10 Questions with Melaney Wardell
Melaney Wardell is a photographer and photography major studying at Savannah College of Art and Design. Her concentration is documentary photography. She challenges the idea of beauty by focusing on the decay and destruction around her. Whether that is the destruction of a bouquet, the aftermath of a wild night, or the destruction in cemeteries. Her photography focuses on capturing beauty in unexpected places. Her goal is to convince her viewers to appreciate the mess of life and see the beauty in the destruction.
Melaney Wardell - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
“antithetical - adjective
directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible.”
Cemeteries are capsules of time. They are where the bodies of the deceased lie, where plants thrive, and where the living pay their respects. Life and time are two main aspects of eternal resting places. Where there is life, there is also decay. While life and time are always moving forward, historical sights are either maintained or left to rot. The cemeteries Melaney photographed are a middle ground. While they are kept up, they are always deteriorating. The Colonial Park cemetery used to span miles, but now it is a mere tourist attraction where people pass through without taking the time to realize where they are.
She wanted to document these cemeteries as they are now. Who is to say if they will still be there in a few years? She hoped to show the level of destruction and growth of these cemeteries. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows. So, it is vital to find beauty in the destruction. These cemeteries are full of death and decay, but they are also enchanting. Melaney hopes everyone takes the time to appreciate the contradictory beauty of cemeteries.
Angel, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
INTERVIEW
First of all, can you tell us about your journey into photography and what led you to choose Savannah College of Art and Design for your studies?
Photography has always been a part of my life. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t taking pictures. I didn’t start taking it seriously until high school when I was able to take my first photography class. From there on, it was all I wanted to do. As for choosing schools, I only applied to art-based colleges. I knew that I wanted to major in photography, and I didn’t want to waste time taking classes that wouldn’t help me become a photographer. SCAD wasn’t my first choice, but it had the best scholarship.
What inspired you to concentrate on documentary photography, and how has your academic experience shaped your approach to this genre?
I originally concentrated on fine art photography. However, I went to a major and minor fair and spoke to a professor about what I wanted to do with photography, and she told me I was concentrating wrongly. That day, I switched to documentary photography. My academic experience has shaped my approach by connecting my roots in fine art and journalism photography. It has connected all my photography experiences and allowed me to see the world in a realistically beautiful way.
Berries on the crypt, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
Growth, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
How did you develop the idea of challenging traditional notions of beauty by focusing on decay and destruction in your photography, as you mention in your statement?
It originated in my fine art photography class in high school. I got so sick of seeing pretty images. When other photographers saw a bouquet, they would take these lovely, well-lit, pretty pictures of it. I saw the same bouquet and wanted to light it on fire. I wanted to take pictures of the bouquet when it was dead or destroyed. I was just bored with what I was seeing in critiques, so I wanted to make something new. I love that I have been able to shape my boredom into the idea of challenging traditional beauty notions. Of course, I think there is beauty in everything; I am just partial to the beauty in decay and destruction as compared to the picture-perfect traditional side.
Could you walk us through your creative process when working on a new photography series? How do you conceptualize and execute your ideas?
My creative process always starts with some form of inspiration; it could be a song lyric, a movie, a book, or even a place. Once I have the first piece of inspiration, I go into my ideation process. I am a huge fan of word webs and making mood boards for shoots. After I have completed my ideation process, I will try to plan the shoot from start to finish. I usually keep a detailed shot list throughout the shoot while also taking any other shots that I have in mind. If it is a longer project, I just keep going back and taking more images. When it comes to editing, I am a Photoshop girl. It is my favorite editing software. Once I finish the editing process, I usually take my images to critiques, where I take as much feedback as I can, and then I make adjustments. Finally, I publish my images on my photography Instagram.
Moss, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
What specific techniques and equipment do you use in your documentary photography? And how do these help you achieve the result you are looking for?
