Melissa Kobe is a Los Angeles-based photographer who helped photograph some of our leadership team and board of directors for our website this year. We’re extremely grateful for her services and wanted to take some time to spotlight the amazing work she does.

Melissa is a versatile photographer who does it all. She documents galas, weddings, conferences, mitzvahs, small events like birthdays and anniversary parties, portraits, and live music.

Yet despite the wide range of situations she captures on camera, the one thing that remains consistent is the approach she takes in her work, which is rooted in photojournalism. She’s interested in life and how people live and express it.

“I look for the joy and the love in the moments before me no matter what the job,” she said.

“The Feminine”

In addition to photographing all sorts of events, Melissa is working on a creative project with poet Sarah Suzor called “The Feminine,” which aims to explore what it means to be feminine and celebrate what that looks like in the world today. The duo previously produced their first collaborative photography and poetry book called “Am I surrounding you” in 2017, which jumpstarted their collaboration on “The Feminine.”

“Basically, Sarah Suzor and I want to take an honest look at women of all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. We want to strip away all photoshopped perfection and look at the female form without the personas and ‘best version of life’ filters we all use on the daily,” she said.

The project is structured as follows:

• Melissa photographs participants dressed the way she feels she looks her best, in whatever way that means to her.
• Then she photographs a nude version where participants strip down and shower away their hairdos and make up
• Finally, Sarah interviews each woman and puts poetry to the photos

Sarah and Melissa plan on exhibiting their project in an art book and gallery show, though Melissa says they plan on continuing the project for the rest of their lives. So far, they’ve done shoots in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, with upcoming ones scheduled in New York and the Bay area.

To learn more about m. kobe photography, click here. You can also check out her blog and social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Find out more about Melissa’s and Sarah’s collaborations here.

Fun fact: Melissa is a socially conscious individual who dedicates 5 percent of her gross income toward charities. She provides free and discounted services and products to a handful of charities (like us!) as well.