Melina Coogan

Melina Coogan, a native of Vermont, now resides in Asheville, North Carolina. A former magazine editor once described her as “bizarrely pleasant”—a characterization she has always appreciated. For nearly two decades, Melina has worked as a photographer, beginning her career as an adventure photographer traveling the world, then capturing life onboard a ship in Alaska. Today, she focuses exclusively on family and children’s photography, finding it more challenging and intriguing than any adrenaline high she has ever experienced—except, perhaps, encounters with whales. When her daughters, Olive (born in 2017) and Ivy (born four years later), came into her life, she recognized the need to find creative sustenance—perhaps even delight—in the everyday absurdities of parenting. This realization became the foundation of her documentary-style family photography, which embraces what she calls the “Sublime Absurdities” of raising children. Since then, Melina has traveled across the United States, from Florida to Washington state to New England, capturing authentic moments through her Day in the Life sessions with families. Her work invites people to see their own lives through a new lens—one that highlights the humor in the challenges, the beauty in the chaos, and, ultimately, the profound love that defines it all.