About Melissa Officer

Napa Valley Photographer + Creative Director

Hi, and welcome! Thank you for wanting to know more about me and Atlas Peak Studio.

I'm Melissa Officer, the Creative Director and Lead Photographer. I live in Napa with my husband and our two kids, and I've been a film photographer since 1996, a digital photographer since 2018, and started my photography business in 2023.

I love making creative portraits of people, but I'm also passionate about helping small businesses create strong imagery for their brands, and I love experimenting with composite photography.

MORE ABOUT ME

Whether it's meeting clients at local cafes, thrifting for props, location scouting, or photographing things for my own stock photography, I find myself inspired by the charm, beauty, and community of Napa Valley, which is where I was born and raised. I moved away after high school, and never imagined I'd find my way back 15 years later to start a family of my own. My kids go to public school here in Napa, and my husband has his own business in the valley as a wastewater consultant for wineries. We love to travel, and experience new places, but we also really love to enjoy our hometown every chance we get.

I write a newsletter called Milk Break, where I share bits about my life: what photography sessions I've done lately, or have coming up; new and old favorite restaurants, cafes, shops, and more, that I love patronizing, and musings on life, art, and more. (Click here to subscribe!) I actually earned my B.A. in English Lit and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, and I'm at work at a handful of writing projects, including a novel, and a children's book series.

Feel free to reach out at any time, I love meeting new people! It's important to me that I know who I am photographing, and that you know who is creating your portraits. Meeting and planning your session ahead of time makes it a much more fun, stress-free experience for all.

I look forward to meeting you!