About Ron Mellott Photography

Born in Indiana, I have lived many places throughout the United States. Formally trained as a wildlife ecologist, I am self-taught as a photographer. I began with my first camera in the fourth grade (because my brother got one!) though never gave it up. My brother went into theater, acting, speech, debate, and eventually film. My sister is a self-taught landscape designer. Seems we all inherited an artistic gene from someone in our lineage!

I first began self-promotion of my work through calendars and books in the early 1980's, formally entered two stock agencies in the late 1980's. I began doing fine art shows in the mid-1990's. I have won numerous show awards and my prints purchased for private collections. One of the areas I am most rewarded by are my images in the healthcare field. Knowledge that my work helps people through difficult times is priceless, one I will always feel grateful for.

Artist Statement

"Art is the stored honey of the human soul" - Theodore Dreiser

My philosophy is unchanged since I began. Photography, and art in general, is about vision and communication and how one uses the tools of their artform. It is about how we see that makes our images not only unique but compelling and how they connect with the viewer. The process is about learning to see. Where is the composition? Horizontal or vertical? Do I leave this tree in or take it out? What is the right time of day? Morning, midday or afternoon? What conditions do I need? Clear sky or clouds? Why type of clouds? Light rain? Fog or frost? These are all part of the process. The camera is and always has been a tool to achieve that vision. That is not to say the technical aspects of any type of camera is not without its merit, but the camera has to be directed by the photographer and their vision. Pointed at the wrong composition or a good composition at the wrong time of day and the image may be technically outstanding, but artistically lacking. No matter how expensive the camera, or how many bells and whistles are built into it, photography as an artform is still about how that tool is used to achieve one's vision. It is the challenge of my artform to use it wisely, and masterfully.