I help organizations see, understand, and communicate the human stories behind their work.

The story comes first.

Organizations often have compelling stories all around them—but those stories can be difficult to see from inside the work.

I help bring those stories into view.

I don't begin with a camera, a production plan, or a predetermined idea of what you need.

I begin by listening.

I want to understand what you're trying to accomplish, what challenges you're facing, what you believe you need—and, just as importantly, what may be missing from the picture.

Then I listen to the people closest to the work.

Through conversation, observation, and time spent understanding your organization and its people, we begin to discover what is really at the core.

Sometimes that discovery confirms what you thought you needed.

Sometimes it reveals something entirely different.

The story determines the medium.

It may require photography.
It may require writing, film, a presentation, an exhibition, multimedia—or simply a different way of thinking about how the story is being told.

Often, it is some combination.

My role is not simply to produce something for you.
It is to help you see the story clearly, tell it honestly and compellingly, and find meaningful ways to put it to work.

That might mean helping donors understand the human impact of your work. It might mean communicating more effectively with a board, strengthening a fundraising effort, reaching a wider audience, educating the public, or helping people understand why your mission matters.

Whatever the purpose, the story comes first.

And throughout the process, we stay in conversation. As your understanding of the story develops, the work can evolve with it.

A Different Perspective

For more than five decades, I have worked as a photographer, writer, storyteller, and documentarian—often spending months or years getting close enough to a subject to understand what lies beneath the surface.

That experience has taught me something simple:

The most important part of storytelling isn't the medium. It's understanding the people and the story behind it.

I bring the perspective of an outsider, but not the distance of one.

I listen. I ask questions. I pay attention. And I work collaboratively to discover what your story needs.

Because sometimes the most valuable thing I can bring to an organization isn't a camera.

It's another set of eyes.

What the Story Might Become

Every project is different because every story is different.

Depending on what we discover together, the work might include:

Photography
Written storytelling
Documentary projects
Film and multimedia
Presentations and exhibitions
Storytelling strategy
Ongoing documentary and communications support

The form follows the story—not the other way around.

Where the Story Leads

The finished work should do more than exist.

It should help you communicate.

It should help people understand what you do, why it matters, and—most importantly—the human beings at the heart of it.

And my hope is that you finish the project knowing that your story has been understood, your work has been seen, and the people at the heart of it have been heard.

long-form projects

A mountain dignity

The Lacandon Maya

The Various Maya Cultures of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula

Dark-Fired Tobacco

The Eyes on Main Street Residency

In Search of America

Three years within the Appalachian culture of southeastern Kentucky, exploring what happens when a deeply rooted way of life encounters a rapidly changing America.

Two years living among the Lacandon Maya in the rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico, documenting a culture confronting the profound changes reshaping its traditional way of life.

Seven years documenting the diverse Maya cultures of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula—from contemporary communities and traditional ways of life to the ancient ruins that remain as evidence of a civilization that continues to shape the region.

A two-year project documenting the family-owned dark-fired tobacco farms of Robertson County, Tennessee, and the generations of families whose lives and traditions are rooted in the land.

A one-month paid residency documenting the people, places, and character of Wilson, North Carolina.

A six-year, 350,000-mile journey across the United States, photographing and listening to the people who make up America—without preconceptions, allowing the places and the people to reveal the story.