 Melanie Schwartze - DirectorMelanie Schwartze was born in Germany. Her career started in Real Estate and for a couple of years she worked together with her husband as a property valuer for the German Government. In 1994 Melanie and her husband decided to embark onto a three year sailing trip around the world. After completion of their circumnavigation they settled in Bribie Island, Australia with their beautiful daughter.
In Bribie Melanie and her husband once again became involved in Real Estate and in 1999 they became partners at LJ Hooker Whitsunday and founded LJ Hooker Airlie Beach. Some time later they decided to follow different paths and Melanie stayed in the Whitsundays where she founded and operated a successful bookkeeping business. In need for a change of scenery Melanie and her daughter then returned to the Sunshine Coast in 2004 where Melanie worked as the financial controller for one of the major local town-planning practices.
In March 2005 Melanie was invited to become part of Top Shots Glamour Photography team. In May 2007 both business partners left the company for different reasons so Melanie rebranded to become Flash Fotos in June 2007 and gain a fresh start. She is now in charge of administration, finance and human resources. She loves facing the day to day challenges which come with owning and running your own business, working with her great team and gets the biggest thrill out of customers who improve their confidence and feel beautiful after having a session at the studio.
 Traci Castle – Photographer Sunshine Coast
Traci Castle has had a passion for taking photos, and wanted to be a photographer ever since she can remember. She underwent her very first day of photographic work experience at the young age of just 10 after a family friend heard that she was interested in photography.
After leaving school Traci went on to study in Visual Arts and specialised in Photography where she found her zeal in Fashion/Glamour Portraiture. Traci has won numerous awards and has spent considerable time in Sydney specialising in the Field as a studio based Portrait photographer and has since moved back to the Sunshine Coast where she is enjoying the best of both worlds, working at Flash Fotos as studio based Portrait Photographer and also taking advantage of the outdoor beauty that the Sunshine Coast has to offer.
 Sarah Nash – Bookings Manager
Sarah was born in England where she lived until completing her university degree in English Literature in 2004. Since then she has spent her time travelling through Central America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
She worked supervising local staff for a travelling carnival in China, Thailand and Korea and also ran a successful surf photography business with her husband in the South of France.
After becoming accustomed to the good weather and outdoor lifestyle she decided to move to her Australian husband’s home town and find work in the area. Travelling and working in different cultures with all sorts of different people has equipped Sarah with good communication and people skills which serve her well in her job as Booking Manager at Flash Fotos.
 Marina Passalaris - Make up Artist to the stars
Marina has worked as a professional make up artist for over 10 years, both nationally and internationally. Her portfolio includes work for television, fashion shows, television commercials and hair shows, as well as teaching make up at modelling agencies around the world.
Her work has included the Melbourne Cup and
Sunshine
Plaza catalogues, and the Ralph Magazine Calender.
Marina's subjects have been featured in Ralph Magazine, Oyster Magazine, Playboy, Penthouse, Inside Sports, Maxim (UK), Loaded (UK), New Idea Magazine, Style and Revive Magazine, and the Sunshine Coast Daily. Her clients have included Jo Beth Taylor, John Woods from Blue Heelers, Fiona Simpson (MP), and AFL player Jonathon Brown, as well as corporate clients such as
Toyota, Lendlease, Juniper and Stocklands.
 Helen Stevenson - Operations Manager
Helen has just recently joined the team at Flash Fotos with an extensive background in marketing, office management and sales. Helen was born and raised here on the Sunshine Coast and has always had an interest in the photography industry. She has previously done photographic modelling and been involved in shoots for Myer, Blade and local surf companies. She also has a few modelling titles up her sleeve including Sunshine Coast Face of 2003. Helen's main passion is saving animals and has volunteered many hours at the Sippy Creek Animal Refuge where she helped rehome dogs and raise funds to care for them. In her spare time Helen enjoys shopping, cooking, art projects, and spending time with her two dogs Russ and Patch.
Our Lifetime Replacement Guarantee
We believe we are the only photography studio in Australia that offers their customers a lifetime guarantee on their printed images. If your prints are damaged (canvasses, albums & photo books excluded) we will reprint them at no cost to you. No questions asked. All you have to do is send in your damaged print and quote your original customer number.
If you aren’t 100% satisfied with your images on the day of your photo shoot we will happily reschedule another shoot at absolutely no cost to you. If you are not 100% happy with the finished product we will reproduce your images until you are happy.
* Note - terms and conditions apply.
Having said this however our quality and attention to detail is high and is achieved through a systemized four step process:
1) Planning your session - We contact you before your shoot to discuss details of your shoot including your preferences, your clothes, your style and what you would like to get out of your photo session.
2) Professional make-up – We apply specialized photography make up which complements your skin colour, facial structure, highlights your good points and minimizes your flaws.
3) Professional studio set up – Our professional photographer will capture you with a variety of backgrounds and poses showing your ‘best side’ every time.
4) Professional re-touching – With all our shoots we maintain a strong attention to detail. All of our images undergo any re-touching required to deliver you with a set of quality images that you will be 100% happy with. Any blemishes on the skin will be smoothed out, we whiten teeth and eyes, and anything necessary to bring out the best in you.
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