Feature Friday with Melina Nastazia Photography!!!

The wonderfully talented Melina of Melina Nastazia Photography was the challenge winner for last week's 'everyday magic' theme!  We've asked Melina to share another of her personal projects and some more of her gorgeous photos so read on!

"As I looked through my inspiration board on Pinterest recently, I noticed that I was really drawn to many clown portraits and fine art images depicting circus and carnival scenes. I asked myself what it was about these images that I found so very compelling. 

There is something both exhilarating and terrifying about the circus: the pulsating crowds, loud voices, bright colors, and painted faces.

On one hand it appeals to the imagination: an explosion to our senses, the epitome of wonder and entertainment…

On the other hand, there is something mysterious and burlesque about this parading masquerade of performers

When I was a child clowns frightened me, and later that fear turned into a fascination. I always wonder what is hiding beneath the painted face, the contorted pose.

In a world where many women learn to depend on make-up at an early age to feel beautiful, where most people feel compelled to wear a variety of ‘masks’ to seek approval, to please, sometimes to get through the day…clowns really take on symbolic significance.

As I try to understand and really explore my thoughts and feelings on all of this, I have taken on this circus themed conceptual photography personal project.

This last image, a very recent of mine, represents the objectification of the “exotic other”, but is also a story about the fierce protectiveness of a mother towards her child—a universal subject that I know all mothers can relate to. 

Thank you so much for letting me share this very personal project with you!"

You can find more of Melina's amazing work here:

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