FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I prefer to work collaboratively with clients but can drive the project turn-key style when clients want that service. All projects start with a consultation, most often by phone with follow-ups by email, text, or subsequent calls depending on the nature of the communication. Initially I'm listening to get as much information as I can about clients' project goals, stylistic preferences, constraints, and expectations for deliverables. I do extensive pre-photoshoot location research, which informs lighting kit selections, our planned use of the space and, if outdoors, shoot time-of-day choices. I like to keep shoots light, relaxed, smooth, and efficient. All the pre-shoot homework we do is in service of that goal. In addition to private online proofing pages for all clients, I've also developed a tool to speed and improve the quality of the image-selection process.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I had been a life-long hobbyist since age 10 and an avid avocational photographer since high school, studying a year at a time under a couple of v kind professionals. In 2002 I was published for the first time in the US and by 2004 I had been published in Europe, Asia, and Australia as well. That experience motivated me to bring my skills & gear list up to a professional level and, after doing a number of freelance projects for commercial clients, I officially hung out my shingle as a professional photographer in 2015. In 2014, while working as a freelance technical writer, my largest clients asked if I could supply images to support materials I was writing. My little first digital couldn't quite meet their art departments' requirements so I had to decide to invest in a good amount of quite expensive gear. Ultimately I did, but couldn't allow that investment to sit on a shelf collecting dust so I decided to hang out my shingle in 2015. It didn't take long for photography to dominate my work load and I've been a working professional ever since.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I've photographed people from every continent except Antarctica because penguins almost never hire photographers; they're more into coldsnapshots. So far my youngest subject has been six hours old; the eldest, 98 years. The variety of my clients' ages, backgrounds, interests, motivations, and perspectives all contribute to making mine one of the most endlessly interesting jobs I know. By design, a foundation of my work is respect for my subjects, not just in theory but in practice. This manifests in various ways, among which are: My practice is LGBTQ+ friendly and supportive. I am, intrinsically, a body-positive photographer, but am always willing adjust my photographic and image-editing styles to accommodate the preferences of clients who are not. I welcome and enjoy working with clients of all cultures. These aren't just personal preferences but are core tenets. If any of these bother you then I am not the photographer for you.