answers to your

Frequently Asked Questions

Call me at 203-247-6983, if I can't get to the phone when you call, then feel free to set up an appointment on my schedule at: https://calendly.com/melanilust Let me know if you would like to chat or Zoom! I'd love to hear about your wedding vision!

I helped all my 2020 and 2021 couples reschedule their weddings and transferred all of their payments to their new dates. I'm here to help with whatever you need! Because I only take 18 weddings per year, my schedule is very flexible and all monies retained will be transferred over to your new date should you have to reschedule. Let me know if you need assistance with a planner, I know several fantastic ones who can navigate any complex, continually changing situation. I look forward to helping you!

Absolutely! I would love to document your small ceremony and have a "connection" session right after or the next day. I will be observant of health regulations. It has always been my style to use my 200 mm for most of my work and I am typically more than 10 feet from my clients in normal situations. Whether your small ceremony is at the local beach, park, town hall, church or your back yard, I will create compelling imagery that will bring your future children, and grandchildren, right back into the moment and atmosphere.

Oh yes, I love them! The best time of day to schedule your elopement at the Clerk's office is two hours before sunset. You need to be inside by 3:45 with a ticket number and they will conduct your ceremony that afternoon. You will wait anywhere from 15 minutes - 2 hours. Then we will have the opportunity to capture the most beautiful images in the golden light falling across NYC. The fee for the shoot which is up to 3 hours (it could be 1 - 2 hours depending upon the wait) is a flat $2000, this includes everything- the shoot, all the edited, printable high resolution images, parking fees, etc. Your first family heirloom images will be enjoyed from generation to generation.

"Engagement session” is a misleading term, I prefer “lifestyle couples session." Engagement sessions were originally a way your parents obtained a nice photo of you together to announce your engagement in the local paper. While we still love a great photo to announce the engagement in social media, and your parents will often want this for their local paper, or the NY Times, now engagement sessions are much more than that. There is no better way for us to get to know each other and for you to feel confident and comfortable with your photographer than through an engagement session. I can’t count the number of couples who have told me they were so nervous about getting their wedding photos taken, but once they went through the experience of an engagement session and got their photos back, they were totally at ease for their wedding day. It gives you a chance to experience how I work and direct, it gives us a chance to talk and get to know each other, and it’s also a great opportunity to create whatever kind of images we want without the timing and location constraints of a wedding day. We don’t always have the time on a wedding day to create unguarded images at a beach at the perfect time of day. These images will reflect this time in your lives and have an authenticity to them that will make them worth far more than a thousand words when your grandkids are looking at them in 30 years, back when you were "a fun, hip couple." These sessions are for much more than a pretty background, we will work out a plan to have it reflect the places you love and the things you love to do. For some couples it means cooking together, going to their favorite cafe, walking their dog, or photographing at the place the groom proposed. It's certainly not a requirement to have this session, but I do feel you will be much more comfortable in front of the camera on the wedding day, you will be be happy that you have these memories of this time in your life.

Please, pretty please, yes a million times over! I LOVE dogs! I recommend you bring a friend to manage the dog and then take your dog away for the remainder of the session or wedding after we capture some fun family portraits with your pup.

Nothing makes me happier than having the opportunity to document love, whatever your pronoun, and whomever you love. I am grateful to live in this time period where gay marriage is legal.

I have my BA and MA from NYU in Art History, with a double specialization in 17th Century Dutch & Flemish Painting and Ancient Roman Sculpture Groupings of Mars & Venus. The rigorous Art History program required that all students be proficient in film photography and darkroom work, so that we could photograph the works of art we were writing about for our theses. I furthered my photographic studies at Parson's and at the International Center for Photography in Manhattan. Before that I was a professional dancer in New York, specializing in jazz & tap, MTV Videos and off Broadway productions. I strive to continually learn about my craft, and each wedding, editorial and commercial assignment puts me in touch with a completely different set of aesthetics, situational circumstances and lighting challenges that I must solve. I bring my trained eye to your wedding and incorporate the aesthetics of your personalities & wedding vision into my individualized approach to your day. For example, if my couple is bubbly & bright, with a lighter wedding palette, I will capture their candids with a brighter aesthetic, and choose angles & lighting equipment that reflects that character. If my couple is more poetic & dramatic, I would choose a more Rembrandtian light for their creative portraits.

