The positive is pictures came out well. I do think overall it was extremely expensive. I also went in under the unfiltered project. They made it seem they were going to have this big showing that never happened, I realized it was a business tactic. Just a bit disingenuous for my taste. Looks like this has been going on a few years . I'm still waiting on the so called email for that gathering of all the women selected. I would just be mindful before you go . read more

I went to Melody Yazdani for their Unfiltered project. On Instagram they made it seem like you would be "chosen" for the project after submitting an application. But it's clear to me, they just take whoever submits an application. The project was advertised as a free mini session (15 mins) with a 5x7 portrait included. I signed up and had to put a $200 deposit down. I was annoyed by this - since it was advertised as "free." I got to the studio and from the outside it looked a bit sketchy. I almost didn't go in. But, it was fine inside. I worked with Jake to do my session. He was nice, but he talked to me the whole time and wanted me to talk back. It shows in the pictures. I'm talking, my eyes are closed, and they are awkward. He wanted me to spin around and close my eyes at times. Very strange prompts. There wasn't much direction in terms of body position. I felt awkward. You can tell in the photos. He wanted me to lay in the ground which felt really strange to me. I felt like a little girl and I'm 40. Def not the right pose for someone my age! I went through the photos the next day with Elena. She was helpful. But, I have to say, I HATED most of them. They used a really low angle when shooting most of the photos and it made me look like I had a huge double chin. I also felt the extra "10 lbs" the camera added. We narrowed 150 photos down to 2 or 3 that I kinda liked, but didn't love. Then she started talking to me about pricing. I couldn't believe the costs!! They charge $599 for 1 digital print. ONE! Unreal. No way I was going to pay that for a mediocre photo of me. So, I just got the freebie. Then they said it takes up to 6 weeks and I haven't heard back yet. Not a good experience!!! It felt like a bait and switch. Here's this free session - oh JK - that'll be $600! I don't recommend. read more

Melody is absolutely amazing!! She did a family shoot for on my birthday last year, it was phenomenal!! She's literally took the whole day taking care of us!! You have to let her create your memories, noone will do it better!! She's the best!! read more

If ever you find yourself in need of portraiture, look no further than Melody Yazdani! This is one of those places that you get what you pay for, so, prepare to be pleased with the results. Melody has a true talent for catching the best parts of you in the best lighting. And she is both warm and inviting, but she will tell you exactly how to best get the shot. The venue is large and luxurious, brightly light and clean. You won't dawdle, this woman is all business and her experience is readily evident. She does children "growing up series", professional headshots, wedding-couple photos(??) - best guess - you have a photo need and Melody can oblige. Every single time I look at the photos she took I can't help but smile. Thank you Melody for getting a shot of a lifetime! read more

Five stars is not enough. Melody and her team are such gems and so talented in their craft. I am so grateful for the beautiful images they captured of my family. I will cherish them for years to come! read more

Melody was wonderful! She has a great eye and worked with our kiddos with grace and kindness! We were thrilled with the results!

Purchased the groupon, which was a wonderful deal. She immediately made me feel comfortable in her home studio for my Friday morning shoot. She and her makeup artist, Libby were so nice and professional. She clearly demonstrated how I should pose to highlight my pros and minimize my cons. We laughed and joked and talked through the entire shoot. Fast forward to the next Tuesday, I return to select from a range of maybe 25 proofs. Gorgeous! In her email instructions she had sent a website outlining prices, but I couldn't follow it well so we discussed options when I had my favorites instead of planning before I even saw the pics. As others noted, she is incredibly skilled and that means you have to dole out a pretty penny. I am lucky to be an adult - it was pretty easy to hone in on my favorites and pick three that I could afford. Any parent would be tortured trying to pick from an excellent selection. This was a treat that I had saved my pennies for. Final analysis: if you are willing to pay for the quality, melody is top notch and you will look like a model even when you walk in looking like a zombie. If you are looking for a deal but not an individual and customized experience, try the parlors like glamour shots or jc penny. read more

I did a portrait session: a few professional and personal photos. Melody's services are pricey, but the result was worth it.

