Mell Bell Wedding Photographer

Mell Bell

Lets be honest. Getting your photo taken is awkward. It’s weird. But guess what? I’m awkward, and I’m fluent in weird. I’m good at making you feel comfortable in front of the camera and in your own skin. And we have fun, and we laugh at our selves, and suddenly awkwardness turns into genuine laughter… I live for that moment.

My favorite part is eye crinkles. Eye crinkles are those beautiful lines that appear beside your eyes when you really smile. I first noticed them in my mom and dad’s wedding album. The photographer took an image of my father just looking at my mother. He had to sweetest smile with a twinkle in his eyes and those magical eye crinkles. My father died when I was just thirteen, and I have very few photos of him. But when I see a bride and groom with eye crinkles, it reminds me of my dad.

My husband, Nathan, wooed me officially into the family studio in 2005 when we were married. I assisted him and was his second photographer for years until the day I photographed my first wedding as the lead photographer. I remember one day after a wedding I second shot with him, Nathan viewed my images and said, “Mell Bell, you’re a freaking awesome photographer.” To this day, I still have him repeat this to me before every wedding I photograph. I hired him back in the day to take my photos for my college senior portraits. In fact I was officially the first person to hire Nathan specifically to take pictures, and the rest is history.

I love Wonder Woman, Diet Dr Pepper, Jack Daniels, flip flops, and nice people. If you’re nice, lets do this.