Real life deserves to beremembered, not retouched.
I’m Melissa Chu, a family & motherhood photographer based in Central Ohio.
Before I focused on families, I spent years photographing weddings — where families begin.
It taught me to find the real moments early on: the quick glances, the hand squeezes, the quiet in-between seconds you feel more than you see.
It taught me that the best stories aren’t the ones you pose, they’re the ones you live.
And when I became a mother myself, it made me realize how desperately we need to hold onto those everyday moments. Not just the milestones or the polished portraits, but spilled cereal and the mismatched socks, the little things that slip away if you’re not looking.
My daughter changed the way I see everything.
When I photograph your family, it’s through the eyes of someone who knows what it’s like to want to stop time — not forever, just for a second — so you can breathe it in before it’s gone.
I lost my mom and my mother-in-law before I ever became a mother.
I’ve always known I wanted to be a photographer, and my mom believed in that dream from the beginning — she co-signed my loans and gave me all the tools to be successful.
When I became a mom, she wasn’t there to call, and that loss rewired everything. It made me realize how much we forget. How quickly it all moves. How precious the ordinary truly is.
That kind of loneliness is hard to explain, but it’s also why I see mothers the way I do. With reverence. With softness. With truth.
It’s why I chase the imperfect moments so fiercely. Because they’re the ones we ache for later.
What I Believe
Your love doesn’t need retouching.
Messy is beautiful.
Real moments matter more than perfect ones.
Every mother deserves to be seen, even when she feels invisible.
Sadness is just as important as joy.
Family isn’t about looking perfect; it’s about belonging.
Motherhood changes you forever and always.
It’s your undoing, your rebuilding, your becoming.
I know what it feels like to wake up in the middle of a cluttered living room, holding a tiny person who needs you more than anything else in the world, and wonder if you’re doing any of it right.
In the exhaustion, in the doubt, in the quiet “I love yous” after the storm — that’s where the real story lives.
That’s what I’m here to help you hold onto, not just today, but as your family grows.
From the baby years to the birthdays, the quiet seasons to the wild ones, your story deserves to be seen and remembered, every step of the way.
Your love doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be seen.