soul into creating beautiful work!!

Anna + Dino : Engaged!

Ahhhhh! I again get to say that I love these two. Having a photography journal to express the happenings in my world really reminds me on a daily basis how lucky I am to have an open door for great people to walk into my life. And walk in they did. . .Anna and Dino met on New Years Eve Eve at D Street Bar in Encinitas.

So, the story goes. . .Anna's friend had this friend, Dino who she wanted her to meet. Anna's friend begged her to come after she got off work and reluctantly Anna went to D Street in her work clothes and the rest is history. . .

We met at D Street and relived their meeting which was just too cute to see them sit at the same table and hold hands. Anna giggled the entire session which was awesome for me. I can still hear her giggles. . .between the giggles is just this beautiful silence and peace when they look at each other.







This story reminds me that you just never know when your person will walk through your door.

Thank you, Anna and Dino for sharing a Monday evening with me in Encinitas {one of my favorite places in San Diego}.

I'm really excited to photograph your July 2009 wedding!

XoXo.