Melissa Engle Photography

Some Friday favorites with Mekai to check out on the blog! https://www.melissaenglephotography.com//lancaster-senior-

I have realized just how much color brings joy to my life during these dreary winter days. Our latest house project was giving our entryway vestibule a little facelift. I had some leftover chalkboard paint in the basement that I put on the bottom half, and I found this awesome jungle animals and plants wallpaper for the top half and it is what #wallpaperdreams are made of! My husband was not a fan at first, but I could not love it more (he takes credit for measuring, cutting ...and sticking it to the wall). I think I might do a series of photos in this little vestibule of ours. This one shall be the first and I think the theme is pretty obvious-#butterflies. I have been inspired lately by The Aesthetics of Joy and trying to notice the little things that bring me joy every day. My daughter, and this colorful vestibule, are definitely some of them! From the moment I first started studying joy, it was clear that the liveliest places and objects all have one thing in common: bright, vivid color. Whether it’s a row of houses painted in bold swaths of candy hues or a display of colored markers in a stationery shop, vibrant color invariably sparks a feeling of delight. Ingrid Fetell Lee, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

Breathe in that fresh newborn baby smell. I know you can’t see either of their faces in this image but I love capturing the back of little newborn heads and seeing the way dad‘s hand is so large in comparison. I have no idea why but as a child I remember calling the little swirl/ cowlick on baby’s heads a noots. It was a word I made up when my brother was born and I remember liking to touch his head and poke his noots I was five when he was born but only 2 1/2 when my s...ister was born at home on the bed (unplanned), caught by my dad who made it home from work just in time. All I remember is that my parents wouldn’t let me in the room and my uncle came and took me to his house. If you have younger siblings, do you remember anything about when they were born? #simplyfathers #melissaenglephotography #lancasterpaphotographer #lancasternewbornphotographer #sonya7iii #smalpresets #cameramama #honestmotherhood #dearphotographer #documentyourdays #newbornphotography #blackandwhitephoto #beunraveled See more

New Year's Eve at Longwood gardens was magical as always, though a little damp and chilly this year. We will be back once they open the conservatory up again. Being surrounded by lush plants inside buildings made of glass brings me such life during the dead of winter. www.melissaenglephotography.com

Friday favorites and Happy New Year! One of the best decisions I made in 2020 was a short weekend trip to the Dominican Republic in February for a girls' getaway to visit our dear friend Elena Seiffert who has since relocated to Guatemala. I probably shared some of these here before, but I'm sharing again. I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to travel again and I'm so grateful for those 3 days on that warm tropical island spent in good company. (The photos of me were likely taken by Heidi Shirk)

The snowflakes today are perfection and I happened to capture one that landed on Cupcake's head. This was her first time out in the snow www.melissaenglephotography.com

Feeling in the mood for a little black and white beauty today. And here's your reminder to keep moving, even when it's cold outside. Can you spot me in this photo? www.melissaenglephotography.com

Continuing the theme of good things in 2020; I got to stand alongside my dear friend Andrea as a bridesmaid in March when she married the love of her life right before our world shut down. A month later I was one of the first to hear the exciting news that they were expecting a baby in December. And here she is, their precious Luna who I cannot wait to spoil with all the girly things. What a perfect gift to end a crazy year. www.melissaenglephotography.com

Cityscapes with Mekai. This week I’m sharing some of the good things I’ve seen and experienced in 2020. I love all the new murals that were painted around Lancaster City this year. This one was painted by Keisha Finnie in collaboration with Music For Everyone. Normally businesses sponsor painted pianos that are put around various locations in the city but this year they decided not to do it because of c*vid. Non-profit Music For Everyone Lancaster hired local artists to paint murals instead. www.melissaenglephotography.com

Fresh meat on the blog! (j/k, just fresh, adorable faces and the beautiful Lancaster City home of some lovely friends and neighbors)