Melissa Payne

Artist Statement

I grew up a military brat of a military brat, which means travel is in my DNA and I have a constant itch to discover new places. I was introduced to photography in my youth, but my skills were honed through my career in graphic design. Two decades of design work gave me a compositional instinct that shows up in everything I shoot. I'm drawn to places with history in them; a disappearing island in the Chesapeake, a jungle reclaiming what was left behind, an ancient arch in early morning light. I want to photograph not just their quiet beauty, but the feeling of being fully present in a fleeting moment.