We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Lyn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
That all I do is just push a button on my camera. I mean, that’s so easy, right?!? After starting my business, I’ve realized that the portrait session and editing is really only 10% of my job. The rest is juggling all of the other “hats” us entrepreneurs wear; marketing, bookkeeping, SEO, blogging, social media, customer service and so much more!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I seriously pinch myself every day that I have been able to call this “my job” for all of these years. Being able to capture a family’s brand new baby in their first few weeks of life is such an incredible honor. Being able to grow with these families from their maternity session, to their newborn session and then to capture their family portraits each year is more than I can put into words. I truly feel like my clients have become like family. I become a familiar face to their children each year making their annual family portraits SO FUN because I’m not a stranger! And this makes for some easy peasy family portrait sessions!

I worked hard to build my portrait business after I left the wedding industry. And I’m so proud of the succssful business that I built! But it was a struggle to rebuild my business when we moved from Orange County to Temecula almost 6 years ago. But after a lot of hard work, dedication, goal setting, my business is better than ever! I have some big goals that I want to accomplish and I’m SO excited!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, Temecula is know as Wine Country! And it’s growing rapidly! It’s said that Temecula will soon become as big as Napa Valley one day soon. So of course first on my list is visiting Temecula Valley Wine Country! We have over 50 wineries to choose from. I personally LOVE wine and have been members to several wineries here in the valley. Currently, my favorites are:

-Lorimar Winery (known for their amazing reds!) I love that they offer live music daily, offer amazing food and are open late on the weekends.
-Leoness Winery (also known for their amazing reds)
-Ponte Winery – their restaurant is SO good and their sparkling red wine, I can’t for the life of me remember (let alone pronounce it correctly) but it starts with a V and it’s always sold out. Because it’s that good!

Attractions:
Old Town Temecula! SO many great shops and restaurants! Here are some of my favorites:

To Eat:
Goat & Vine (the Goat pizza and Goat & Vine salad are my FAV)
Gambling Cowboy
1909
Be Good Restaurant (their signature enchilada plate is INSANE)

Another fun bar & restaurant is Oscars!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh my goodness! There are so many to mention! First and foremost; my husband! He’s my rock and my biggest supporter, hands down (besides my dad). He’s always up for my crazy ideas and is always my biggest cheerleader (wishing me the best of luck on session day or leaving me notes in my camera bag to “kick *ss at my session”. Seriously, HOW did I get so lucky to have such a supportive husband?

Mentorships: I’m a firm believer that you can never stop learning, Even though I’ve been photographing newborns and families for over 17 years, I continue to invest in myself with mentorships and workshops each year. I’m always perfecting my craft and learning new and more efficient ways in running my business.

Book: Hands down I can not recommend this book enough!!! “Love Money, Money Loves You”. Stop what you are doing and go buy this book right now! You will be thanking me later, I promise. It’s truly a game changer and will change your life for the better in SO many ways!!

Website: www.melissalynphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissalynphoto/

Facebook: https://wwwfacebook.com/melissalynphoto/

Image Credits
Headshot by Ali and Art Photography www.instagram.com/aliandartphotography

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