Photoshoot + Interview: 'Gypsy Elf' by Melina Hollway Photography

We had the honour of featuring Melina Hollway's photography in a previous issue of Whim, and now we're excited to present one of her latest projects titled 'Gypsy Elf'.

The word 'talented' might be thrown around a lot, but when it comes to Melina, she truly represents the meaning of the word. Not only is she an extremely skilled photographer, but Melina has also created all of the elements you see in this series - tulle dress, ornate crown, and floral chair - as well. She is a visionary; an all-round creative in every sense.

Please keep scrolling to see more stunning images from this project, as well as to read an insightful interview with Melina.

Q: When did your love of photography first blossom?

A: I've always had a love of photography and dabbled in it for my label, Damsel in this Dress, but never really took it seriously until just before my mother passed away 5 years ago. She was in a nursing home and I would go into detail about all the things I was making for each shoot I would do. She was particularly fascinated with the garment and crown construction, being a former sewer herself, which gave her a certain spark when I went into detail about what colours, textures, beads, crystals and other treasures I was making each piece out of. We would sit for hours and discuss my ideas which in return took her mind to another place, away from her situation.

There was one particular concept I was working on based around a forest mermaid theme, I was so excited about this one because she had a collection of semi-precious beads that she gave me to use in this project. I would sit with her and tell her what part I was up to with each piece of the costume. Unfortunately she never was able to see it, as she was taken suddenly. I finalised and shot the concept in memory of her 5 days after. To this day, it is still one of my favourite series of images.

From that point forward my photography reached a new level; the raw emotion I experienced contributed towards some of my most emotive pieces of art that I have done to-date. I learnt to be a master at compositions and Photoshop was my new best friend. It was a place I could escape reality and hide inside the concepts I continue to create.

Q: What inspires your creativity the most and why?

A: I have always had a strong drive for creativity since I was a small child. I was always making something, anything, I didn't care what it was I had to create! My creativity is almost like an addiction; if I stop creating I get frustrated and bored. I'm always thinking up ideas. I get lost in my thoughts about what the next gown is I'm going to create, what character am I going to bring to life, where will the location be, all these things inspire me.

I've had a fascination with forests for as long as I can remember. When I need inspiration, I will wander through the forest and daydream about what amazing shoots I can come up with. There is something about how enchanting a forest is. Other things that inspire me are pretty things, crystals, glitter, flowers, dreamy fabrics, crowns, owls and all things ornate.

I do believe the 1986 Jim Henson movie, The Labyrinth, shaped me into who I am as an artist today. It was my first ever screenplay I saw at the cinema as a small child and ever since then I have watched it over and over again. Still to this day I watch it. I draw great inspiration from that movie and all of Jim Henson's works of art.

Q: Please tell us more about this beautiful shoot, 'Gypsy Elf'; what was the process like planning and capturing this series?

A: The Gypsy Elf had been a work in progress for a while. I had a vision in my head of a dress that was gloriously embellished with flowers that had been picked from a wild garden and that lit up like it had a 1000 fireflies captured amongst the layers of tulle. The matching glowing crown and face piece would complete the character's look and from there the Gypsy Elf was born.

The dress itself took months to complete, as it had 50 meters of tulle and hand-sourced flowers from all different places. I was very particular about what flowers I wanted and sourcing them, especially for the bodice, was challenging. There was 40 meters of lighting that was wired through the dress and also the wings I made. When we turned it on for the first time it was one of the most satisfying moments I have had in a long time.

The dress's measurements were made to a particular model, Brittany Capps, that I had in mind that I would like to work with on this project. Her fierce look was exactly what I wanted for this majestic character. Makeup and Hair by Jacqui worked for several hours to create the finer details on the model's look and then the shooting time was the better part of a full day. Post-production on this shoot took me another week on top of that. One of the shots in this series featured a tall floral throne chair which I made as well by reupholstering and re-designing an old chair. The process took me several weeks to complete that alone. All in all it was quite a lengthy production chipping away at all the elements described that were in the end result.

Q: What advice would you offer to emerging photographers wishing to capture ethereal and dreamlike work?

A: Have a vision of what you want to do, draw it out first, even if you can't draw still put pencil to paper because I find that when I do that, my idea is clear and turns out exactly how I envisioned. Know how to use Photoshop well because we can all take a good photo, but it's what you do with it after, in post-production, that will define you as a unique artist. Don't hold your concepts back. If you think it's crazy or weird, try it out anyway, as you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Q: Lastly, what do you hope to achieve with your photography career in the not-too-distant future? Do you have any exciting upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?

A: I hope to continue to advance my post-production skills and learn new techniques in Photoshop that will enhance my work. This year I am working on directing and producing a film. I want to bring some of my characters to life and tell a story. It will be very in-line with my current style of images. The rest is a secret ;)

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We want to thank Melina for sharing this gorgeous series with us, as well as for taking the time to answer our questions. Please check out more work by this talent by visiting her website or following along on Instagram and Facebook. Enjoy!

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