Professional headshot, family, brand, lifestyle, landscape, and senior portrait photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area
There’s something about working outdoors that always feels right. Several weeks ago, Anna Buckley and I collaborated on a creative photo shoot among the ferns and redwoods in the Saratoga foothills. The light was soft. The trails were quiet. A creek ran nearby, cutting through the trees. We moved between open spaces and shaded paths, letting the environment guide our work. Sessions like this remind me why I keep coming back. No rush. No tricks. Just a camera, good light, and space to create.
I was recently interviewed by Headshots Matter, a group of creative entrepreneurs and portrait photographers. We covered a host of topics, ranging from bourbon and languor to the Grand Canyon—and beyond.
If you’re not familiar with The Proust Questionnaire, do yourself a favor and look it up. In my opinion, it’s far more useful (and fun!) than the Myers-Brigg or Enneagram combined.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Daydreaming about my next road trip or camping trip or backpacking trip.
2. What is your greatest fear or challenge?
Dying. I’ve fretted about mortality since the first grade.
3. What trait do you most value in yourself?
Relentless curiosity.
4. What is the trait that you most value in others?
The ability to listen deeply to others even when you despise them or their ideas.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
Either Chomsky or Jay Bhattacharya for their moral courage.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
A $1,000 bottle of bourbon that was found under my friend’s house. Delicious.
7. What is your current state of mind?
Happy yet dissatisfied, always.
8. What do you consider to be the most underrated virtue?
Languor—a combination of slowness, flirting with boredom, and staying aplomb in the midst of irrational affairs.
9. On what occasion do you break the rules?
When they’re useless or morally offensive.
10. What do you most like about your life?
Being anchored in my family, my wife and kids. So important!
11. What quality do you most enjoy in someone you work with?
Allergic to bullshit.
12. Which words, phrases, or gestures do you most overuse?
“Beautiful,” “awesome,” and “where’s my chocolate?”
13. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The trinity of my family: wife, son, and daughter. One divine thing.
14. When and where are you happiest?
First in college (pure possibility!) and last year in 2024 when photography clicked for me, and I felt like I was back in college again. Pure, unadulterated excitement.
15. Which talent would you most like to have?
Musicality, either as a vocalist or a guitar player.
16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Worry less, participate in life more.
17. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Freeing myself from the corporate world because I never really did quite fit.
18. Where would you most like to live?
Montana, which is odd, because I haven’t been there yet.
19. What is your most treasured possession?
My teardrop trailer camper!
20. What is your favourite way to spend your time?
Working my way through a day that has one or two things I absolutely have to do and a bunch of things I might do.
21. Who are your heroes in real life?
This goes back to moral courage: Chomsky, Bhattacharya, Jeffrey Sachs, Snowden, etc. Anyone who challenges orthodoxy at great risk.
22. What is your ultimate dealbreaker?
If you use the word “thingy,” it’s over between us.
23. What is your greatest regret?
Not going to Sadie Hopkins with Aya Peard. Hurts me still.
24. What has been your favourite journey?
Rafting down the Grand Canyon with my mom and grandpa when I was a kid.
25. What kind of legacy would you like to leave?
When my children are in their late 90s, I hope they say, “My dad loved me.” That, and I want people to remember me as a noticer of things.
Cross-posted here.
Photographing twin sisters means capturing double the glamour and joy—but that’s not where I started. On my outing with Ashley and Amber Roemer, I set out to reveal the real-world tension of sibling rivalry beneath the surface.
Of course, rivalry is only part of the story. There’s also joy and warmth in their shared bond.
But sometimes the power of a portrait lies in separation. In one frame, Amber’s auburn hair mirrors the rusted patina of a bridge railing. A quit moment of individuality.
Luna is more than a subject—she’s a story in motion. In our photo session, she moved effortlessly from conceptual artistry to classic headshots, from intimate portraits to heartfelt moments with her partner in joy.
Hands Off
Many photographers remove Luna’s freckles in post production, an aesthetic offense. We celebrated them instead.
Distortions
This is water. These are eyes and freckles. Simple, basic realities that move the world.
We’re Composed of Absence
Classic headshots and portraits
Partner in Joy
Window Light
Tough as Nails
When you’re ready for a journey around the moon, just say the word!
