Ethos

There are so many talented photographers in the Bay Area. As I prepare to return to full-time freelancing, I’ve had to think about what makes me different, or why my clients hire me instead of others. Of course there are variations in style, taste, and technical ability. Beyond that, though, there’s the person holding the camera.

I spent a couple years teaching night classes at the Berkeley Art Studio. I got mostly circled fives ⑤ , “excellent”, on my feedback forms. Through the many lessons, I realized that I would often bring up the importance of being Sensitive. We learned about composition, lighting, and the exposure triangle, but I also tried to remind us that that we are people working with other people. There are social sensitivities to our work that go beyond the perceptiveness that so many photographers pride themselves in.

It takes care and special skill to be able to operate in a wide variety of social circumstances. Being culturally aware and comfortable in different groups of people is not something that all photographers can do well. We need to be able to take beautiful photos, while being someone that the client is happy to have in the room. (And someone they completely trust to hire next time!)

I’m from East Oakland, so I was raised in an exceptionally diverse environment. I used to think that part of the Sensitivity skill was code switching, which may have been more true when I was younger. However, now that skill has less to do with changing myself based on the social situation, and more to do with being the same calm, kind, and present person across spaces.


More specifically, Sensitivity also means:

  • Being aware of the physical and visual space you occupy.

  • Noting and reassuring people who seem uncomfortable with a camera around.

  • Knowing when to let a situation breathe, to back off and stop taking pictures.

  • Getting permission from guardians before photographing with children.

  • Understanding how implicit, explicit, and ongoing consent relate to photographing various subjects. (No photographer can always get this right, but we can all approach the topic with humility and the understanding that a subject’s personal preferences are always most important.)

I write this because my sensitivity is something sets me apart, and it’s something that I’ve seen reflected in the people I’ve worked with over the years.
If you spend some time with my portraits and client galleries, I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Thanks for your time and consideration.