Discretion is of utmost importance to me! I am constantly moving and hunting for the best moments, most guests won't know I'm there and I'm known for being invisible and completely unobtrusive. The only time I am not ninja like is when I have to work with a videographer that doesn't have years of wedding experience. These videographers often stand in front of the couple during the bride prep, vows, first kiss, first dance and more, and the only way to get a clean shot without the videographer blocking the view is to stand next to them. I had a bride book me after she was at a wedding I photographed because of my discretion. She explained that she was worried that the photos would be terrible, because she never saw me. On the phone, she told me she was blown away when she saw the full set and couldn't believe I captured all of the moments and atmosphere while being invisible.

Discretion is of utmost importance to me! I am constantly moving and hunting for the best moments, most guests won't know I'm there and I'm known for being invisible and completely unobtrusive. The only time I am not ninja like is when I have to work with a videographer that doesn't have years of wedding experience. These videographers often stand in front of the couple during the bride prep, vows, first kiss, first dance and more, and the only way to get a clean shot without the videographer blocking the view is to stand next to them. I had a bride book me after she was at a wedding I photographed because of my discretion. She explained that she was worried that the photos would be terrible, because she never saw me. On the phone, she told me she was blown away when she saw the full set and couldn't believe I captured all of the moments and atmosphere while being invisible.

Have a look at my approach and style on my about me page. https://www.melanilustphotography.com/meet-melani/ Generally, I shoot in a candid, fresh, yet glamorous style that will be as relevant today as it will be fifty years from now with the understanding that your wedding photography collection is not just about the bride and groom, but the entire family. I am acclaimed for creating a documentary style that captures those unscripted moments with gorgeous lighting. My goal for your wedding day is to document the family relationships, expected and unexpected moments, and to make you look better than you have ever looked. I hunt for those honest, unaware moments and always step back to document the context of those moments in a wide, atmospheric view. In sum, I shoot for feeling, emotion and history, striving to be as unobtrusive as possible, yet I take a playful leadership role when necessary. I always bring an upbeat atmosphere and a calming presence. Your resulting heirloom images will be natural, full of authentic personality and joy, and will tell your story in both an intimate and grand way. Technically, my photos are vibrant and clean, with an emphasis on emotion and making sure that those skies you love are not "blown out" or white. I have a commitment to excellence, uncompromising quality and to giving you photos that you never could have imagined. My goal is that you view your photos decades from now and remember exactly how you felt each moment of your wedding. Your wedding images will make you feel exactly as if you were there. I create photographs that matter.

I reside in Westport, CT, one hour north of NYC and my family maintains an apartment for us to use on Madison and 96th St. in Manhattan. I photograph mostly in NYC, Fairfield County, CT, Westchester and Hudson Valley, NY. I have been commissioned to photograph weddings all over the world, from Gwalior, India, to San Diego, CA. I've been to over 40 countries and I love destination weddings. I am proficient in French and Spanish, with associates fluent in Spanish, Polish and Bulgarian.

I always work with a second associate photographer AND a lighting assistant. I will be with you to document your day for a minimum of 10 hours, and sometimes much longer. I will arrive to photograph the bride with my lighting assistant, who will stay with me through the formals. An associate photographer will arrive to document the groom's preparations and then leave after the parent's dances or cake cutting. I love working with my associate photographers, they offer a complementary perspective that will complete your collection.

I love photographing other wedding events and giving my clients a full image collection of their wedding story. I specialize in 3 day and week long weddings. The early wedding events get me acquainted with all of the family members before the main event and often have more unguarded, intimate familial moments than on the wedding day. We have found that families often feel much more comfortable with us as their photographers on the wedding day, after having interacted with us on the previous day, this leads to a trust on the family's part, where they feel freer to let us document their true. unscripted reactions, as opposed to them continually stopping themselves to give us their "camera face." Any wedding event such as: rehearsal dinner, bridal portrait, bridal shower, day-after creative shoot, morning brunch, international engagement session, is available at a special hourly fee with your wedding package. The special fee with a wedding collection includes one photographer and your images via a download link (not included without a wedding collection). There is a minimum of 3 hours for a second day of shooting.

With over 300 weddings under my belt, you can bet I have worked in every challenging lighting situation: multi day Indian celebrations in Gwalior outdoors in 110 degrees, dark temple Jewish ceremonies lit by one candle held by the Rabbi, rainstorm ceremonies in the middle of the pouring rain in Central Park, pre tornado winds that blew the tent over during cocktail hour and more. My equipment is weather sealed and my rain jackets are ready. Documenting your story as it happens in any weather brings me great joy!

