Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melody Timothee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melody, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Photography has basic rules but for me it was finding out what works best for me despite the rules. Most of what I learned was from practicing and watching YouTube videos. Since photography is an art, there isn’t one way to do something. It’s all subjective. I would spend hours on YouTube watching tutorials then taking my camera out with my friends and begging them to take their photos. Thankfully, they always said yes. Through experimentation is where I found my style. “Okay now let’s see what happens when I put the light here instead?..Hmm, I like this. Now what if I put it over here and intensified the light?”. Practice doesn’t make perfect in photography, practice only brings better understanding for what art you want to portray.

To speed up my learning process I probably would’ve got a mentor. Someone I can accompany on shoots and assist/shadow them. Since I did everything on my own I didn’t have a “teacher” to show me the ropes. Just myself and fellow photographers who were just picking up the camera like me. Books and school could have also sped up my learning, but honestly YouTube, Google and confidence is all you need.

Skills I think were most essential is definitely having an eye. Not being restricted to the status quo of rules like the “rule of thirds, exposure/metering, composition etc”. Honestly it’s only good to know the rules, just so you can break them properly. A skill is to just go out there and do what feels right. Maybe I want to shoot under exposed because that’s the artistic vibe I am going for and will readjust slightly through post. Have an eye for what you like, at the end of the day, it’s your art.

I probably was my biggest obstacle in my way of learning more. The lack of confidence, comparing myself to seasoned photographers, thinking of how mediocre my gear was when starting out. All of that held me back when it shouldn’t have. I regret nothing, but I do know that they time I spent being hard on myself, could’ve been used as the time to practice and get better understanding of the craft.

Melody, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a photographer with now 7 years of experience. I got into photography because my mother was such a fan of capturing memories since I was a child. Taking pictures was so normal. I would go on trips and take pictures of my classmates. I loved the feeling of going back in time and being able to remember a moment. It’s time travel honestly. So when I got older I always wanted a camera. I bought myself one and just taught myself everyday. Since I loved concerts I was able to connect with some FL natives and go on small tours with my camera. From there people took notice. I then got into fashion, portraits and most recently journalism. I didn’t plan on becoming a photographer, I’ve just always loved pictures and the nostalgia aspect. That love was able to transpire to now a career.

What sets me apart is my way of storytelling. Yeah that’s a picture of a celebrity, but is it a good picture? Does it make you say “Aw yes! I remember the concert just like that!” or “Aw man that looked great, I should’ve been there”. With my imagery I want to make people feel. I want to tell a story through my work with just my photos no words. Also, I want my images to not look like everyone else’s. I stray far away from the teal/orange edit. Looking like everyone else will not set me apart.

I am as of now most proud of my growth. I like to look back at my old images and see how I continued to challenge myself more and more over time.

I want people to know that I love this line of work. I don’t do it for the finance. I do it because it’s pure fun. I look forward to thinking of concepts and executing them with my team. I put my all in the work that I do each time.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about collectives. There’s communities out there for certain demographics, ethnicities, sex, sexual orientation etc. for photographers. There are groups that volunteer to highlight each other, share opportunities, network and advice. I thankfully supported by some and it has helped me gain knowledge and opportunities. Black Women Photographers for example is founded and headed by Polly Irungu. During the BLM protests in 2020 she inaugurated the community for more black women to get hired with the hashtag #HireBlackWomenPhotographers. Since, it’s grown with members nationwide who all get to be highlighted, ask for advice from fellow members in the channel with job opportunities and grants being shared daily. This is just one of several collectives that had existed for years. Since joining them I have truly gained knowledge and job opportunities.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Initially I invested through my personal funds. Photography is an expensive field, but my love for the craft made me take chances on gear. When I started gaining clients I took the funds that I made and invested it right back into my business. So although I wanted that Sony 70-200mm 2.8 GM, I waited till I had a gig or two that totaled to that amount. Purchased it right after. I now keep my personal and business funds separate. So that way the business can pay itself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melodytimothee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mel.visuals/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-timothee/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/melvisuals