Back in 2012 I met Mel during a photoshoot for a fashion student. Since then her work has been displayed at the National Library in Russia and she is constantly producing beautiful images and making a name for herself in Melbourne's photography circles. She is one to watch for sure.
What was the decision making process for your degree like?
I was studying Criminology but spent more time taking photos of stuff, a couple of people suggested to me that perhaps I should be studying photography instead but I never really considered it until half way through my 2nd year at uni. I ended up changing schools to photography and haven’t looked back. The first few photoshoots I did were of friends and people I found online. There were french backpackers, doctors, a zoo model.. People were very trusting of me and seemed to like my photos so I just kept shooting people
If you weren't studying photography, what would you be doing?
Most likely I would have finished my crim degree and be working in a related field perhaps or something to do with horses. I rode horses a lot growing up and was out competing often. It’s something I miss and would like to continue with.
Which advice do you wish you had received?
Probably just to stop thinking and shoot more and to be confident and open to meeting people and the opportunities that may arise, especially in Melbourne, it’s a very close knit community and you never know who you’re going to meet. By the same token though, people remember you! It’s bizarre but a couple of times I’ve come across people, or friends have, who remember me from when I first started out, whether we met in a social setting or it was something they saw online.. I guess first impressions do count!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I remember Peter Coulson saying something along the lines of ‘no one will take you seriously until you’ve been in the industry at least 10 years’ so in five years i’ll be almost there.
You can invite three people to a dinner party- famous or not, dead or alive- who do you choose?
If you asked me this question every week my answer would likely change every time. At the moment i’m going to go with Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne, Steven Klein.
What is an achievement you are proud of?
Getting an image into the finals of a Melbourne photography competition and having it displayed in the national Library of Russia. That was pretty cool and was probably the point where I thought hey maybe I can do this.