ABOUT
I work with brands and designers to communicate their work through considered visual storytelling - elevating spaces, products and experiences beyond the moment itself.
Clients range from Architectural Digest to the Zoological Society of London, with many partnerships continuing year after year.
At the heart of the work is a simple intention: to create imagery that feels considered, honest and enduring - and to share it beyond the spaces in which it was created.
Over time, the approach has become quite simple: nothing unnecessary is left in the frame.
Equipment records what is there; seeing reveals what matters.
A shutter may be released in a moment, but what defines the image created in that split second is everything that leads up to it.
Pressing the shutter is the easy part. The camera records what is in front of it; the real work lies in deciding what should be there in the first place. What matters is not the mechanics of making a photograph, but how you see.
How an image is imagined, composed and placed within a wider story shapes how it is understood and remembered.
I focus on creating imagery that communicates not just how something looks, but how it feels.
Studio Mel Yates is a collaborative practice, led by me. I shoot the photography and direct the films, working with a trusted circle of editors, graders and retouchers to refine the final delivery.
My background in product design at Central Saint Martins shaped an approach that connects design thinking with visual storytelling. What began with stills photography has evolved into a practice balancing stills and film, alongside immersive formats and podcasts.
Mel captures personality with a depth and authenticity that connects seamlessly to the wider brand. His work communicates what it feels like to be there. He brings fresh perspective to every shoot while maintaining the reliability and care of someone who deeply understands his craft and clients.
– Hamish Kilburn
Owner, Kilburn Communications
Former Editor, Hotel Designs