Thank you Melody for great family pictures! Melody worked well with both of our babies and really gave us the quality pictures we were seeking. We had no issues with communication as prior yelp complaints stated, and I am a stickler for communication! I really liked how professional her site was, how updated her software was, and her office was absolutely stunning. A bonus was that the whole process was kid-friendly which we appreciated. I also want to comment that we found the deal on Groupon for what seemed very cheap, so I was a bit skeptical about how everything would turn out, but we are pleased. Thanks again Melody, we will see you for future portraits. read more

These pictures came out fantastic! The review isn't about the artistry but more about the business end. I got a Groupon for the session and a $100 credit towards photos, unbeknownst to me that credit barely bought me 1 digital image. The session went really well and Melody helped to pick out a really nice location. When we went in to check out the pictures I almost cried because they were so beautiful however, then I almost cried because I knew we couldn't afford most of them. For over $700 I was able to get 5 photos of my family. One larger Masonite print and 5 small ones. If I wanted to purchase a digital copy of all my photos it would have been in the thousands. It was heartbreaking having to delete photos I adored. I wish her prices were posted on the website so I knew what I was getting myself into. She is very good at what she does but I do believe I was a little blindsided by the prices and did find them quite high compared to other comparable photographers in the area. read more

Melody took our engagement photos a few years ago, and they came out so wonderful! Besides for having an excellent eye, Melody is kind, responsive and very patient. Was a great experience! read more

She is a good photographer, but her customer service is absolutely deplorable. She hardly ever returns calls/text/or emails. When she does, it's after several attempts. It's unreal and extremely rude and unprofessional. I was told I would receive my pictures within 6-8 weeks. It's been over 3 months and she has not returned my calls or text and I yet to receive my print. read more

I have worked with Melody for personal and professional pics and all I can say is her work is amazing. Not only the pics are gorgeous but they are sent to me in a very timely manner. I would recommend Melody to anyone that cares about quality/art. read more

I will start by saying her work is beautiful, I wish I could afford her WHOLE sessions! We signed up for one of her mini-sessions after it was offered on her Facebook page. We showed up at her in house studio at the scheduled time, she took 15 minutes worth of pictures of my two kids together and individually and 2.5 weeks later we received the beautifully edited proofs (full disclosure I wished I could afford every one!). At the start I didn't see how she was going to capture cute/timeless photos of my two kids (1.5 and 5 years) in just 15 minutes, but she was great with them and had a really good rhythm for the pictures. I liked her photojournalist/candid style and will say that while we did buy one picture of both kids smiling together, that the other two we bought were just priceless candid shots of them making "their faces" which is just amazing to capture in a photograph (since I take roughly a million pictures of each of them and have not captured what Melody was able to capture in 15 minutes, can't imagine how awesome the pictures would be from a full shoot!).... The price for the mini-session was about $100 and included one digital negative or print, the additional digital negatives were a bit pricy, but not so bad that it stopped me from buying two additional ones and hoping I can buy a few more next month. She does her billing through PayPal, so make sure you give her an e-mail that is linked to a paypal account (that caused some mis-match for us in the beginning, or maybe I just don't have my paypal set up right). She was responsive, but it sometimes took an e-mail or two to get a hold of her. I can't really fault her for this level of response given that we're clearly not her main demographic (which appears to be full photo sessions in the ~1k range). Once we ordered our pictures and sent payment via paypal, we had the digital files we ordered within hours. We would certainly take advantage of another Mini-session if/when offered, it really allowed us access to a level of photography that we would have otherwise not been able to afford. As I said before her work is beautiful and very high quality. Just be prepared to wait a bit here and there for responses and proofs....but I figured once the pictures were taken the moment is captured, so if it takes a week or two weeks to see the proofs I'm probably still going to love them just as much. read more

Summary: Prices are steep but the product is AMAZING! I would recommend her to anyone willing to spend the money. I purchased a Groupon for an on location photo shoot after I saw her amazing photos Facebook page and website. Then I saw her Yelp page and I was a little hesitant since the reviews weren't great. So, after I bought the groupon and read the reviews, I sent my email requesting an appointment and received a response the next day. Communication was great (which I wasn't expecting per the reviews), had a pre phone consult with Melody before the shoot - what I wanted, what I'm looking for, etc. The day of the photo shoot, Melody made my husband and I feel comfortable, she gave us direction on poses and told us why something would look good. A week later, we had an appointment to look at the proofs. My goodness this was the hardest part! We loved so many of the pictures it was so hard to choose! Once we made our choices, we received a link to our photos the same day. But here's my gripe, I had to email her twice to get one of the photos photoshopped as we discussed BUT she makes it up for it because she happily photo shopped another photo for me that I threw at her at the last moment. Her prices are a little steep but the photos are amazing. read more

I recently had a photo session with Melody. It was such a great experience because I am normally camera shy. I thought I would have to wait two weeks to see the images, but Melody showed them to me next day. She's compassionate, professional, and incredibly talented. I highly recommend her. read more

Easy to work with. Session went really fast and the images were beautiful.

