Meet Melanie
Growing up in northern Minnesota, Melanie was surrounded by a family of artists, who nurtured her early passion for drawing and painting. However, photography soon emerged as her primary artistic focus. Influenced by the Romanticist and Pre-Raphaelite painters and her love of fairytales in childhood, her work is imbued with a sense of enchantment and wonder.
Her love for photography began in the 9th grade when she worked as a student photographer for the yearbook. In the darkroom, black and white images magically appeared on paper, revealing her innate talent for creating compelling, storytelling images. Over the years, she explored various genres, including documentary, nature, and portrait photography, eventually running a full-time wedding photography and video business for over a decade. During this time, she honed her skills in lighting, posing, and creative camera techniques, falling in love with every form of photography. Despite this, her deepest artistic passion has remained capturing dreamlike images of women in natural settings.
Melanie's many childhood adventures exploring prairies, woods, and wetlands fostered a profound connection to nature, which continues to inspire her work. She is endlessly captivated by the magical interplay of light and shadow, whether it's the sunlight illuminating a stormy sky or the promise held by early morning light. This fascination extends to the metaphorical light and shadow in human experiences, inspiring her belief that we can create our own light in the world.
Her images often evoke a dreamlike and surreal quality, reflecting the wonder she feels in nature. Through her art, she invites viewers to immerse themselves in the magic of these moments, aiming to inspire a deeper connection to the world. She believes that art can spark creativity and wonder, illuminating even life's darkest corners. By sharing awe-inspiring scenes, she hopes to encourage others to find their own sources of beauty and inspiration.
Some of her most memorable outdoor experiences include walking through a moonlit birch forest and watching a family of foxes play, capturing barracudas on camera while exploring a coral reef and experiencing the vast depth of the ocean beyond the reef, and hiking around a lake in the moonlight to discover the ruins of an ancient church in the middle of nowhere.
Melanie’s work has been featured in numerous publications and industry blogs, including Sony Alpha Universe and Sigma Corporation of America. She has contributed to two books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and has received multiple awards, notably winning the Sony Alpha Female Micro Grant.
In 2024 she launched a new online print shop, Etsy store and is currently a full-time artist. She is working on her ‘Almost Heaven’ limited edition series; a dreamlike, painterly fine art series depicting people in natural settings across West Virginia. With 10 out of 25 images completed, she aims to finish the series by the end of 2025. Two of the images are currently on display at the WV State Museum.
Now residing in West Virginia, Melanie enjoys gardening, watching sci-fi and fantasy movies, playing pickleball, hiking, traveling with her husband, and learning Japanese in her spare time.
- Awards and honors
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25 Most Influential Teen Photographers 2023 (Senior Style Guide)
Sony Alpha Female Micro Grant Winner July 2022.
Best Photo By First Time Entrant, Arkansas Professional Photographers Association print competition.
Image of Merit (multiple) Professional Photographers of America print competition
- Book contributions
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Portraiture Unleashed: 60 Powerful Design Ideas for Knockout Images by Travis Gadsby. (Available through Barnes& Noble and Amazon)
52 Prescriptions for Happiness: A Year of Inspiration for the Body, Mind, and Soul by Joe Dunn and Mali Apple. (Available through Amazon)
- Photography Industry Spotlights
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"Model Teams: Creating The Best Program For Your Brand" guest article, Modern Teen Style Magazine, March 2023
"Alpha Profile Spotlight: How This Creative Came Full Circle With A Renewed Purpose" 01/20/22
“Weddings In Eureka Springs AR” I DO, COX Media, Yurview (tv show), February 2019
Jimmy Beech and Melanie Myhre, “Beware The Thorns” Alien Skin Software blog, Oct 28, 2014
Melanie Myhre, “The 24-105mm Lens: A Storyteller’s Dream”, Sigma Corporation Of America, blog October 23, 2014
Melanie Myhre, “How To Make Dreamy Fairytale Photos”, InMyBag.net July 17 2014
Jimmy Beech and Melanie Myhre, “Classical Painting In Snap Art 4”, Alien Skin blog January 3, 2014
Jimmy Beech and Melanie Myhre, Alien Skin Software blog artist feature, October 16, 2013
- Editorials and commercial work
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Senior Style Guide Magazine: December 2022
Arkansas Bride Magazine: January 2018
Dark Beauty Magazine, June 12, 2014
Dark Beauty Magazine, April 2014
2NJoy Magazine April/May 2014
2NJoy Magazine January/February 2014
L'art D'Obscurite Art Book #1, Cloud Orchid Publishing, December 2013
Giuseppina Magazine: Arctique, Issue 16, December 2013
Vogue Italia 9/12/13
Cloud Orchid Magazine Website: May 2013
Dark Beauty Magazine May 2013
Giuseppina Magazine: Culturalis, Issue 12, March 2013
Little Alice, Cloud Orchid Magazine: Steampunk Issue, feature and interview, February 2013
- Speaking Engagements
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PhotoCon, Oklahoma City, OK, 2018
Mid American Photography Symposium (MAPSYM), Eureka Springs, AR, May 2015
Photography Society of NW Arkansas (PSNWA), Fayetteville, AR, November 2015
Eureka Springs School of the Arts, Eureka Springs, AR, November 2015
Holiday Island Photography Club, Holiday Island, AR, February 2015, 2014
Self Hosted Photography Workshop, Eureka Springs, AR, April 2014
- Exhibitions
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2024
WV Emerging Artists Juried Show, Charleston, WV, November2024-February 2025
2013
The Jewel Box, Eureka Springs, AR, Featured artist, May
White Street Walk, Eureka Springs, AR, May
2012
DeVitos, Solo show, Eureka Springs, AR, May
Eureka Springs Invitational, Group show, Eureka Springs, AR, May
White Street Walk, Eureka Springs, AR, May
Blue Djinn Gallery, Kansas City KS, Solo show, June
Eureka Thyme, Featured artist, Eureka Springs, AR, July
2011
Queen Anne Invitational, Group show, Eureka Springs, AR, May
White Street Walk,Eureka Springs, AR, May
Eureka Thyme, Featured artist,Eureka Springs, AR, September
Winterfest, Group show, Eureka Springs, AR, November
Shameless Sequin Soiree, Group show,Eureka Springs, AR, November
2010
Garden Bistro, Solo show,Eureka Springs, AR, May
White Street Walk ,Eureka Springs, AR, May
Eureka Thyme Gallery, Featured artist, Eureka Springs, AR,June
The Photography Gallery, Featured artist, Eureka Springs, AR, November2009
White Street Walk, Eureka Springs, AR, May
Eureka Thyme Gallery, Featured artist, Eureka Springs, AR, September
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