MELCHISDEC A. WAPLES JR.
Photographer | Filmmaker | Writer | Army Veteran
Why I Write.
The world is constantly changing, we as a people are beginning to see situations and scenarios outside our normal life. As a writer I capture those moments, I take the stories around me and turn them into screenplays. Even though some of the stories become fantastical, they are still grounded in a world that mimics our own to give a sense of comfort.
I write to uplift the voices that are marginalized, that are forgotten, that people try to silence. When I write I think of not only my life but the lives of all the kids who are told they’ll amount to nothing, the moms, and dads working two jobs to support their households, the teenage runway, even the hate filled people who attempted to hold others down.
About Me.
Mel Waples was a kid of humble means; he grew up in a home with two sisters and his mother. His father being in the Air Force he didn’t see him a lot growing up. Mel was always interested in the arts; he was a self-taught photographer and by the age of twelve he was working with wedding photographers as their second photographer. In high school he opted to take a 3D animation course at the vocational school, Mel will admit that 3D animation wasn’t his strong suite but that was the only art class offered. It wasn’t until he met a Gary Kerbein the owner of a small graphic design and marketing tool company, he leaned hard into graphic design. Working for Mr. Kerbein was dream come true for Mel, but his employment ended when Mel raised his right hand to pledge an oath to the US Army.
Mel spent over twenty years in service to the country with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During his deployments Mel helped document the initial stages of the war and continued to work with the public affairs teams to capture images that would be used in different military centric magazines. Mel left active duty in 2016 due to injuries and enlisted in the US Army Reserve to finish his time. As a reservist Mel continued to work the public affairs teams but instead of photographing war torn villages, he would find himself at Heinz Field photographing Generals with members of the Stealers roster.