Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Stynski.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I am a farm girl from the midwest. I moved to Colorado in 2006, had just finished college, was married, had no kids and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So, what else does someone do, they move to western Colorado! It’s where we landed and 15 years later, we are still here and we love it. In 2007, we became parents for the first time. We walked through, what no parent would ever want to walk through, hearing a doctor tell you that your child needs heart surgery and may only have about two weeks to live. At that moment, my life changed, and I knew I wanted to capture whatever moments I had with our sweet newborn.
Those few clicks opened a business in 2011. I loved capturing memories, moments, stopping time, but for a moment. In the beginning, I photographed everything from birth to the end of my life. Given the name of my business, “Life Photography.” After photographing 57 weddings over the course of 5 years, I realized that was not my passion. I left the wedding world and found my love for newborn photography. In 2016, though I had photographed many newborns before this, it was in 2016 that I really allowed myself to take off with the newborn world.
I soon became known in the local hospitals, when I would be asked to photographed births, fresh 48 sessions, or maybe even a family having to say goodbye to their newborn, I was there. There were tears, of both happiness and sadness, in those moments, but that is when I truly knew, I had found my passion, and that is how I got to where I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. As in nearly everything in life, there are ups and downs along the way.
Some of the struggles I faced, in the beginning, where knowing what I wanted to do, attempting to afford the gear I “needed” to have. I did not have a studio so I was all over the place. When I was able to settle down and pinpoint what I wanted to do with my business, it did make things much smoother and easier.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the owner of Life Photography by Melissa. I specialize in Maternity, Newborn, Children, and Family Photography. I am mostly known for being the “baby whisper” and working well with children. I have always loved children and I am happy it shows through my work.
I am most proud of how I have built this business from nothing to what it is today.
What sets me apart from others? Hands down, my patience, customer service, and the atmosphere I provide for each session.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was shy, kept to myself, and did what I was told to do. I grew up on a hog farm, so I spent a lot of time, outside of school, spending time with animals and helping on the farm. In high school, at one point, I was babysitting for just over 20 different families in our hometown. I was always interested in helping others, I was very involved in my church and enjoyed just simply getting to know people.
Contact Info:
- Email: lifephotographybymelissaco@gmail.com
- Website: www.lifephotographybymelissa.com
- Instagram: www.instragram.com/lifephotographybymelissa
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lifephotographybymelissa
