This month we asked photographer Melissa Hunzelman to tell us about her 2018 Images of Edina award-winning photo titled Little Fish.
When/where was your photo taken?
On a hot summer July day at the Edina Pool. I love that it looks like it’s in deeper water, but it’s actually in the kiddie pool.
Was it a planned shoot or spontaneous?
It’s planned in the sense that I told her to swim toward me, but that’s it. I’ve seen some really fantastic posed underwater photography, but that is way beyond my ability (and my children’s tolerance for my frequent picture-taking).
What inspired you to enter your photo in the Images of Edina photo contest?
Over the years, [friends and family] have encouraged me to enter some of my pictures into contests like this one. My girls think it’s so cool to see their mom’s pictures on display or in the magazine. As they get older, I figure I’ll have fewer and fewer opportunities to be considered “cool” by them, so I’m taking full advantage of it now.
What do you like most about this particular photo?
I really love the colors and the feeling of movement in this picture. And, of course, those cute monkey cheeks! This type of photo—an active, candid shot—really takes me back to that moment; It makes me happy just to look at it. I think photos like that are the most special.