She was unresponsive and never brought the pictures that we had ordered. She was extremely unprofessional and did not get back to her clients in a timely fashion. Stay away at ALL costs!! read more

I've worked with Melody several times over the last few years, and been satisfied with the pictures every time. There have been a few small scheduling snafus, administrative issues, etc. - nothing that hasn't worked out, and the pictures are WORTH IT. She's done both mine and my husband's professional headshots, as well as family pictures with the kids, and both are amazing. She's worth the time, and even though the prices are steep, save up for her - she's amazing! read more

I had nice photoshoot with her (it's like taking informal pictures, no sunshade or professional tools, just her DSLR cam), selected pictures for printing, paid in full amount (5/25/15), I was told to receive photo print within 2-3 weeks. As of now, it's already 2 months but haven't received anything. Multiple ways to contact her (phone/text/email) have been unsuccessful. I had paid $70 for groupon + $112 for the photo/frame. I posted this review in a sense she reads this and replies to me. read more

Does not respond to e-mail or calls. I have not received photo package that was ordered in May.

I have to agree with the previous reviewer. Melody takes beautiful pictures and is great with kids. But her response time to respond to an email or phone call is horrible (sometimes not responding till a 2nd or 3rd follow-up email/call to her). Also the time it takes to get your pictures (even just the digital images) is also horrible. From the time I placed the order and paid in full, it took 6 weeks to receive the digital images and 10 weeks to receive the prints. read more

This photographer has beautiful work, but is very unresponsive. After several days of unreturned phone calls and emails, I decided to find another photographer. Such a shame. read more

I did not find any of the issues other reviewers are stating. Melody was responsive, had pictures completed quickly, and most importantly, the pictures are stunning! She worked with me, rescheduling several times (per my request) in order to get the perfect sunset lighting. It is pretty typical to wait several weeks to months for pictures to come back from any professional photographer. I have used more "budget" photographers in the past. While the pictures were nice, Melody's pictures are truly artistic and worth their price. I would rather wait longer and spend more to get a quality product I will treasure for years. When I pay money to a photographer, it is going to be to someone who can takes pictures that I don't have the talent to take myself (lets face it - anyone with a DSLR and photoshop can produce decent pictures these days). Melody is that person. read more

Melody is a talented photographer with strong people skills that immediately make everyone comfortable around her. Initially we had service related issues but then she reached out and offered solutions and alternatives to compensate what had been a disappointing experience. We appreciated her sincerity and creativity as she turned a bad experience into a good one. . read more

Hands down the best service (of any kind) and photos I've ever received. I needed pageant photos in a super quick hurry (as in days!) and Melody was willing and able to accommodate my needs. Melody's studio is in her home, which makes the experience that much more comfortable. Her make up artist, Libby Nye, performed wonders on my hair and make up and Melody gave great direction to capture ideal pictures. Before I saw the photos, I knew they would turn out great just by the experience alone. What's more, she had the pictures ready for me the very next day! Some would deem her pictures expensive (not really given the extremely high quality of the photos), but if you compare the quality of 'less expensive' photographers or companies, it's more than worth it. Every picture she took ended up looking great and you are definitely tempted to forgo a bill or two to buy every single one. I brought retouched professional grade digital prints ($75 each ) and received them within the hour of purchase. I highly recommend working with Melody, she will not disappoint. read more

I'm happy to be updating my review 2 years later. After a rather frustrating initial experience, Melody reached out to me and offered us a chance to try her again. She had a lot going on in her personal life at the time of our 2012 session and said we "fell through the cracks" which I agreed, we did. At the time, communication was quite poor. Our second experience was much better. Communication via email and phone was smooth. I had a list of her prices in hand the day she reached out to me. Her prices haven't gone up in two years which is also nice. After the photo shoot, we sat down the next week to review my photos together and then I received my digitals the next day and prints about a week later. Huge improvement in communication and delivery. Her quality of work remains top-notch. My kids were incredibly un-cooperative and I was shocked to see so many great photos. She really does have a gift with photography. read more