Everyone’s favourite summer beer company Corona Extra are offering readers and drinkers a once-in-a-life-time trip to a literally deserted island with nine of your closest mates, the opportunity poses the age old question – just who would you take? Life Without Andy has put together our dream list of models, musicians, bloggers, surfers and designers that’d we’d gladly get stuck alongside on the remote Namotu Island, Fiji. Today, we present five reasons we’d take photographer Melissa Cowan.
There are no shortage of brilliant photographers that you can find on Life Without Andy, that can take the perfect shot at a gig, or capture that girl effortlessly, but there’s something both considered and spontaneous about the work of Melbourne-based, New Zealand-born Melissa Cowan that makes you wish she was around to shoot every moment in your life that you wanted to whip out your iPhone. In the interest of full editorial disclosure, I’ve worked alongside Melissa many times before and I can probably vouch she wouldn’t last ten minutes on a deserted island with no chicken nuggets or camera chargers, but until her Canon 5D Mark III batteries ran out and she got hungry she’d take the most stunning snaps of your island escape you could imagine. Whether it’s shooting lingerie editorials, actually getting Jamie Xx to smile for a photo, or a 3AM dance floors, Melissa makes each moment look that little bit magical.
1. She’d be your exploring partner-in-crime.
Definitely not a photographer that is trapped in a studio, Melissa is always on the search for the perfect shot, whether it’s travelling to a far-flung cactus farm or a hidden bush doof.
2. Gonzo-style.
Who wants to get their photo taken at an event or gig while the photographer isn’t having any fun? Melissa is always ready to trade shots for… actual shots.
3. Landscape and portrait.
A lot of photographers seem to specialise in scenery or people – Melissa’s one of the few talents that can find the personality in a landscape or the perfect lines on a body.
4. Festival-ready.
The only thing that can prepare you for a deserted island is clearly bush doofs and festivals – how to people survive and party in unrelenting heat in the actual desert for a week straight? Even more prepared are the photographers – carrying gear in sweltering heat, a couple of beers in, yet still getting the perfect photo.
5. Downtime.
While Melissa is more than capable of shooting and adventuring in exotic locations, she’s a photographer that appreciates a chill out.
