Melly Lee

Chinese-American

Conceptual Photogapher/Owner, Melly Lee Photography + Creative Director, Next Shark

Instagram: @mellylee_

As an LA based conceptual portrait photographer, Melly Lee has had many notable clients including Google, Warner Bros., Airbnb and Forever21 just to name a few.

She is a graduate of studio art from the University of California, Irvine and is known for her quirky portrait shots. But in order to get to this stage professionally, she would experience the force of 2 waves that would change her career trajectory. The first: after countless hours of studying and dreading organic chemistry courses as a biological science major, Melly realized that there was no passion driving her, so she switched her major to studio arts. And the second: after being stuck without power for over a week in Manhattan, NY during hurricane sandy, Melly realized that life was too short not to purse things in life you’re passionate about. During that time, she was working for an NYC startup, but once work resumed, Melly decided to quit her job to pursue photography full-time.

In addition to being the owner of Melly Lee Photography for the past five years, she is the Creative Director/Partner at NextShark – an online magazine dedicated to providing current news and resources for the young entrepreneurial mind. Her accolades include being selected as one of Sobe’s Artist in Residence, which culminated with a showcase of her artwork at Art Basel Miami (2015).