Melissa Brain

“Philadelphia is a ‘big tiny’ city,” photographer Melissa Brain explains. She captures the grit and “slice of life” of the city through her polaroids and black and white photographs. She has embedded herself in a very distinctive niche where her photographs allow us to enter into her own world. Stemming from the old steel town of Bethlehem, Melissa has found herself as a photography major at Tyler School of Art and there is no doubt her love for photography is pure.

What got you started with photography?

My mom got me this really sh*tty digital camera when I was maybe 15. It was one of those little stupid 3.2 megapixel point and shoot  cameras. I would take so many pictures with that that I thought were really cool but really were awful. That, plus my grandfather was always really into photography and he gave me his old Minolta camera from the 60s or something. I started using that a lot and that was something that grew. 

Do you still enjoy other aspects of art?

I was into other art stuff because my grandfather was also a watercolor painter and he would give me lessons throughout my life. I still draw all the time. I haven’t really done printmaking since I’ve taken the class but that kind of idea of reproducing I’m still interested in. I kind of like to incorporate that into my photographs. 

Do you like living in Philly? Do you feel like it communicates with your photography?

I think so because what I do and what I’ve taken photos of in the past

4 years of living here really has a lot to do with this circle of people that I’ve gotten to be around. Since Philly is a big tiny city, it kind of helps with that. Everyone

kind of knows each other. The kind of community I’ve enjoyed documenting are those kinds of scenes with like minded people. They are doing the same things and are interested in the same spaces and going to shows. They’re creative people making creative things and I kind of write and draw of that.

Would you say your work is kind of like a diary of your life?

Kind of. A lot of things that I’ve done really is my personal outlook on things and how I see what’s immediately around me and how I process that. I guess it is everything I’ve done is on this personal aspect and not an outside concept. It is a form of an informal diary with trying to be accessible as well.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Part of me always had the sense of wanting to have a job that just bordered my hobby. I don’t need to have a big job in photography as long as I can just make enough money to support my photography habit. Pretty much I would want to have a job that I enjoy. I would love to just be a dog walker and make enough money to take photos of whatever I want. I can’t give a sh*t to do commercial work because

I’m not into that and I wont care about it. 

Written by Jenni Kowal.