Kate Melton

Personal work: defeated

Kate Melton — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:30:52 +0000

Optimizing family time

Kate Melton — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:47:45 +0000

Portrait of Sydney Rose

As the professional photographer in the family, I’m the go-to person when photos are needed. So, given that the pressure to perform is not as great as when I’m hired by an editor or an art director, I use the opportunity to hone my craft by trying something new, even if it’s a small change. As with other personal work, it get’s me out of my comfort zone as an artist.

Welcome assignment variety

Kate Melton — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:59:19 +0000

I am a portrait photographer: I make images of real people in real places for editorial and commercial clients. Assignments that don’t have a person or people in them don’t often come my way, so when I happen upon such an assignment like with interiors or food, I welcome it. It gives me an opportunity to take my style of shooting portraits, my vision, on the road, so-to-speak. The challenge becomes translating my vision with portraits into another specialty. When I photograph a person, I connect with the energy of that person, of who they are; quiet and powerful in the space around them. I offer the viewer a peek into their lives for a just a moment. That is how I communicate their essence. Can I do that with inanimate objects? Absolutely.

Bergmann Associates’ Darin Price

Kate Melton — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:21:18 +0000

Henderson’s Hero, Ed Fillingham

Kate Melton — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:43:12 +0000

In April 2009, then 75 yr-old Edward Fillingham rescued Amanda Roberts, then 22, Kiefer Hockey,17, and Doug Daury, 27, (not pictured) from drowning in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario in his canoe.

Two years ago, a selfless act by an elderly man with Parkinson’s disease saved three young people from drowning in the cold April waters of Lake Ontario, at Henderson Harbor, NY. As the rescuer Ed Fillingham told it, when I met him on an assignment for Guideposts magazine, on cold and rainy October 2nd, with a north wind blowing, he said, “well the conditions on the lake on that day weren’t much different than they are right now. But, the water temperature was 41 degrees in April”. We never went on to discuss why the three young people were out on the water in those conditions, (apparently that was another story in and of itself) but, the fact that they were and what he did to save their lives was truly incredible and inspiring.

Amanda Roberts, her boyfriend Kiefer Hockey and their friend Doug Daury, decided to take a pedal boat out on Lake Ontario in April, 2009. Without wearing life preservers, the three set out and peddled into the harbor’s waters from the public boat launch. They peddled to about 500 yards to just off the front point of Edward’s property in Windswept Shores when they experienced trouble. With the rough conditions on the lake that day, their boat started taking on water and eventually capsized, sending the three into the 41-degree water. Struggling to climb on top of their capsized boat, the trio started frantically yelling for help. Fortunately, Edward’s daughter Beth McMahon, who was visiting her parents lakeside home that day, heard the young people’s cries for help and yelled to parents that they were going to drown. Patricia, Edward’s wife, called 911. The Coast Guard was dispatched to have a helicopter fly in to hoist the three from the water. However, their fleet of Helicopters at the time were on a training mission in Buffalo. Realizing that time was of the essence and he needed to act quickly (the body’s organs start failing when its core temperature falls to hypothermic levels), he took matters into his own hands and without a plan, set out in the family canoe, paddling towards the boaters. Once he arrived, he was able to pull Amanda up far enough for her to hold onto one side of the canoe. He didn’t attempt to haul her in completely, fearing that the canoe would surely tip over. Kiefer Hockey, Amanda’s boyfriend, was able to grab hold of the other side of the canoe. Doug Daury, their friend, went under the water. They couldn’t find him. He was surely lost. But, miraculously, he resurfaced at one point and when he did, Edward grabbed him around his neck with his right arm, keeping his head above water, and with his left arm, used the paddle to maneuver the canoe towards shore. ” I could feel her hand slipping away from me,” he recalled.”She wanted to give up. I kept telling her, ‘Don’t do that.’ ” Edward himself, who has Parkinson’s disease, didn’t think he could make it, but, he believed that despite his body feeling the need to let go of Doug, a sudden rush of adrenaline may have given him the ability to hold on. All four made it back to shore, at which point the emergency responders were already there to treat the boaters for hypothermia. As the EMTs discovered, their core body temperatures had indeed plummeted to a life-threatening 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

Edward Fillingham was a hero. Henderson’s Hero. He was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard Silver Lifesaving Medal. Today, At 77 years of age, Edward is frail but spirited. He talks about that day with such serenity in his voice, as my associate and myself packed up our gear from the shoot. I could also sense his pride. He is a quiet, humble man. On that day, he did something quite extraordinary. As far as the others, Amanda and Kiefer are engaged to be married and their friend Doug Daury now lives out in Colorado.

As a photographer, I am truly lucky. I get to meet incredible people and tell their amazing stories through my photographs.

