Melissa Alcena

Melissa Alcena is a portrait and documentary photographer from The Bahamas. She completed an Applied Photography course at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, in 2012. In 2016, she returned to The Bahamas, where her practice developed around highlighting individuality and reframing Caribbean narratives of place and identity. Alcena lives and works in New York City, where she maintains an active studio practice across documentary, editorial, and commercial photography. In 2024, she executed portraits for the TIME 100 Gala, photographing figures such as Thelma Golden, Billy Porter, Colman Domingo, Kelley Robinson, and Michael J. Fox. Her clients include The New York Times, Vogue, Vogue China, L’Uomo, Nike, and The Wall Street Journal.

Photo credit: Blair Meadows.