Hi, My name is Melissa. Thanks for joining me at the start of this new adventure.
I guess I should give a little history.
I grew up on my grandparent’s homestead in Interior Alaska. There were a couple neighbors a few miles away by road, so much of my time was spent with my younger siblings exploring the many acres of forest and fields around us or getting lost in whatever written adventure I was devouring at the moment.
In high school, among other electives, like languages, I did take some photography classes, old school 35 mm film and wet paper prints of course. I enjoyed photography so long as I was on the back side of the camera, not in front of it. I went on to focus more on the languages (majoring in linguistics), audited a few automotive classes (since I also enjoyed working on my muscle car), and left photography and creativity behind. I met my husband, got married, had a couple kids eventually, and filled my life with work in the tourism industry.
One day, we decided that we needed to get out more and see the rest of this beautiful state we live in. We started doing drives and exploring the road system. I had my smartphone with me and wanted to capture the beauty we saw. I got an opportunity at my job to make informational slides for the in-house TV channels and learned how to edit some pictures in GIMP.
There were a few people who saw my pictures and encouraged me, saying I should try selling them. It took a while to move to a “real” camera with interchangeable lenses and RAW capabilities and start investigating what it would take to sell the images I enjoyed making. But, now I’m pushing the button and stepping out in faith to share some of the beauty I’ve been able to capture in this harsh, gorgeous state on drives, floats, hunts and hikes.
I hope to someday travel other places, in Alaska and around the world, and capture the beauty of God’s creation there also. Mountains, rivers, beaches, and jungles draw me, not to mention the interesting variety of people who live in these diverse places.
Come with me on this new adventure and let’s explore.
