On her web site, {a photograph} of a light-weight and spacious eating room with a easy picket desk sits beside a close-up shot of a layer cake with white icing, floral orange decorations and small pine twigs.
Astoria photographer Melissa Righero seeks out the liberty to play with nonetheless life pictures for North Coast eating places and companies, together with Frite & Scoop, Good to Go, Chariot, Avenue 14 Café and North Coast Meals Net.
She has additionally shot for North Fork 53 in Nehalem and Adrift Hospitality lodges throughout the river in Lengthy Seashore, Washington. Her pictures of Adrift’s historic Shelburne Resort was featured within the design-focused Grey Journal.
Because the coronavirus pandemic hit the North Coast, Righero has discovered methods to offer again. She’s supplied free pictures to each returning and new purchasers. She additionally shot some female-owned companies round Portland.
“I simply wished to do one thing this summer time as a result of I feel individuals are caught at house, not in a position to do a lot,” she mentioned.
Righero plans to supply her first-ever pure mild pictures class by way of Zoom in August.
Her work spans meals, product, inside and journey pictures, however her favourite photographic fashion remains to be life, particularly of meals and small objects.
“(It offers me) a canvas I can play with. I begin with a clean desk and I paint it with product and totally different tablecloths, flowers, no matter. I’ve enjoyable,” Righero mentioned. “It will get my artistic juices flowing too, making one thing stunning.”
Letting nature set the stage
Righero’s pictures is placing in its use of pure mild. In contrast to photographers who set the scene with staged lighting, Righero prefers working with nature. Utilizing pure mild means Righero solely images in the course of the day and has to work with climate patterns and lighting.
“Within the Pacific Northwest, pure mild pictures will be difficult, however I form of just like the overcast lighting right here. It’s a pure catch-all mild to me, fairly than direct daylight,” Righero mentioned.
Righero approaches her pictures as a type of play.
“I form of have tunnel imaginative and prescient in the course of the course of. I like taking part in with natural supplies: crystals, feathers, flowers. Meals, particularly,” she mentioned. “There are a variety of cooks right here that wish to play with flowers of their meals. I’ll attempt to pop it with a tablecloth coloration to convey it out slightly extra, relying on the vibe that the chef desires: darkish and moody, mild and vibrant. It could possibly be vivid, even.”
From spa to nonetheless life
Righero has all the time been enthusiastic about pictures however her unique love was portray and illustration. She studied artwork in faculty and dreamed of turning into a youngsters’s ebook illustrator.
Her path took a flip, nevertheless. She later went to magnificence college and finally owned a spa within the Bay Space. It was there that her profession in skilled pictures was born. Righero started to {photograph} her spa merchandise to advertise the spa and posted her pictures on Instagram. One impartial make-up line that she featured in an Instagram put up caught the eye of Sephora.
“I spotted all of a sudden that one among my favourite days on the spa was product pictures day. I used to be like, ‘This says one thing,’” Righero mentioned. “So I made a decision to pursue pictures full-time. It’s been virtually 10 years full-time.”
Shifting north
Righero moved from the Bay Space to Astoria together with her household three years in the past. Her husband, who’s from southern Oregon, used to trip in Astoria as a toddler and dreamed of dwelling in city completely.
Righero’s pictures advanced to suit the Pacific Northwest atmosphere after her household moved to the North Coast.
“My pictures was really very totally different in California. Very mild and vibrant, a lot of white backgrounds, a lot of minimalism, too,” she mentioned. “Now I’ve shifted to darkish and moody, a lot of shadows, a lot of props. I feel it’s very becoming for Oregon versus California. The gloomy climate, taking part in with the darker shadows. In California, you’re having vibrant smoothie bowls within the solar all day.”
To novice photographers searching for pointers, Righero mentioned, “Play, have enjoyable and be your self. There are a variety of photographers on the market these days. Simply be you.”
She can be trying ahead to photographing extra purchasers within the meals and retail industries.
“I do know it’s powerful proper now, however I feel we’re all gonna pull by means of this collectively,” Righero mentioned. “We’ll see one another on the opposite facet, bonded much more.”
Natalie Skowlund is a Portland-based artistic storyteller. Her work has been revealed with Nationwide Public Radio-affiliate WDAV Classical Public Radio, amongst different publications.
