Melissa L.

About

I'm an award-winning storyteller based in DC. I have an ability to disarm people, establish trust, and build relationships quickly. That's allowed me to witness some pretty incredible moments — 1/250th of a second at a time. I earned a journalism degree from the University of Florida and began my career in newspapers, where I worked for nearly 15 years. Now, I'm an independent visual journalist who works for a host of clients who appreciate a strong narrative. I love documentary projects, sports culture, and allowing people's personality to come out in portraiture. My primary focus in my personal projects has been on social issues, including poverty, immigration, and how people are affected by the criminal justice system. As a two-time International Women's Media Foundation fellow, I have worked on the US-Mexico border in both Ciudad Juárez and Nogales, Sonora. My work has been recognized by UNICEF, POYi, NPPA's Best of Photojournalism, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Southern Short Course, the Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism, and the Alexia Foundation student grant. In February 2017, I was appointed to serve a second term as president of the National Press Photographers Association. I'm an alumna of the Eddie Adams Workshop (Barnstorm XIV) and have volunteered for 14 of the last 16 years as a member of the faculty. I'm also the founder of the online photo community called APhotoADay, which started in 2001 with only two members and has grown to over 2,500 worldwide. We hold an annual photography conference (lovingly called GeekFest) and distribute the Backyard Storytelling Grant to photojournalists working on stories close to home. I'm available for editorial and commercial assignments anywhere you need me to be. CLIENTS INCLUDE: ESPN.com, CNN.com, Mother Jones, Esquire, ProPublica, Inc. Magazine, Mashable, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Intercept, Rolling Stone magazine, Sports Illustrated, Audubon Magazine, the NCAA's Champion magazine, AARP, Education Week, STAT, Teach For America, Kiplinger's, The New Republic, Huck Magazine

Top Services

Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist

Documentary DP

Portrait Photographer