Photography: Mike Mellia captures modern artists in the style of old masters

New York photographer Mike Mellia can usually be found creating sleek, clean photographs for advertising campaigns, fashion stories and product editorial which means he’s well-versed in capturing his subjects at their best. This skill comes into its own when Mike makes personal portraits, his understanding of texture, light and atmosphere lending itself to the creation of rich, tonal images that echo the aesthetic qualities of the Flemish masters. His latest series of portraits features artists and writers as the subject, casting them as wistful thinkers, with their own strange narratives bubbling away under a carefully stylised surface.