About Melina Coogan

Hi, I’m Melina.

I am a native Vermonter living in Asheville, North Carolina. The editor at a magazine I used to work for once described me as “Bizarrely pleasant.” I’ve always liked that.  

I’ve worked as a photographer for nearly two decades- first as an adventure photographer around the world, then onboard a ship in Alaska. I now shoot exclusively families and children, and I find this work more challenging and intriguing than any adrenaline high I’ve ever experienced (with one exception- encounters with whales.)  

When my daughters were born - first Olive in 2017, then Ivy four years later - I realized that if I could not find a way to elicit some type of creative sustenance- maybe even delight-  out of the everyday absurdities it takes to keep the show going, then I was in for a rough road. Finding an appreciation for what I call the Sublime Absurdities of parenting inspired the ethos of my documentary style family photography.

Since then, I’ve shot Day in the Life sessions with families across the USA, from Florida to Washington state to New England. 

My photography will help you to change the lens by which you view your own existence. Perhaps you’ll more easily find the humor in the challenge, the beauty in the weirdness, and, with any luck, the full depth of the love that ultimately defines it all. 

Also, I’ve been told I’m really fun to hang out with.