Wedding Photographers Chicago | Melissa Diep Photography | Blog bio picture

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Remember the scene in Sex and the City the movie when Louise from St. Louis gives Carrie her Love charm? That’s Melissa Diep. She’s in love with Love. She’s the kind of gal who wears her heart on her sleeve and cries a little when her brides and grooms take their First Look. She loves the thrill of photographing the magic that exists between her couples, the innocence of a sleeping newborn, and the simplicity of a family in their own backyard.

Melissa is always on the hunt for the new and interesting in her hometown of Chicago, by way of Saigon, Vietnam. It is because of her family’s hardships and tenacity during their flight from the communist North––spending 10 days on a cramped fishing boat, then living in a refugee camp in Thailand for nearly two years––that have shaped who Melissa is today as a woman, wife, mother and photographer.

Armed with only a handful of pictures from her early childhood––one single baby photo and just a few as an infant in her family’s camp––it’s easy to understand why Melissa employs a photojournalistic approach behind the lens. She aims to deliver photo memories with stunning visual impact; natural and unscripted while telling your story effortlessly.

Melissa’s upbringing motivates her to live fully and to appreciate the grand, the small, and the in between. In her everyday, Melissa rocks girly dresses with blazers on photo shoots and drinks Vietnamese coffee. She believes in finding beauty in unexpected places, always doing her hair and lusting over shiny red Minis (regrettably, but dutifully, she upgraded hers to a more baby-friendly vehicle).

Melissa lives in Chicago with The Giant and Little G, also affectionately known as her husband and one year old son, of whom she religiously takes one 100 photos a day.

Chicago Trash the Dress | Wedding Photographers | Trash the Dress | Wedding Photography

September 3, 2009 Tags: chicago photographers,chicago trash the dress,memories in motion,mili ghosh,trash the dress

So I’ve been having a hard time finding a bride that’s willing to do a trash the dress session in Chicago. I’ve spoken to some fellow photographer’s in Chicago that’s never done it in Chicago as well. So I’ve decided to find myself a beautiful model and a beautiful wedding dress and do my own trash the dress session. In the midst of planning this photo session, I decided, heck, why don’t I just invite my fellow photographers along for the shoot. I never really get to see them nor have I really shot with them. I figured it’ll be a good time for us to all get together, learn, and have FUN!! Now we all can add a trash the dress session to our catalog. I decided to put together this event last night and was SHOCKED with the response I’ve gotten. Not just from my fellow Chicago photographers but the surrounding state as well. It actually got me thinking that I should maybe host another TTD before it gets cold out? Here’s a picture of my own TTD for those of you that don’t know what it is. These photos was taken by Mili Ghosh from Memories In Motion.