Favorite Business Tools, Resources & Recommendations

This list is here to save you time (and money) on a few of my favorite things that make running my business easier.

Made for Mothers Virtual Village

join the village that is more than a membership!

join MFM

The Monthly Book(keeping) Club

with madison dearly financial

Join TMBC

Unraveled Academy

a photography school & community to make you a better artist

Join for $19 a month

Flodesk

make beautiful emails with flodesk

25% off first year

Dubsado

software services for creative businesses

20% off first month or year

Pixiset

Industry-leading photo galleries & photography business tools

Join & get 20% off

Katie Higg Design

my go-to designer for all things branding & my website

Tell her i sent you!

Why I Recommend Doula Nathalie & Associates

Support that centers you, your baby, and your experience.

I proudly recommend Doula Nathalie & Associates for their grounded, compassionate birth and postpartum support rooted in presence, education, and calm confidence. Their team meets families with empathy, practical guidance, and steady care so you feel informed, supported, and never alone through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Their approach aligns seamlessly with the kind of care and experience I value for my own clients.

When you book with Doula Nathalie & Associates and mention “Mel Usry Photography”, you support both of our small businesses in a way that allows us to continue this work with heart.

read more on the blog
visit their website
Close-up of a baby's feet held gently in an adult's hand.
A man and woman smiling while looking at a baby lying on a nursing pillow in a cozy room with large windows. The baby has a bow headband and a pacifier clip.

Refer a friend

Know someone who would love documentary style photography? If they mention your name when they book and complete payment, you’ll receive a discount on your next session.

$25 for all 2-4 hour sessions

$50 for all full sessions & collection packages

Share my work
Those sweet, sweet newborn days. 💞
This is why I do what I do. Not to create highlight reels or perfect moments. But to bring you back to the moments that matter—the ones you didn't think were special until you saw them through a lens.⁠ ⁠ Your bedtime routine. ⁠ Your Sunday morn
I get asked a lot: 'Will my family be comfortable? Will my kids cooperate? Will I feel awkward?' These are the right questions to ask. Because the experience of a session matters just as much as the photos.⁠ That's why I'm so intentional about how I
From waiting to welcoming. Same family, two chapters of one beautiful story.⁠ ⁠ Your pregnancy glow? It's real. Those quiet moments before everything changes—they matter. The anticipation, the vulnerability, the way your partner looks at you wh
This is what I'm building my business around—not being a photographer, but your photographer. The one who shows up for all of it. The messy, the beautiful, the ordinary, the sacred. Because your life deserves to be documented by someone who gen
I didn't start this business to take pretty pictures. I started it because family, love and connection means something to me. I have been drawn to photographing families but didn’t want my clients to feel stressed out in front of the camera, t
It's not about the poses. It's not about looking a certain way. It's about feeling comfortable enough to be yourself, and then having photos that actually prove you were there—real, messy, beautiful, and all.⁠ ⁠ That's what my clients keep comi
We've followed the same basic bedtime routine structure since Eli was about 4 months old: bath, PJs, story, night night song, crib. Yet somehow, it looks slightly different every single day with some new unpredictable twist Eli chooses to add on a
These aren't 'perfect' moments. They're the ones you'll actually want to remember.⁠ ⁠ Most people wait for a 'special occasion' to book photos. ⁠ ⁠ But the magic? ⁠ ⁠ It's happening right now, in the everyday. In the moments that don't feel photogeni