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

Hi Melissa Reider, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
The quote we actually named our business after is from Ansel Adams, one of the most well-known landscape photographers. We love his photography & will always be drawn back to landscapes. “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are a sister-in-law pair of photographers – we love that we work so well together and have plenty of time and experience together to know what the other is thinking during the middle of a wedding or family photo session. Our growth over the years has been slow and steady but for us, that’s what we’ve needed while trying to raise families and stay consistent! Our favorite part of photographing others is seeing how someone’s face lights up when they get to see their final product and share their favorite images with their families and friends. We’re always so curious which images stick out to our clients the most and which ones tell a story. With weddings especially, it’s so fun to weave together a day of memories & be able to hand that back to our clients to relive forever.

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?
Since we live in such a small town, isolated by the mountains, we usually will head out to all the outdoor places that are fun for sightseeing! We love showing off the Trona Pinnacles (where they’ve filmed countless movies), up to the Alabama Hills and Mt. Whitney, or even go a few hours south to Disneyland (because who doesn’t love Disney?!). We also love Death Valley during the cooler months or hitting the central coast beaches to cool down when it’s hot in our desert.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For us, it always goes back to family. We are both moms with busy lives & kiddos, so our shoutout goes back to our husbands for always putting up with us and our crazy session times right in the middle of dinner. Thanks for always taking on the role of dad so quickly, easily, and supporting our small business when we have to stay up late and edit.

Website: www.findingfocusphoto.com

Instagram: @findingfocusphoto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/findingfocusphotography

Image Credits
All photos by Finding Focus Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.