The heart in the art.

Hello there!

My name is Melina Novo and I am a dOMINICAN-aMerican photographer from New Jersey. 

Hi all, my name is Melina and I have always been an artistic person. I have been Sketching, filling coloring books, playing musical instruments, and more since i was a child. Art has always been part of life one way or another so, it was only natural for me to find photography and fall in love with it.

When the pandemic hit, as i’m sure many others did, I wanted to take the opportunity to focus on one of my hobbies. I had a starter DSLR laying around so, I chose to give myself a challenge and try the real thing instead of being limited to my phone. I spent hours on Youtube watching tutorials as well as, following numerous big time professionals on instagram. My next step was to put all my research to the test. I practiced on friends, family, and mostly, on myself. Self portraits became my best friend. I had a huge learning curve just by using myself as the subject. I felt no pressure and could truly take my time to get the perfect shot.

At the time, I was working as a receptionists for a small, local doctor’s office. It was my first job out of high school and I was there for 6 years. About a year into truly diving into my new skill, I knew the money as a receptionist wasn’t going to cut it; photography can be quite the expensive hobby! So, I decided to start a new path in the hospitality industry. I started bartending and it allowed me more financial freedom to continue to explore my capabilities as a photographer.

I eventually, also, fell in love with bartending and cocktail creation. It can be as fun and creative as photography!

It’s been 4 years juggling both photography and bartending and I don’t want to let either of them go. At the moment, my focus is on hospitality and cocktail creation.

This site is just for me to share my journey in BOTH photography and bartending over the years.

Please enjoy.