Looking Through the Luxe Lens of Nick Mele
By Darien Davies
Photos by Nick Mele
It’s a bit of a kaleidoscope love story between fact and fiction. A sprinkle of Alice in Wonderland and New York Fashion Week, and a tingling sense of feeling like you’re going to get in trouble if you get caught looking. Like peeking through the peephole on a door you didn’t know existed.
Welcome to Nick Mele’s decade-long euphoric world of lifestyle, fashion and fine art photography. Dress in luxury, take a seat, and make yourself comfortable.
“Most of my work is environmental portraiture. I like to create scenes and imply a story. I think the environment is just as important as
the subject and it’s their interaction that creates the narrative. I like lots of detail and a level of symmetry, said Nick, 42, who describes his style as irreverent, whimsical, timeless and natural.
“I get inspired by stories, movies, comics, other artists and other types of art. I get inspired by my family and all of the quirky characters I come across in my daily life. I try to document the world how I see it, but sometimes it’s more about how I want to see it. Occasionally, I like to blur the lines between reality and fiction while trying not to sacrifice believability.”
Assuming you have a pulse, you’ll experience the exact same feeling that Nick does when he takes a photograph: instant gratification. There’s just that certain something about his photographs that lead to wonderment, inspiration, and goosebumps — and quite frankly, a bit of f-ing jealousy. Honestly, he even makes smoking cigarettes look cool again. If you weren’t interested in plaid, wallpaper, or alligators before now, the regal life just might be calling your name (or hopefully someone’s name from whom you can benefit).
“I always loved art growing up, but it wasn’t until high school that I traded a pen and paper for the relative instant gratification of photography. In a pre-iPhone, pre-Instagram world, photography was a way for me to document the world around me. Despite that proclivity, I fought very hard against making it a career,” said Nick, who typically captures friends and family members in locations that require very little staging. “I dabbled in photography right out of college, but it was hard for me to see a path to success in the arts. I spent most of my 20s splitting my efforts between many different pursuits, hoping that one thing would stick. I even went back to school to get a masters in business. I finally decided to give photography 100% of my focus when I ran out of any other attractive options. It was less of an ‘ah hah’ and more of an ‘ah crap’ moment. However, it was that newfound focus and motivation that began me on the road to success.”
While each image might be successful in its own right, he’s specifically referring to his multitude of career highlights, or professional snapshots, if you will. These include his first big commercial fashion job for Sam Edelman, his first coffee table book (“A Newport Summer”) with a major publisher, and his art exhibit and window display at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. He’s also created and sustained collaborations with brands that have helped shape his career and work, including The Colony Hotel, Lilly Pulitzer, The Kips Bay Decorator Show House, and Brunschwig & Fils, to name a few.
Taking a snippet from his online bio, Nick “has become known for spinning tales of surreal characters in dreamlike domestic spaces,” which is exactly what it feels like. His photographs actually exude a feeling of illegality, as if you’re looking at someone’s most casual and raw moment without them knowing, but you can’t avert your eyes as it would be rude.
“I truly believe that the ultimate picture of my career will be judged by others and that the best laid plans for a great photo often go awry,” said Nick, who states that every photoshoot is a mixture of pre-planning and spontaneity. “I think I gravitate more to locations than I do to specific people, and there are a ton of iconic locales in which I would love to create scenes. For me, it’s really about accessing places that most people wouldn’t get to photograph and then creating images that most people wouldn’t expect to see.”
Nick captures a world where we’re all mad and nothing’s impossible, and it’s captivatingly “curiouser and curiouser.” It is truly a wonderland, indeed.
