Melina Coogan has never been particularly interested in standing still — and her journey into photography has taken her through quite a few unexpected turns.
Growing up between the busy streets of Boston and the rural landscapes of Vermont, Melina developed an early love of exploration, adventure and the freedom to discover the world around her. Rock climbing and whitewater kayaking became part of her life when she was still young, eventually leading her to an unconventional school built around adventure sports and travel.
Writing was another constant. For ten years, Melina wrote The Wilder Coast, sharing her experiences and thoughts with an online community that grew to include readers who would eventually become friends — and, rather unexpectedly, her first photography clients.
Her introduction to professional photography came through an equally unusual route. While working aboard a small adventure cruise ship in Alaska, she took on a variety of roles, including taking pictures of the guests. With limited experience behind the camera, she began photographing the spectacular landscapes and wildlife around her, but what really caught her attention wasn't simply the scenery. It was the way people reacted to it. She became fascinated by the stories that could unfold when people and their surroundings came together in a single frame.
That interest in people and their stories eventually led her to family photography. Today, Melina photographs families and children, capturing the beautiful, messy, unpredictable reality of everyday life. Her approach is less about creating perfect portraits and more about understanding people, noticing the details of their lives and allowing genuine moments to emerge. She believes that what makes a photograph meaningful has far more to do with the person behind the camera than with the equipment in their hands.
Her documentary work has also taken her to Ireland, where she photographed members of the Irish Travelling Community. The experience challenged her to step outside her familiar world, learn about the people she was photographing, and think carefully about the balance between curiosity, understanding and respect.
Melina's philosophy is perhaps best expressed through a phrase of her own: “Sublime Absurdities.” It describes the strange, beautiful and sometimes overwhelming experience of raising children and trying to create a hopeful future in an uncertain world. For Melina, the everyday details of family life — a child's drawing on the fridge, the familiar objects in a home, the small rituals that hold a family together — can be extraordinary precisely because they are so ordinary.
Alongside photography, Melina remains a writer, an adventurer, a fiercely competitive former ultimate Frisbee player, and a mother to her two daughters, Olive and Ivy. She brings curiosity, humour and an unmistakable enthusiasm for life to her work, along with a genuine belief in a little capital-M Magic.
And yes, she really does believe in Irish fairies. Just don't expect them to be particularly nice.