About
A photography brand built like a design practice.
Melo Collective sits at the intersection of editorial portrait photography, creative direction, and New York cultural storytelling. The work is rooted in place: neighborhoods, light, and the people moving through them.
Behind the work is a design and engineering practice — the same discipline that shapes this site shapes every session, whether Derek is photographing, directing, or styling: considered composition, deliberate pacing, and a finished product that holds together as a body of work, not a batch of files.
Founders
Derek & Melody
Melo Collective is a husband-and-wife project. Derek and Melody are building it together, as two halves of one way of working.
Runs the shoot
Derek
Derek is behind the camera and the technology that holds a session together: the light, the set, the gear, the workflow. A photographer, creative director, and design engineer, he plans every session like a small production.
Curates the vibe
Melody
Melody is the marketing mind behind the scenes. She shapes what a session feels like before a single frame is made — the mood, the story, and how the finished work meets the world.
One sets the stage, the other captures it. Together that means direction that respects how people actually move, and imagery delivered with intention rather than volume.
Based in New York. Serving New York City and surrounding boroughs.
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