Home >This is Me

Melanie Sharp - Zootographer, Equine & wildlife Photographer

I make stories – but in stills

I’m Melanie Sharp — An award winning photographer. I specialise in  zoo, wildlife and equine photographey with a particular affinity for flamingos, French cowboys, and good timing.

I shoot soul over spectacle, story over perfection — and if there’s magic in the moment, I’ll find it. Even if it’s thigh-deep in marsh mud or wedged behind a log enclosure at the zoo.

Photography isn’t just something I do — it’s how I make sense of the world.

My work has been featured in national press, including The Telegraph, and recognised by the Guild of Photographers with multiple Gold Awards and the title of Image of the Year

From the wild wetlands of the Camargue to the carefully curated chaos of a zoo enclosure, I photograph what moves me: animals with presence, moments with meaning, and light that tells the truth.

My work is split between two places: the raw, untamed beauty of the French marshes, and the quieter but no less powerful magic of zoological spaces. Both matter. Both tell stories. And both demand respect — not just for the animal, but for the space between us.

At the zoo, I wait — sometimes i wait for hours — for a single look, a flicker of connection, a breath held just long enough to be caught. In the Camargue, it’s movement: hooves through water, bulls kicking sand, flamingos lifting at dawn. Different rhythms. Same reverence.

I’ve spent years refining how I see — not just technically, but intuitively. I don’t do gimmicks. I don’t chase trends. What I want is recognition — that quiet spark when a photo doesn’t just show something, it remembers it for you.

I have also been named one of Digital Camera Magazine’s Top 5 Photographers to Watch — a recognition I’m quietly proud of (and still pinching myself about).

I am currently working on limited print releases, personal mythology projects and a monthly blog for people who want more than filters and presets — real photos, real stories, and the occasional flamingo feather that finds you when you’re ready.

Some of my work goes beyond photography. Selected works are hand-finished as fine art pieces using bespoke digital techniques — no AI, no templates, every image shaped by hand.— I transform select images into fine art pieces. These aren’t filters; they’re intentional artistic edits created to bring out mood, texture, and soul. From pencil-sketch stylings to painterly finishes, every piece starts as a real photograph I took — and is reimagined by hand, not machine.

You’ll find these pieces in my Open Editions section — where the wild meets the whimsical.

See more of these images on my Instagram gallery

If you’re interested in collaboration, a private commission, or editorial work, I’d love to hear from you.

Melanie Sharp is a UK-based zoo, wildlife and equine photographer known for her evocative images from both the Camargue and zoological environments. Her work bridges natural storytelling and artistic precision, earning recognition across national photography publications and platforms.

Selected Award Winning Work