New locations inspire creativity and I have photographed weddings all over the region, from Cape Cod, to the Hamptons to Newport. We all have current passports and I am proficient in Spanish and French. We require that all travel, modest accommodations (for two nights) and per diem are paid for. For weddings in the region we offer up to one hour travel time each way and bill a flat rate after that. For weddings more than two hours from Westport, CT, we require overnight accommodation.

I love them! Nothing gets me more excited than the inspiration of discovering new "photo gifts" in new locations abroad! I've been commissioned to photograph all over the world. The furthest was in India, and more often in Bahamas and Jamaica. I have photographed weddings in San Diego, Harbour Island and Jamaica, and all over New England and The Hamptons. I am proficient in French and Spanish and, as a Francophile who's been to France over a dozen times, would love to photograph a wedding in Bordeaux, The Loire, Burgundy or Provence!

We always provide a sneak peek of your photos that showcase the highlights of the day within one week of your wedding, this includes any special requests, especially if a photo is needed for thank you cards, birthdays or anniversaries. It takes an average of 7 - 12 weeks to have all of your wedding photos live on your private link which will also have your download link for immediate delivery of printable resolution jpgs. These are your edited printable proofs that are for you and no one else. Your albums will arrive within 6 - 8 weeks from the time that you approve the final, retouched draft.

For a 10 hour day, you will receive no less than 1000 images, but it is often in the 1500-2000 range. So many factors influence the quantity of deliverables which include the guest count, scope of decor, portrait requests and all of the scheduled events.

You will receive a full set of printable jpgs. MLP will retain the copyright to every image. Your contract licenses you to print the high resolution files for personal use. "License" is different from "Copyright." What it means basically is that, while you have the right to make reproductions for personal use, you do not have the right to sell or transfer the images to a third party.

All of your images receive personal attention and editing, they are color corrected (converted to black and white in some cases), contrast & tone is perfected, and images are cropped if necessary. All test shots, closed eyes, unflattering shots, shots where someone walked in front of the camera, etc., are discarded. We only retouch the images that are going into your album, and this is included in the album fee. Retouching includes actual pixel manipulation: softening of skin, removal of stray hairs, removal of simple distracting background elements. Additional excessive retouching, such as contouring, adding/removing people, head swaps, adding hair, changing backgrounds, is billed at the rate of $100/hour. You will be notified & invoiced if additional retouching work is required, normally it is not. We think it is important to not change the facts of the wedding day, if it is fall, we want to keep that color, if your dress had sleeves we won't remove them, if your veil fell in to the water, that is part of your story, and we won't "add" a veil in post production. The wedding day itself is magic, and it's important to be honest with your photographs and make you look the best you have every looked with our strategic prompts and direction IN camera.

Shopping for a photographer can be overwhelming, so I like to keep it as simple and straight-forward as possible. We have created a basic collection that includes everything you need to create the highest quality images: two photographers, a lighting assistant, up to 10 hours of coverage, all of the edited images are yours with license to print. Of course all of this comes with my pre and post-wedding devotion to your vision and images (which typically totals 7 hours per each hour of wedding coverage). I want to serve YOU first and foremost and it starts from your inquiry. There is plenty of room to add on to your package as your plans take shape. To give you an idea, my average local to NY & CT all day Saturday, 150-guest wedding price point is $15,000. My average local elopement or small wedding is $4000. Each wedding is given a custom proposal which includes everything you will need for the highest quality images and complete coverage of your wedding.

I use Canon mirrorless professional bodies, Canon "L" series and Zeiss lenses. I shoot with two camera bodies, currently the Canon R5 and R6. I have two backup cameras: a Canon 5D Mark IV and a Canon 1DX. I will arrive at your wedding with the following lenses (all Canon RF "L" unless noted): 70-200 mm f/2.8, 85 mm f/1.2, 85 mm Petzval f/2.2, 35 mm f/1.4, 17 mm tilt shift f/4, 14 mm f/2.8, Zeiss 100 mm Macro f/2, 15-35 mm f/2.8, and two 24-70 mm f/2.8, 100 - 400 mm f/4. I also will bring a 1.4 extender, four Profoto A1x AirTTL w/Soft Bounces, four flash stands. I also bring my three Profoto B1 500 AirTTL lights, with a 5' Octabox and a small softbox for formals. An LED light panel and an all purpose flashlight find their way into my second suitcase. As well, I bring two reflectors, one sun swatter, 1/2 cto gels for each flash, a bridal umbrella and four Burberry umbrellas. To power the flashes during the reception I use two backup Profoto Li-ion batteries. The most important thing I bring is vision, experience and a genuine excitement to photograph your day, regardless of weather, timeline changes and unexpected events, we have seen it all!

