Our little blog has been highly neglected this year. We've had so many things going on it's been difficult to stop and give proper attention.
I'd like to start by sharing how we joined the http://www.welcomethemhome.org organization. I was given the absolute honor of photographing the return of a solider at our church from overseas. A little back story - our Wednesday Night Bible Study has one of my favorite Godly influences lead our women's class. Her daughter (Em), and her own mom are in the class too. Em's boyfriend Steven had been deployed for several months. About two weeks before the homecoming was to take place, Em's mom pulled me aside at church and shared the really BIG plans for the homecoming. Let's just say it became even more exciting to be apart of this special reunion for these families. (Hint... She said YES!!)
These pictures are some of my favorites.. I could have posted them all but I contained myself! :)
Thank you again Em & Steven for giving me the honor to capture these special moments in your life! Blessings & Love to you!
Any big plans for Thanksgiving? Traveling some where super fun you'd like to share with us? :)
Do we have any shoppers out there? If so... Shhhhh Black Friday Sale is coming up!
Congrats Trena for our Gift Basket with the Autographed Book from Bonnie Hicks -
Where Can Broken Hearts Go? http://www.hope4brokenhearts.com/#
Congrats Sherrie for our Pink Flower Framed Picture.
Again, we thank each of you for taking the time to share in our day as we officially launched our business.
Please be on the look out for upcoming news!
Take Care and God's Blessings to each of you!
Melissa
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This scripture is one that I have held on to the past few years since graduating from USF. I really enjoy marketing and have a huge passion for photography. I am hardly ever without a camera. I like to photograph almost anything! I was on Instagram before it became the "It" thing and have always had a "purse camera". I want to have plenty of beautiful pictures to remember my life. I can remember my granny and pawpaw had a Polaroid camera that would be magic as the picture would develop. Those are considered Vintage now, and I own 2. :) My Someday List has to collect 10 Vintage Cameras in total, I'm well on my way.
Speaking of my Someday List (others call it a bucket list) I wrote up this list before I had even met my husband. Let's say that he has made so many of my dreams come true on there. Thanks Babe! :) There was a time in this process that I realized what my true calling with photography was. I had dreams of having our pictures hanging in offices and homes bringing joy to those that had purchased them. God and I would talk about this often, but I at times was hesitant with the timing. God showed us last Fall that it was time to move in this direction. We went out and did all that fun stuff (getting business license, get branding done, website) and then we prayed for the right launch for us. We had looked into several other Art Shows but the dates didn't work till now.
The thing about God is that he is ALWAYS working in the back ground for our lives. As I was busy working on the above, he was fulfilling a dream of mine for one of my pictures to be published. It's number 16 on My Someday List. I met Bonnie Hicks in the summer of 2011, she was in the middle of a Huge Storm in her life. We became family over the last couple of years. God gave me the opportunity to photograph her family in an extremely special ceremony Christmas Eve 2011; that would later turn into God telling her she needed to write a book! Her story is an inspiration to many and for me for my future. Just when you think your alone and broken, you will realize that there is Hope for a new day. One Christmas Eve of 2012, we had setup a time to grab a short photo shoot with all the family that was in town for Christmas. We had about 15 minutes till the rain began but in that time we grabbed some of our favorite pictures to date.
Little did I know that when Bonnie was finishing up her details of the book; Where Can Broken Hearts Go? Bonnie would choose one of our pictures from Christmas to be published in the back of the book. When Bonnie told me, I was immediately overflowed with Joy. To have a picture of ours published in such a personal way was pretty fantastic! If you have a broken heart and need healing this is a book for you. I read all the time and I know that this book can give you Hope and Restoration. Pick up a copy here -https://www.ebookit.com/books/0000002695/Where-Can-Broken-Hearts-Go.html you will not regret it!
I'm going to let you in on a little secret.... For those that come by our booth at the 3rd Annual Spring Market & Craft Fair on May 18th, you will be entered into winning a gift basket with an autographed copy of Where Can Broken Hearts Go? by Bonnie Hicks.
I'm not sure what the future holds, but I do know who holds my future. I see a future with all kinds of unexpected happiness, expectations, and opportunities. God's plan is so much better than any plan I could dream up.
Take Care & Blessings to each of you~!
Melissa
Welcome to Branches of Life Photography!
We just want to say thanks for stopping by and checking out our website and we pray you enjoyed looking through God's beauty as much as we have enjoyed capturing it.
This website has been a labor of love for our ministry and our life. When you hear people say find what your passion is that God has given you and you will not work a day in your life. We know we have been called to photography.
Russell and I met in 2011, married in 2012 and became business partners in 2013. God knew that pairing us up would be perfect harmony. We are excited to be debuting our website and our business at our church on May 18th.
First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, FL will be having their 3rd Annual Spring Market & Craft Fair from 10am to 3pm. We’d love for you to come out and share in with this joyful occasion. You’ll be able to see prints and canvas gallery wraps in person before we sell out.
Just a few sneak peek pictures for our preparation of the show…