Melissa began her career in Los Angeles with commercial and fashion photography. Her travels brought her to the Central Coast where she met and fell in love with her future husband Martin. She wanted to start her photography business concentrating on weddings and portraiture and thought San Luis Obispo would be perfect.
This was back in 1997 and her and Martin have been happily married since 2004. Along the way Melissa sparked Martins interest in photography.
Since 2002 they have been photographing weddings as a team. Melissa brings an extensive photography background and a strong artistic style. Martin complements this with more of a photojournalistic approach. Together they cover all aspects of a wedding day.
To learn more about Melissa or Martin click on the links at the top of this screen.
Melissa's wedding photography had won several awards from Wedding and Portrait Photographers International including:
16X20 Print competition - Award of Accolade - Engagement Portrait
8X10 Print Competition - Award of Accolade - Weddings "The Perfect Dress"
8X10 Print Competition - Award of Accolade - Weddings "The New Lady of the Castle"
8X10 Print Competition - Award of Accolade - Weddings "The Knight and the Lady"
Her work has also been featured in California Weds magazine including:
Spring/Fall 2008 - Cover
Summer/Fall 2009 - Cover
Our pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!!! We did our engagement photos and wedding day photos with Melissa and her photographer husband Martin. Since we were out-of-town clients and we planned our wedding in two short months, we didn't have a big block of time between the engagement photos and the actual wedding. But that didn't deter the Fitzpatricks. We did the engagement photos on Wednesday and the wedding was on Saturday, three days later. Melissa surprised us with a beautiful framed engagement photo the day of the wedding - and the engagement photos were done too! The day of the wedding was 108 degrees - unseasonably hot for the end of September. But I never heard one word of complaint about the heat from Melissa or Martin. I complained!! But not them!! Melissa captured everything - the little details (who gets to actually look at the flower arrangements?), the moments that happened that we didn't see (my husband's niece found a frog to kiss - I guess she wanted to get those frogs out of the way so she can find her prince!), the romantic moments, the tears, the laughter. I love the pictures. The only problem is picking my favorites! We wanted more than the traditional shots - we wanted the love and the laughter and the fun - and we got more than we ever dreamed! Thank you Melissa and Martin!! Todd and Teresa
We just hung the engagement photos you took of us in our home and they are so beautiful! Truly a work of art.....Thank You, Shannon and Marco
The photo slideshow you designed is absolutely stunning and beautiful, thank you. I keep watching it everyday...brings tears to my eyes. You and Martin are very talented photographers. Both of you captured all the emotions of the day. It was a pleasure working with you both. Xavier and Jennifer
There wouldn't be a more expressive way for us to remember our wedding than the perfect photographs, and that is what we have. From the engagement session by the creek to the final shots in the limo, we had such fun working with you. From our family to yours we thank you from the foundation of our hearts. Mark and Saskia
Her genuine love for her work, her passion and her easy going personality have made Melissa a true pleasure to work with. Our wedding photos came out incredible. Nick and Lauren
Both Melissa and Martin went above and beyond what we expected. We now have some of the best memories of our wedding all in beautiful pictures and we now have a gorgeous album. Andrew and Tiffany
Here are a few of the weddings we have photographed. Click on any of the weddings below and see how we cover a wedding day from getting ready all the way through the final dance.
You will also see how the album comes together. Melissa custom designs all albums to create a unique storytelling piece of art.
We have a wide variety of products to showcase your photos. Albums are always popular for weddings but are also great for engagements and baby photos. Whether it's a wall portrait, desktop portrait, album or canvas we use only top quality companies and materials for your photography products.
SIGNATURE SERIES ALBUMS
Our signature series albums are the perfect heirloom keepsake. These durable leather bound albums come in a variety of styles, sizes and colors. With UV protected photographic prints mounted on thick pages (approximately 1/16") and options including photos on the cover or a metal cameo, you are sure to find the perfect album to showcase your wedding memories.
Sizes range from 5X5 to 12X12 and each volume can be from 20-60 pages.
SLIMLINE SERIES ALBUMS
Our slimline series albums are perfect bound with UV coated press prints. They are magazine style books with a hard cover and have various options including several cover options, photographs on the cover and dust-jackets.
Sizes are available from 5X5 to 12X12 with 20-60 pages each.
These also work very well for parent albums and engagement sign-in books.
GALLERY WRAPPED CANVASES
These gallery wrapped canvases are the perfect way to display your wedding, engagement, or family portraits. Many couples like to display their engagment canvas at their wedding and then in their home after the wedding. Every canvas is truely a piece of art.
Each canvas is sprayed with a UV protectant and meticulously stretched by a professional production team. Standard thickness is 1.5" but a thinner 3/4" and thicker 2.5" board is also available.
Your photograph can wrap around the edges or we can make the edges a specific color, either way this piece of art will stand on it's own with no need for any framing.
With sizes ranging from 6"X6" to 60"X100" we can customize a size that will best showcase the image and with fit perfectly on your wallspace.
ENGAGEMENT SIGN IN ALBUMS
A great alternative to the standard sign-in book. Your guests will enjoy looking through all of your engagement photos and will write a personal message to you. These are a true keepsake for years to come.
Portrait Photography:
$150 in studio session
$250 on location session
Full day Wedding Photography packages start at $3300. Please contact us for a personalized package.
Fitzpatrick Studios is located in San Luis Obispo California and generally serves all of California but is available for travel worldwide.
If you have any questions please use the contact page to let us know.