Black History Month: Melissa Alcena
Renee, ©Melissa Alcena
By Dani Martin
Melissa Alcena is an up-and-coming Bahamian photographer specializing in portrait and documentary photography. Based in Nassau, Alcena’s work focuses on dismantling stereotypes regarding the ideal Bahamanian “paradise” and showcasing the realities of the people who live there. Her work gives a platform to black voices as she shares the stories of those living in The Bahamas.
While The Bahamas are undoubtedly beautiful, Alcena says that’s just one part of its reality. She describes it as “everything you know the Bahamas to be — sun, sand, and sea.”
“And yes,” she notes, “That makes up a portion of our reality, but what you aren’t seeing highlighted enough are the stories and faces of the people who help facilitate everyone’s ‘vacation in paradise.’”
Briland Dock, ©Melissa Alcena
The other part of this reality is the people that call The Bahamas home. Alcena remarks that the world regards The Bahamas as just a tropical getaway. This misconception inspires her to share more about the country and its people.
“I’d like people to be cognizant of the fact that we are more than just a vacation destination,” she says, “And I know we’ve been marketed as such for years, so it doesn’t exactly make it easy to view us any other way. But I’ll tell you this...whenever people tell me about their experiences in visiting The Bahamas, the emphasis has always been on their positive interactions with our people — the characters they met, how personable they were. So I think it’s important to continue to highlight them, because after all, what is a country without its people?”
Anderson, ©Melissa Alcena
Alcena’s craft is photography, and she explains that imagery is integral in telling these stories.
“Imagery plays such a major role in how we perceive reality, and although an image is but one viewpoint, it can redefine our understanding of places and people.”
Her images are personal and intimate. The Bahamian sea, often at the forefront, fades into the background while the faces and expressions of those photographed come forward. There is a comforting welcomeness to her images, a softness. Alcena says that she wants her subjects to feel comfortable when in the process of shooting.
Deanna and Jazzy, ©Melissa Alcena
“While I set up,” she remarks, “I spend time talking, giving [them] aspects of my personality so that the photo feels like more of an exchange, versus me taking from them. I want people to be comfortable first and foremost. The rest is just flowing with that person’s energy. I love a strong, straight-on portrait, but recently I’ve started exploring other angles, photographing people from behind while still aiming to create an interest in them.”
Lincoln and Kai, ©Melissa Alcena
Photography is a mode of sharing and exploring one’s emotions and identities, and Alcena uses this medium to amplify Bahamian voices and demonstrates photography’s ability to heal and educate. One of her favorite moments she has captured, she mentions, was shortly after the passing of her aunt,
“My aunt had just passed away, and my health was declining because I was under a lot of stress in general. But as I started taking photos, documenting our day, the stress melted away for a while. I mourned my aunt’s passing while lying on my mother’s lap and took photos of it. We lit sparklers in our yard wearing our favorite pajamas and laughed—and I took photos of that too. It was special to me because I have never been so honest and vulnerable in images relating to my personal life, and I came out of that assignment inspired to create more.”
Alcena utilizes her photography to share, uplift, and chronicle the narratives of the Bahamian people.
Zack, ©Melissa Alcena
