New York · Photography · Creative Direction
Founded by photographer, creative director, and design engineer Derek Adu.
editorial · Williamsburg, Brooklyn · 2026
A young subject framed against Brooklyn street art — confidence, individuality, color, and the language of self-belief.
Contact sheet
Philosophy
Ways in
Signature session
A directed portrait session set against the neighborhoods, light, and texture of New York — planned around you, not a preset route.
Beyond the frame
Visual direction for shoots, brands, and small campaigns — concept, mood, casting sensibility, and design-literate execution.
For brands & creators
Efficient, art-directed content days that produce a coherent set of imagery — not a camera roll of near-duplicates.
Couples, families, editorials, and creator sessions live within these paths — full service details.
Founder
Derek Adu works across photography, creative direction, styling, and design engineering. Melo Collective presents visual stories shaped through his own photography and his collaborative practice — always with a designer's eye for composition and a New Yorker's sense of place.
That mix shows up in the details: sessions planned like small productions, direction that respects how people actually move, and imagery delivered with intention rather than volume.
Field note · In development
Studio Melo is the developing creative house behind Melo Collective — a Brooklyn space for portraits, conversation, experimentation, and small productions, being built the same way the work is made: deliberately and by hand.
An evolving space for portraits, conversation, experimentation, and the exchange between subject and maker.
family · DUMBO, Brooklyn · 2026
A candid portrait story of childhood energy, color, friendship, and movement beneath the Manhattan Bridge.