While MLP must be the exclusive photographer for your event, I am happy to have your guests take photos. I ask that they do not photograph at the same time I am photographing the formals, as the eyes of those being photographed will be looking at various cameras in different directions which will result in awkward looking and potentially unattractive portraits. After I photograph each group, I will step aside to allow the guests to capture their shots, if time allows. I also request that the guests not come along to the creative portrait coverage as this can be quite distracting to the couple as I am doing my best to get you both relaxed and focused on each other (a friend yelling "smile" will take you right out of that authentic moment I'm trying to cultivate for you). And, please, we request that guests be respectful by not pushing us out of the way or standing in front of us while we are trying to capture the important moments. We always love an unplugged ceremony, however, as many iPads, selfie sticks, iPhones, cameras, shoulders, extended arms and hips leaning into the aisle block our view of you coming up and down the aisle and can ruin many incredibly emotional moments.

Once I get back to my home office after a wedding I am typically up until 6 am uploading and backing up your images. At this point, the images are uploaded and I am completely exhausted, so I finish backing them up the following day. Once your images are completely processed (6-9 weeks), they are also backed up in Georgia with Shootproof, so if Ida or Sandy ever comes to town and destroys my hard drives, please be assured your images will be safe. We do request that you also make backups once you download your images, as you will be responsible for your images once you receive the link to your images.

Yes, we have full liability insurance and are happy to provide your venues with certificates of insurance. If your venue needs insurance, we require that you notify us three months before your event date because Dominick at Allstate needs time to write your venue into our rider.

We are exclusively a photo studio and are happy to recommend videographers to you. When you do hire a videographer, make sure that they also take an unobtrusive approach to your day. Check also on their style, it's important that they also have a clean, natural, candid style. We have had the experience of coupling with hired videographers who work in a dramatic high contrast style, and their strong, shadowy light hindered our ability to document the day in a natural way. If your videographer isn't unobtrusive, and is right in front of you during the ceremony and first dance, etc., then we will have to adjust our shooting style, instead of shooting invisibly from the back of the church, or corner of the room with our 200 mm lens, we will have to stand next to the videographer, so that we are able to get a clean shot, without the videographer and their equipment in the way. This forces us to use shorter, more unflattering lenses, and to be visible to your guests during your important moments, possibly interrupting their view as well.

Yes, I have been a full time photographer since 2006. While weddings and editorial have been my main focus, I also have a collection of fine art images from around the world, which you may purchase for your home and office decor. https://fineart.melanilustphotography.com/

Because of my art history background, you can find me in a museum, or an architecturally important church, on my days off for inspiration (when there are no government restrictions of course)! Other days, I'm on the court! I'm on two USTA 4.0 tennis teams and I love to play tennis in between editing and I go to the US OPEN every year! My oldest son is a classical music composer and my twins play the sax and viola, so I am often at one of their concerts!

I grew up in San Diego and then I moved to NYC to study dance at Alvin Ailey. I worked with Abrams Artists, where I was hired for jazz dancing for companies such as American Express and Vidal Sasson. I then worked in Gail Conrad's tap dance company performing off Broadway and danced in small parts around the Tristate region before getting my MA in Art History at NYU. During my studies I worked at Sotheby's Art Auction house where I enjoyed the dynamics of researching, preparing and curating 19th C European paintings in their biannual auctions. The experience was akin to having a museum move in and move out twice per year, I loved it!

Where I’ve been. Egypt, Tanzania, Morocco, Japan, Cambodia, India, Thailand, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy (I studied art in Florence), Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Jamaica, St.Barth’s, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Harbour Island, Canada, Hawaii, Panama, most of the USA. Where I was scheduled to go Pre-Covid (for work & for pleasure): Cameroon, Portugal, Vietnam, back to Cuba. Hopefully in 2022!

We require a signed agreement and a non refundable retainer of 30% in order to reserve your wedding date. We book on a first come first serve basis and once we reserve your date, we turn down all other inquiries for that date. We cannot hold a date without a signed contract and retainer. Prime dates (June & September Saturdays) can book two years in advance, so don't wait, we'd love to hear about your wedding and how we can document it for you!

Relax and enjoy your engagement! We will work together on your timeline, confirmations and details in the months before your wedding to ensure proper coverage and the highest quality photography possible. Then, be present at your wedding, have fun and we will document it all.