Bio

Melissa Calderon is a Chicago-based fine art, abstract, editorial, and commercial photographer. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, Melissa has six years of digital photography experience. She had initially started her career as a candid photographer for her high school yearbook and newspaper. She never expected to become a photographer, but when she accidentally signed up for a journalism class and got handed a camera, she quickly abandoned her dream of becoming a professional couch potato. By her sophomore year of high school, she was a managing editor, and in her junior year, she became editor-in-chief. During her time on this editorial team, many appreciated her creativity, collaboration skills, drive, and open-mindedness.

​

Melissa is currently in the process of finishing her degree at Columbia College Chicago with a general concentration in photography because she actually had no idea what kind of photography she wanted to focus on. In the spring of 2023, work from her photographic book, Velia, was featured in the For Women by Women gallery. The highly praised series of images and short stories were constructed to characterize her mother, as Melissa realized after her mother’s passing, that people only remembered her mother as a sick woman and not by her persona. She continues to add to this series annually.

​

As of recently, her interests lie heavily in abstract art, and she has become very interested in using photographic images as illusions. Photography is not the only thing that occupies Melissa’s time. When she is not shooting, she spends her time reading, rotting away in her room watching movies, and playing silly little computer games.