My name is mel, and I am a photographer
If you are reading this, then Hey there! Nice to meet you, I am Mel, and I am a Photographer! Blogging is not something that has been on my radar in the past, but I feel as though it may be a great way to connect more with you, and my future clients! So here I go!
If you have gotten this far, then thanks for hanging in there with me! My name is Mel, as mentioned above, and I LOVE to capture meaningful photos! I guess I should rewind a few years back, ok let's not count how many years but let's just say "a few"! Ha ha! I was gifted my FIRST camera when I was in the eighth grade, it was a little Canon point and shoot film camera! And the stoke was real, regardless if I knew how to use it or no! I burned through that film ya'll! And reality quickly slapped me in the face when I understood what film actually costs to have processed! Ugh, the struggle was real for this jobless teenager!
Luckily the digital age was just around the corner, and I was able to snap away using our schools yearbook staff camera! Yes, I signed up for yearbook staff just for the camera perks! ha ha! But, I never let go of that love for film, not that I understood fully then what film would could truly do, it was later in life that I discovered this.
Fast forward "a few", ok quite a few years to my early twenties, I was living in Vermont and began a black and white film study class. Ya'll, I was in HEAVEN, we shot landscapes, people, nature, architecture, train cars, you name it I shot it. True story, I once even crawled under a train car to shoot a dead cat, weird I know, and no it hadn't hit zombie status or anything, but I felt it was something that needed to be captured, the loneliness that death can bring for some, and in this case this poor kitty. B
ut all in all I was stoked on life for this class, I was taught how to properly develop my own film in the darkroom and make prints as well! I had never fancied shooting people, no interest whatsoever, until I met Andrew Kline. A Montpelier based Black and White Film Portrait Photographer for 25+ years, Andrew was my film Guru! Our class had went to his studio on a field trip for a peek inside a real life working studio! I didn't know what I needed to do, but I was ready to offer up free help to this guy for an apprenticeship! Our class had come to an end, but I was NOT ready to stop learning! So I went to Andrew and offered up my help, paper towels, cleaning the studio, money for chemical usage, you name it! He accepted! I was on cloud nine! I learned so much from this man, not only about shooting film but about life. Andrew had started to develop Parkinson's, and for a film photographer, this is a devastating blow, his hands would shake, leaving it extremely difficult to hold his camera steady. But this did not stop him, we would pack up the medium and large format cameras, the tripod, the cable release and would drive until we found something that spoke to us. I would schlep the equipment and assist with setting it up, and he would shoot. All in all a lot of work for only a few good usable images, but where they ever so lovely at that.
Let's moved forward, to my move back in 2009 to the Old North State, the Land of the Pine, sweet North Caroline! I had embarked on the digital age, my little Canon Rebel in hand, I would recklessly snap away, landscapes, my then four year old, animals, you name it! People began noticing my images on Facebook (thanks Mark Zuckerberg), and started to offer up money!? I was SO scared, excited, and apprehensive about taking other peoples money for photos, (another blog post for another day). I take money seriously ya'll, ha ha, the greatest compliment to me still to this day is if someone is willing to give me their hard earned money, in exchange for images that I capture, then I am doing something right. So maybe, I owe my business success to Mark Z? ha ha! My journey into the world of Photography has changed, adapted, and continues to grow in all honesty.
I LOVE love! Capturing Weddings leaves me smiling throughout the entire day! I also love to capture families, children playing along the surf, laughing, running, creating memories forever at the beach! Food is also a HUGE love of mine, so much love goes into the making of artisan dishes. From the love it takes to grow it, to the love that is put into creating it, there is something about gathering around a table, wether it may be at home or at a restaurant, it is lovely and it deserves to be captured.
So that is basically it, my journey in photography. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and remember, I would love to hear from you! If you would like to be added to my email list feel free to comment below, or reach out to me and I will add you!
Cheers!
