
Well I think we can all be honest that we are just glad 2020 is behind us! Despite a worldwide pandemic babies still came just as they always will and by the end of the year we even had pandemic babies lol! I did 103 sessions total last year, 45 of which were newborns. It turned out to be a busy year and my best year so far since moving over to portraits from weddings! I’m excited to keep the ball rolling in 2021.
It’s always fun to look back at the previous year and pick my favorite images. As I go through each of my sessions I remember little details about the day that stuck with me. From silly siblings to pets that wanted me to know that was THEIR baby! Plus this year I’m including photos from all the maternity sessions I did too. I finally got to do a maternity session with snow on the ground and I LOVED it!
So enjoy this post and if you are planning a maternity or newborn session in 2021 be sure to hire me!


















































Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2024.