Featured fPOE Photographer - Melissa Lund

Meet Melissa of Melissa Lund Photography!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I have been living in Portland, Oregon for almost nine years and I love the City of Roses. I grew up in Michigan and it’s where I found both of my true loves – my husband Michael and photography. I discovered photography my first year in college and I met Michael a few years after that. Six months after Michael and I were married, we were off to Oregon. I miss my family, but I love living in Oregon.

When you’re not photographing lovelies, what else fills your time?

I love spending time with my little “family”, my husband Michael and our two kitties – Hanna and Maggie. I love to learn, so right now it’s sewing. I took a couple of classes and bought a sewing machine from a friend to practice on. I enjoy reading, and I’m a salsa addict, so I’m on the hunt for the world’s best salsa. I also work full-time as a graphic designer.

How would you describe your creative process?

I don’t really have a process; I’m kind of all over the place. Sometimes I will randomly set-up up a photo shoot in my home, sometimes I spend a little more time preparing. I usually go by the mood I’m in and if I feel inspired. Editing my photos is the same way. I like a lot of different things, so I just experiment until I get an end result that I like.

Tell us about your cameras and favorite lenses.

I use a Canon 7D and an iPhone 4s to capture my vision. I have a few lenses, but I don’t really have a favorite. I’m trying to use them all equally so I become comfortable with each of them. The Canon 50mm 1.4 is a great lens. I also love the Lensbaby Composer Pro with the Edge 80 optic. It’s a huge learning curve, but will be great to get out of my comfort zone.

Where else can we find your work besides your Etsy shop?

I have a shop on Society6 and I have some plans to expand to other sites.

My work will be available for sale on Minted in the next few months.

You can also find my work locally at the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery in downtown Portland.

Any advice for those just getting started as a photographer?

Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Play up your strengths and improve on your weaknesses and remember that we all have one thing in common – we were all beginners with no experience.

Favorite photographer?
I really like the work of Diane Arbus; her photographs are unique and interesting. I read the book Diane Arbus by Patricia Bosworth and was really intrigued by her life and who she was as a person.