We’re excited to welcome a new member to our co-op: photographer Melissa Cox. Melissa’s work includes stunning nautical scenes and landscapes – a big change in scenery from her earlier life growing up on a ranch in Oregon.
Here, Melissa shares how the texture of a picture is integral to her work and why she is often perfectly happy to sit on the outside of a museum.
You started in photography in high school, can you describe your work now, how it has changed over the years?
Changing from film to digital has been a game changer in the quickness of processing and the ability to view the image and adjust settings. While I started taking pictures in high school, I really didn't start taking digital pictures seriously until about 5 years ago and I had no formal training. My perspective has also changed, I still take pictures from a narrow viewpoint but I'm learning to love the bigger picture of subjects. For example, while I enjoy taking a picture of a ship in full sail, I also enjoy zooming in to take a picture of the sails. Exposing the texture and details that you often don't see.
Are there any unique methods you use?
I really find that some of my pictures print well on metal and I enjoy exploring new methods to show my photography. I use a metallic photo paper for a lot of the water shots because of the way water moves in the picture as you view the picture from different angles. I still enjoy the traditional printed and frame photography but I like to test new printing because it shows the texture of a photograph.
You take nautical, landscape Cape Ann shots, how does the place relate to and/or Inspire your work?
I found that I enjoy nautical photography, the flow of the water, the texture in a sail, the lines of a hull. I grew up in the high desert of Oregon then moved to Arizona and Georgia so not a lot of opportunity to shoot ocean scenes. When I moved to Gloucester, I was nervous to show my work because there were so many amazing artists. But I had an amazing mentor and I grew to love my work and felt more confident to show it. I will always be so indebted to that person.
“I found that I enjoy nautical photography, the flow of the water, the texture in a sail, the lines of a hull.”
I would like to say that most of my shots are carefully choreographed and timed but most of the time it is just about always having my camera with me and being ready! There are some times where I have to plan, such as full moon shots, but even those are often up to Mother Nature.
What do you hope your work brings to someone’s life/home?
An experience or a memory. It's all about a feeling, a reaction to the image. I talk a lot about the texture of a picture, I know that sounds weird, but I like to feel a picture. I find myself drawn to nautical, landscape and architectural pictures. My husband loves to go to museums to view the history, I find myself looking at the building that holds the history, especially when we are traveling.
“It's all about a feeling, a reaction to the image. I talk a lot about the texture of a picture, I know that sounds weird, but I like to feel a picture.”
Do you bring your camera everywhere you go?
For the most part I do but I also try to experience the moment. Sometimes a viewfinder only allows a minimum perspective. I also don't want photography to run my life but be a companion to my life's experiences. I always hope people enjoy my work and get a similar experience that I have when taking the pictures.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you - that you can share!
I grew up on a ranch in Oregon and by the time I moved to Arizona when I was ten, both of my feet had been broken from horses stepping on them I got kicked in the stomach after riding a calf in a rodeo when I was nine and lost my right kidney. I also had multiple concussions from being thrown from my horse. As an adult looking back, you don't realize how crazy it sounds but I wouldn't change a bit of it.
I also have been a city councilor in Gloucester for the past ten years and I never considered myself a political person.