Melissa Bagley – Central Coast Artisan Spotlight
The Central Coast is gifted with beauty, natural wonders, and endless talent. Recently, Keys 2 the Coast held an Artisan Contest, and it was difficult to select three winners. Today we feature the insanely talented photographer… Melissa Bagley
Keys 2 the Coast followers love to know the best places to wine, dine and explore. Melissa was chosen because her talent exudes the beauty in and around us all.
Getting to know Melissa Bagley
The beauty I see around me and in people has always inspired me to create.
A client once told me that she “loved the way I saw her”. Being young and naive, I assumed that all the women I photographed saw themselves the way I did…as being beautiful.
Since then, I’ve made it my goal to use my fine art portrait photography to show women how beautiful they really are.
Why do I love photographing women?
Women are pretty amazing.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve had the honor of photographing so many multi-talented, kind, strong, and generous women of all ages. They’ve inspired me to create a record of their strength and beauty. I hope that the women in front of my camera see themselves as I see them…truly amazing and beautiful.
These same women helped me realize that I wanted to do more to help women business owners.
So many times, I’ve looked at a brand’s online presence and quickly realized that with beautiful new images, a website redesign, or better storytelling, their business would soar.
In order to help, I added content creation (photography & video plus writing) and websites to my services. Every brand has a story to tell. It’s genuinely a privilege when a business asks me to tell theirs.
Shortly after I moved to the Central Coast, the Covid-19 virus necessitated we all stay home.
While adjusting to all the changes that our new “stay at home” order created, I started photographing flowers and sharing them on Instagram….because let’s face it, we could all use some beauty in our lives right about now!
Business blooms when you do what you love
My followers loved the new images and began asking where I was selling them. So, I decided to create a new line of fine art wall decor and greeting cards called “la vita è bella” (Italian for Life is Beautiful). Working with flowers has taught me that just like people, they have very unique personalities and so much beauty to share with us.
As with any business, mine has continued to evolve over time. I consider it an honor to have touched so many people’s lives in so many different ways. Whether it may be through fine art portrait photography, telling a business’ story, or creating art for your wall… I love every moment of it.
In the short amount of time I’ve lived in Orcutt, the Central Coast has worked its magic on me. I absolutely love the area and people. I can’t wait to get out and create more beautiful imagery as soon as it’s safe to do so!
To see more of my photography and my online shop, please visit www.melissabagley.com
And, you can follow along with my photographic adventures on Instagram here –instagram.com/melissabagley
