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.

Sweet Cheeks! Henna, Aki and Mateo’s Family Session

June 7, 2012

I want to eat him and those delicious baby cheeks!!! Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on. (I’m pretty sure that would be socially unacceptable, not to mention bad for business, right?)

Mateo is this gorgeous 9 and ½ month old baby, son to gorgeous Aki and Henna. Would it be safe to say that “gorgeous” is a trait, and that it runs in this family? Whatever happened to cook up this ‘lil looker must have had something to do with the blessed mix of genetics running around here––Aki is Croatian from the Adriatic Coast and Henna is a Chicago-born gal with Korean, German and Irish roots!

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing this super sweet family when Henna won the most votes for her photo submission in April’s “Spring Me Into Happiness” contest. Henna and Aki did not have professional wedding photos when they were married three years ago, so this shoot had special meaning to their growing family!

The vision was a slice of classic Americana: a relaxed family picnic on the beach one lazy Sunday, served up with some fresh polka dots and seersucker just ripe for summer. And, are you not dying for Mateo’s suspenders over his nekkid, ‘lil belly? I had fun frolicking around Montrose Beach in Chicago capturing some beautiful moments between Henna and Aki. Little Mateo was sleepy––perfect for getting good shots of sweet baby “bedroom eyes!”