My technique for taking photos is to always overshoot. I would always rather have too many photos to sort through than have missed a shot. I also always try to shoot as close to perfectly exposed as possible so there is less editing to do. I thinkwhen it comes to my specific style, it is important not to be afraid to use flash. I love flash images, and I will always try to get the lighting right in the camera, but sometimes the flash will save an image. My editing technique varies per shoot. However, I usually make a custom preset for each shoot to help make all the colors uniform. Once I apply the preset, I go in and make all minor adjustments.
My equipment usually depends on the type of shoot. I’ll shoot with any brand. I prefer my Canon D-90 for daytime shoots, such as landscapes or portrait editorials. The lens I typically have on my Canon is 18-135mm. My Nikon Z-6 is my go-to for faster-paced and night shoots. I tend to shoot with a 400mm lens when I’m shooting Nikon. For every dayjust to have on hand in case of inspiration, I use a Fuji-XT4 16-80mm. Fuji was recommended to me by a fellow photographer I worked with, and it was the best camera recommendation I have ever received. I also love shooting film, and I always try to have at least one 35mm camera on me. I do tend to be partial to a Holga over a 35mm camera. For lighting I tend to just rely on whatever is available. My favorite editing software is Photoshop.
My shooting techniques help me achieve my goals more so than my equipment. All cameras have their own merit, it’s what you do with it that makes the difference. I think my shooting style and editing style play the biggest role in helping me achieve a beautifully decayed image.
What draws you to themes of decay and destruction, and how do you find beauty in these subjects that many might overlook?
I have always enjoyed a darker aesthetic. The themes of decay and destruction are sometimes overlooked, which allowsfor more experimentation than there is in traditional beauty. I find these unexpected, beautiful scenes by looking. A lot of what I do is just walking around and looking. A great practice that I’ve found is not to look up when walking; there are so many intricate details on the ground that are overlooked because people tend to look up. I also try to go on what I callscouting adventures with my camera, where I will go somewhere with my camera with the intent of finding something decaying or destroyed. I’m not always successful, but when I am, I get to experience a sort of untouched beauty.
Can you tell us more about your latest series portraying cemeteries as a middle ground between life and death? What message are you hoping to convey through this work?
My latest series is called Antithetical: directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible. I created this project with the intent to explore various cemeteries in Savannah. During my exploration, the project evolved more into the idea of where there is life and decay. I wanted to show the beauty there is in the decay. I also wanted to capture life in an area that is associated with death. The message that I am hoping comes across with this work is that even though everything ends, there is beauty in the end. Even though these cemeteries are full of decay and destruction, there is beauty and peace.
Cross, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
Gravestones, photography, 16x20 in, 2024 © Melaney Wardell
How do you hope viewers will respond to your work? And what do you wish to communicate to them?
I hope the viewers have a response to my work. I think the worst response is no response. I’d like to communicate the idea that there is beauty everywhere. Even though there is this preconceived notion of what is traditionally beautiful, there is beauty everywhere. I hope that the viewers can look at my work and be able to find something beautiful that they previously didn’t think was beautiful.
Have you received any feedback or reactions to your work that have particularly impacted you or influenced your future projects?
I try to take into consideration all feedback and reactions to my work. However, I tend to take what people tell me not to do to heart. For my last project I was originally told to take the photos in color and to not make any double exposures. I did the exact opposite, and I ended up feeling more connected to the work, and the people I received the critics had positive reactions to it. I really try to be respectful of other people’s reactions to my work. However, at the end of the day, it’s my picture, and I’m not going to make anything that I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a room with.
Lastly, what future projects are you excited to work on, and what themes or ideas are you eager to explore next in your photography career?
I have so many projects about which I am excited. I carry around a notebook that I am constantly adding new ideas to. An upcoming project I have in the works is I want to take what I learned from my cemetery series and apply it to the desert. I am planning on taking this summer to really explore the deserts in Arizona and find the beauty in the decay of the desert as compared to what I found in the cemeteries.
When it comes to my career, I hope I will always be able to explore the beauty in decay and destruction. I would like to begin incorporating more portraits into my work and see how people interact with places or objects that have been destroyed or are decaying. There is so much I want to see and capture, but I hope I will always be able to find unexpected beauty.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
