Vancouver photographer | Modern Day Muse @ Tara Cronica

“You’re hired!” I said to the handsome man with his beaming smile and long lashes. Little did I know this would one day be the story of how we first met. Yes, my husband and I secretly dated and lived together for about a year as we both worked for the same company. He also shares the same birthday as my brother, which started our initial conversation. Destined to be?

Carla and Matt met online. But did you know that they actually first met in person, one year prior to the online dating? They first met at a clothing store in Nelson, BC, a random meeting then, and later remembered the first meeting when they actually started dating. They were married last summer. Was it destiny?

Ashley and Jon had six random encounters over the course of five years, starting when she was just 17. They were married last week. Was it fate?

Tabitha and Steve first met five years ago and danced the night away claiming it was love at first site. They will be married Friday, April 13^th, exactly five years to the day since they fell head over heals, which happened to also have been a Friday the 13^th. Was it love at first site?

You see we all have a story and I am the lucky one who gets to capture it on their wedding day. I am a hopeless romantic who believes in all the above, destiny, fate, love at first site and loving someone so much you think you’re heart’s going to explode. It’s like re-watching that romantic movie or reading that novel over and over again that you can actually recite the words, only it’s not a movie or a novel, its real people and real stories and what led them down the aisle.

I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer based out of Vancouver BC but one day hope to shoot weddings worldwide. I have found a passion so deep that I couldn’t image doing anything else. I could have easily gone back to my career in business after the first year of maternity leave, but I couldn’t imagine continuing to do something where I felt like I was settling.

Photography is so powerful. I get to document history for people, freeze time and capture some of the most important events in people’s lives. I’ve always had my “head in the clouds” so to speak, must be the Pisces in me, but I love to create a vision that reflects who you are and then capture it.

When was the last time you’ve had your family portraits done? Or a couple session or even had photos done just of yourself? Regardless if you take out your iphone or a simple point and shoot, take it out and document your lives, your children, your parents and the people who matter in your life. I highly suggest you find a professional photographer too and invest in some great images at least once a year. You’re building memories that are going to be handed down for generations. Alright, I am getting deep tonight, must be the wine , lol…but in all seriousness, life is short. Live it with passion and love like crazy.

What’s your story? I’d love to hear it…and then capture it. XOXO

Here are a few of Melissa’s amazing photographs:

Click here for the Melissa Montgomery Gallery to see more of Melissa’s photos.

Website: http://www.photographybymm.com
Blog: http://www.photographybymm.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/melissamontgomeryphotography
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/photographybymm
Email: melissamontgomery@shaw.ca

Melissa is a long time family friend of Johns and mine whose work I admire and whose friendship I cherish. (John’s known her since birth and she has been his daughter Lisa’s best friend forever) Melissa did my own photos last summer and I was very happy with the results. I normally feel awkward getting my photo taken, but she calmed my nerves and made it fun. Thank you Melissa and I hope we can have you join us on Tara Cronica again soon. ~ Bonnie

Bonnie Johnson's Post Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess….blah, blah, blah….handsome prince…blah, blah, blah,…rescue…blah, blah, blah…and they lived happily ever after. That was the gist of most of the fairy tales I knew of when I was a little girl.

It was a lovely thought. No matter how difficult the beginning, in the end everything worked out beautifully. Fairy tales are a weird genre anyway when you think about it. There is always someone quite diabolical or evil in them. The stories are often put together in one book for children called “Bedtime Stories”. Scary enough to conjure up some strong nightmares for the poor little ones who have them read aloud to them right before going to sleep. Whose idea was that? In fairness I do know that originally these tales were meant for adults as much as they were for children.

I recall putting on the Disney movie “Beauty and The Beast” to watch with our grandson, Tristan, who was only 3 or 4 at the time. I had to turn it off when the wolves were chasing Belle and her father through the forest. Tristan was totally freaked out! It never occurred to me that a Disney movie could be so terrifying. Don’t even get me started on the Brothers Grimm, who I loved reading, but those were some scary stories!

I’m getting a little off topic here, I meant to talk about the unrealistic “happily ever after” sentiment that these stories left with us as young children. As little girls we all wanted to be the beautiful princess who was rescued by and then married the strong handsome prince. I have a very close friend that is still hoping for a handsome prince to ride his stallion into her life, swoop her up into the saddle with him and while she clings to his strong chest they will gallop into the sunset to “live happily ever after”. Now I’m not saying that won’t ever happen, but I just think that there is a whole lot of messy stuff that accompanies it too. You know, like their kids from previous marriages, the exes, the money issues, etc, etc.

To illustrate my point, I recently found the following images by Vancouver photographer/artist Dina Goldstein. I think they are brilliantly done. These photos come from her “Fallen Princesses” project. “These works place Fairy Tale characters in modern day scenarios. In all of the images the Princess is placed in an environment that articulates her conflict. The “…happily ever after” is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues.” (Quoted from http://www.dinagoldstein.com/)

sleeping-beauty