Seeds of knowledge @ Bejo

Kate Melton — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:09:18 +0000

On a sunny Tuesday last week, I spent a few hours out at Bejo Seeds‘ research and development farm in Geneva, NY. Bejo is one of the leading companies in breeding, production, processing and sale of premium quality vegetable seeds. The international seed company hosted an open house for vegetable growers, an annual 3-day event. Visitors came to the event to speak with Bejo specialists about new products & developments in Bejo’s current offerings, watch demonstrations & join in on guided tours of the Bejo grounds.

I, myself, am not a great vegetable eater. I have my favorites, but, since I don’t eat many veggies, my knowledge base about the various vegetable varieties is somewhat limited. I did, however, eat my first carrot hot. It was delicious! Grilled to perfection by Karen Miltner (cook extraordinaire & food writer at the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY). Since I love to learn (see my previous post), I was looking forward to listening in on the Bejo specialists talk about their products. I never realized how many varieties of cabbage there are, or that Kohlrabi is even a vegetable! Who knew? ( I tasted it by-the-way. Very bland – needs some sugar). I came away from the day with having met some terrific people, taken some great images for Bejo, gained newfound knowledge of vegetables, and sporting a sunburn. Ouch! (Note to self: keep sunblock in the car!)

All images © 2011 Kate Melton. All rights reserved.

My Google Reader

Kate Melton — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:42:02 +0000

What I’m browsing while I’m supposed to be, um, diligently working…

For me, everyday is a learning experience, and I love to learn. There is so much knowledge out there and it’s easily accessible. You can search for it on your desktop, your laptop, your smart phone or tablet computer and, yes, in print. It’s everywhere!

So when I’m not shooting, editing or doing business-related tasks, I go looking for some great information or see if I can stumble upon something cool. Here are some that are currently in my Google Reader:

Seth Godin – a marketing guru …http://sethgodin.typepad.com
ASMP /Strictly Business – the business blog for the American Society of Media Photographers… http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness
Poynter.News university/Training Tip of the Day - tips on reporting, writing, editing, photography, design, and multimedia... http://www.newsu.org/
Communicatrix – Colleen Wainwright, a writer & speaker… http://www.communicatrix.com
A Photo Editor -Photography blog … http://www.aphotoeditor.com
Social Media Examiner – A guide to social media… http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com
500 Photographers – Photography blog…http://500photographers.blogspot.com
Creative Cow – A support community for media production professionals… http://www.creativecow.net
Editor & Publisher- Keep up on what’s happening in the editorial world… http://www.editorandpublisher.com
ADBASE Insights-Database service blog… http://www.adbase.com/Blog
The Art of Non-Conformity-”Unconventional strategies for life, work & travel” … http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/
A Picture’s Worth/Photoshelter – Photoshelter blog… http://blog.photoshelter.com/
The Lab/Agency Access -Artist questions, expert answers … http://lab.agencyaccess.com/blog
Wonderful Machine – Photography blog…http://www.wonderfulmachine.com/blog
Web Ink Now -Marketing & Leadership strategies… http://www.webinknow.com
OneView- Selena Maitreya, photo consultant… http://selinamaitreya.com/oneview
The Scoop with Sosastone – Amanda Sosa Stone, photo consultant … http://sosastone.typepad.com/thescoopwithsosastone

A”rustic rendevous” in the Fingerlakes

Kate Melton — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:56:15 +0000

“A party at a stunning wine-country home, built for entertaining friends” as written in September’s issue of Rochester Magazine. I had been assigned to shoot a lifestyle piece, featuring a house warming party at the new home of Rochester realtor Mark Siwiec and his partner Duffy Palmer, who just recently renovated an old barn overlooking Keuka Lake, in the heart of the Finger Lakes wine country. A beautiful warm and sunny day in June was a perfect day for the two men to entertain, complete with finger foods, wine tasting from Ravines Wine Cellars and live music to delight. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the summertime!

Hats off to fascinating styles

Kate Melton — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:38:45 +0000

I am not much of a fashionista. People who know me would agree. I’m a casual kind of woman. In fact, give me a pair of jeans, a tank top with a button-down shirt and a comfortable pair of shoes, and I’m all set. Until yesterday, I had not known what a fascinator is. (According to Wikipedia, a fascinator is a head piece. Modern fascinators are commonly made with feathers, flowers or beads.) Nor did I know the difference between a hat with a birdcage veil and a fidora. But, thanks to the lovely ladies at Panache Vintage, I have been schooled in the fashion fundamentals and the latest styles.

Model: Ashley Knight

Intensity

Kate Melton — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:05:25 +0000

I love this image. I must admit, however, I felt a little guilty in not sharing the pain and exhaustion of working out, while standing over the man taking his photograph. You can feel the intensity just by looking at the veins in his forehead contract.