South Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year 2009
A family photo shoot is all about having a great experience. This brings out the best and most natural looks and will create images that you will love forever. Mel's family keeps her busy as she has 3 children of her own and understands how important family photographs are. Mel has been photographing families for over 20 years and really enjoys getting to know you and your children to create a fantastic experience and images that you will just love.
"I love it when your family says that was just so much fun. It means that I got to know your family and bring out their best for the photo shoot. I love getting down to your child's height and seeing it through their eyes. I love being part of family events - wether it is a wedding, baptism, or special birthday - its all about creating memories and capturing characters."
Mel started as a professional photographer in 1989. In her early 20's she worked for a variety of studios around Adelaide and won many awards here and overseas. She was a council member of the AIPP in the early 1990's and is back on council again now.
"The reason that I love photography so much is the importance in history that photography has. To know that images that I take today will be passed down through families and will be seen by generations to come gives me a great feeling that I have left my mark.
I like to try to capture part of the character of the portrait sitter and encourage some of their personality to shine through. My photographs are not always nice photos of happy kids, i like to find out more about the subject and build a repour with the sitter before blazing away with the flash and camera. Subtlety of expression and range of images brought together as a story is what I try to do. Rarely does one image capture the entire story of a person so my montage prints are becoming very popular.
Encouraging family portraiture has become a passion for me. Photographing kids is something that I love to do but I have come to understand in the last few years the importance of including and encouraging parents into the shoots as well. We photograph our kids so we can remember them as they grow, but we need to be photographed with them so that they can remember how we were as parents as they were growing up. No mater what age you are, you are who you are, and that is just as important to capture as the early formative years are. "
You will notice that Mel's galleries include many different types of images. She very much enjoys photography in many forms, not just in portraiture. Apart from being a working photographer she currently co-ordinates and lectures at O'Halloran Hill TAFESA teaching all areas of Certificate IV in Photo Imaging. This fully digital course has kept Mel's skills up to date with technology. Her understanding of Photoshop is deep and her use of current technology allows her to give the best possible quality of product. She knows all the current trends and provides a wide range of ideas as to how your photo shoot can create fantastic home decor for you and great gifts for your family and friends.