Welcome! Please take a moment to explore the site and the various works available. Thank you for visiting!

Collections

Shop for artwork based on themed collections. Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Artwork

Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

About Melissa OGara

Melissa OGara My love for photography started when I was traveling through Peru as an exchange student. I wanted to capture everything so I could always remember how I felt, what I saw, and most of all, the people around me.

When my kids were born, time seemed to speed up in a way I never imagined. I wanted to stop time - or pause it so that I could savor each stage of my kids' lives. As I did in Peru, I turned to my camera. I started taking pictures of the every day - of feelings rather than posed pictures (though I took many of those too).

My photography is an attempt to capture feelings that we want to highlight and remember. My expertise is in ballet photography because of the many hours I spent photographing my daughter and her friends during classes and performances. My goal is always to highlight the inner beauty I find in each of my subjects. I like for the photograph to bring out an intriguing personality trait of the individual. I also want my pictures to tell the story of the moment or the day.
My many years of teaching high school students provided me with an ability to make people feel comfortable in situations that may feel outside of their comfort zone. I enjoy working with people and getting to know them.

In addition to taking ballet photos, I take senior portraits, headshots, and family photos. I have worked with business owners to photograph merchandise for packaging. I enjoy working in the outdoors with natural light, but have worked in a home studio with studio lighting. Because I like for the true person to show through in the photo, I often avoid heavy editing. I do touch up work, and light editing using Adobe LIghtroom.

You can find more of my work, especially ballet photos, on Instagram at melissaogara.photography.

Visit me at https://melissaogara6.wixsite.com/website for more information.