About JMArneson Photography

About Us

Meet Melissa Arneson

I’m an introvert, which is why I’m usually behind the camera. I’m quiet, although my husband and son would argue that statement. I love quirky music, I love dancing, I’m a terrible cook, and I can’t throw a frisbee… at all! I laugh just like my mom and sister and occasionally snort when I laugh really hard. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and he makes me incredibly happy. My son amazes me daily with his brilliance and I adore my dog way too much! I love making people feel beautiful because I know what it’s like to not feel beautiful, and I have found my avenue to express myself and my personality by staring at people through a little eyepiece on a camera.

I had no intentions of making photography my sole profession. In fact, I have a degree in business and I thought for sure I’d be doing something in the operations or administrative field for the rest of my life, but no matter how hard I worked at my job I could never really convince myself that I was truly passionate about what I did or that I would be satisfied with that job for the rest of my working days. I started with photography by dabbling with photographing my husband and son (my favorite models), then friends and family, and now people approach me year after year and ask me to capture that breathtaking, emotionally charged image that takes them back in time every time they look at it. I’m lucky to have found my passion, not many people can say that. I get to do a job that allows me to forget I’m working, and I get to do it wherever I go; hiking, camping, walking on the beach, fly fishing (even from my fishing tube), or ATVing. I’m always on some kind of adventure and I’m always snapping photos hoping to catch that award-winning image; it’s the way my eyes see the world, the way my brain thinks, and the way my heart ticks. So here I am, striving daily to freeze that perfect moment in time and I’m enjoying every second of my adventures!

Meet Melissa Arneson

I had no intentions of making photography my sole profession. In fact, I have a
degree in business and I thought for sure I’d be doing something in the
operations or administrative field for the rest of my life, but no matter how
hard I worked at my job I could never really convince myself that I was truly
passionate about what I did or that I would be satisfied with that job for the
rest of my working days. I started with photography by dabbling with
photographing my husband and son (my favorite models), then friends and
family, and now people approach me year after year and ask me to capture that breathtaking, emotionally charged image that takes them back in time every time they look at it. I’m lucky to have found my passion, not many people can say that. I get to do a job that allows me to forget I’m working, and I get to do it wherever I go; hiking, camping, walking on the beach, fly fishing (even from my fishing tube), or ATVing. I’m always on some kind of adventure and I’m always snapping photos hoping to catch that award-winning image; it’s the way my eyes see the world, the way my brain thinks, and the way my heart ticks. So here I am, striving daily to freeze that perfect moment in time and I’m enjoying every second of my adventures!

Our Story

My husband, Justin, and I have an incredible story we get to share with our son and one day our grandchildren. We met on a competitive swim team when he was 5 years old and I was 3. We grew up together, hung with the same friends, went to all the same parties and spent nearly every single day together at swim practice… and we actually didn’t even really “like” each other, HA! When I was 15 years old (and Justin was 17) we started dating and we both fell hard and fast in love but it wasn’t long before Justin signed up to serve his country in the U.S. Navy and left for boot camp. On his deployment to Bahrain, in the Middle East, Justin picked up my engagement ring and proposed to me when he returned home from his 6 months over seas; I, of course, smittenly said, “YES!”.

Two weeks after I turned 18 Justin and I ran to the courthouse to quickly get married, we were so in love and couldn’t wait any longer to be married. The ceremony was simple and quiet and absolutely perfect for us as life has continued to be for our 21 years of marriage. One year later I found out I was expecting our one and only child, a boy named Clay, who came into this world to put a smile on our faces and show us just how remarkable having a child could be, even if we were pretty young ourselves. Our story is a simple one but it is one that I wouldn’t change a bit!

Our Story

Our Family

We are a small family but we are mighty! Justin is the brains of our posse, whereas, I am the creative one. He is smart, extremely hard working, and he makes me a better human being. He works in technology doing all sorts of things I don’t understand (he gets a lot of smiles and nods from me when he’s talking about work) and he never ceases to amaze me as he excels at everything he does. He is the rock for our family and guides us with strength and love.

Clay, our son, is 19 years old and working his way to being a man, like an actual adult *insert scared face emoji here*. He flipped our lives upside down when he came into this world and has kept us on our toes every day since. He has a brilliant mind, both creative and smart, he has been articulate with his words since he was 2 years old, he is exceptional at everything he attempts and, though he doesn’t quite know it yet, he is going to take this life by the horns… oh, and he is extremely handsome (and that’s only partially coming from my bias opinion).

Our dog, Winston, is a Sheepadoodle (half Old English Sheepdog and half Poodle) and he completes our family as a furry second child. He goes everywhere with us and herds us as we go. He is my therapy dog (unofficially) and has this uncanny ability to make me smile when I don’t want to do anything but cry. Winston would make Peter Pan jealous with his ability to shadow our every move and he is happiest when he is running free during one of our hikes or laying right at our feet.