a spot of trumpet blowing and shameless self promotion......

INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNING Photographer FRANCES J MELHOP

- voted "One of the Worlds 200 Best Advertising Photographers 2009/2010" by Luerzers Archive -


Frances j Melhop has been based in Milan Italy for the last 9 years, she is well known in Europe and the South Pacific as a creator of extraordinary and unique imagery in the fashion / advertising arena.

Frances crafts her work .... from primary concept ,art directing, shooting , completing all post production and illustration into her works. Her photographs have appeared in the top European magazines from Vogue Italia, Vogue France, British Vogue,and Glamour, to Face, ID, Purple, Marie Clarie Italia, Elle, Vogue Pelle, Vogue Gioello, and D della Repubblica.

Advertising clients include, L'OREAL, QUIKSILVER, APRILIA SCARABEO VESPA, DESCAMPS, ZUCCHI, PREMIATA, RUFFO, L'ALTRAMODA, PRIMIZIA, KRAFT, MODA LISBOA, TRIUMPH Lingerie and CAROL CHRISTIAN POEL. These Images have appeared on billboards throughout Europe the UK ,the Middle East, Australia and Oceania

In studios,castles, jungles, obscure islands, hanging out of aeroplanes and even underwater Frances conjures up an enchanted world of her own to create and tell the story she is working on....
Tall tales and surreal stories are the air she breathes.....
making possible the impossible and by anthropomorphizing all "heroes" from a little red city scooter snuggling a Paris Metro railing, to a Gucci bikini thrown carelessly in a lagoon...

Currently Frances is exhibiting in 2 galleries
one show entitled "punti di vista" Rome ITALY at the Vista gallery ...
and "times of transformation" Albuquerque New Mexico USA at Arthaus66.....
and she has also been invited to show in October 2009 at the "TRIENNALE" in Milano Italy, with the worlds leading female photographers and the "Soqquadro Foundation" Rome Italy

to see further work
www.francesjmelhop.com or contact to view portfolio


what they are saying .....

"Frances Melhop's images possess the pulsating beauty of an underwater realm in constant motion. The weightlessness of the figures conveys silence and peaceful introspection, while water and light join in a captivating dance." Artslant 2009

Greatness was predicted for this creatively-minded artist...." Her business magazine 2008

"Frances is a storyteller: she creates fairy tales in photography" Scoutiegirl 2008

"artist of wonderland" Moda Lisboa 2006

ghost butterflies

my latest work
"ghost butterflies"

an epoca silk covered wall in an abandoned house in Milano ...with an imprint of the painting that used to hang there... acids from the original painting have marked the silk wall giving a 3D effect that the painting is still there ...

ghosts and memories
all that is left

life on the edge of the volcano

back in New Zealand,
tramping boots and gaiters,
climbing blown out volcanoes and lurking in magical scary forests on the insides of the crater....crawling through liana vines that have grown into trees and sloshing around in deep deep mud as water trickles constantly through the rain forest lush lush kiwi jungle..... after the Nevada crackling dry desert......
it could not be more different...

new show in Rome...

opening on the 6th of july 2009 at the "Vista" gallery Rome ,Italy ...right beside the "real" Roman Colloseum....

4 of my miniature polaroid works are being shown ... in a group show titled "punto di vista " (point of view)

the images are shot on a limited edition pinhole camera crafted in Poland , on polaroid which is no longer being produced ... i managed to get some of the last remaining supplies of stock ...

the images are scanned at super high resolution and are being printed as a limited edition of 10 of each image on a wonderful metallic fuji crystal archive photoflex paper, archival to 150 years
each image is exactly the size of the polaroid 5x4 inches

like a dream sequence of half forgotten childhood images...my images are inside a fairytale genre ...where the main character is often the scary dark forest or indiscernable space...no beginning no ends...... see for yourself ...

real live cowboys...

......call me old fashioned.... but aren't cowboys just the best in black and white ????

after hanging at the Rodeo for 2 days in Reno Nevada where all the real live cowboys from across America come to compete...
the more of America i see, the more i think they're all bananas ,
and ....obviously, the more i like it
mind you, that doesnt mean they give me a nice extended visa to stay
anyway....
iiii've put together a lil' blaaack and whiiiiiite cow-boy series ....

have to rush off and eat a golden syrup steamed pudding ...
i have got jetlag after all.....
rushing backwards and forewards across the world ....