Faces Matter

Kind, alive, brave, noble, strong… . These aren’t my words, nor his. These are the words strangers used to describe him simply based on their impressions from a photograph. Photos matter because faces matter. How you show up in the world matters. The energy you emit matters. And that comes through in a photograph.

I’m not the kind of photographer who just takes pictures. Photography is not a mechanical art. It’s spiritual. I know, I know, my Northern California is showing. But I truly believe in the power of connection and if you look at my website, you’ll see (I think) something different, something special, in the people I have worked with. It’s not me. I’m only part of the equation. But it’s not about me, it’s about them. It’s about you.

I chose this career because it allows me to connect with people and because I am visual. I can see the strength and nobility in all human beings and it is a great privilege to be able to help people see it in themselves. If I could I would do portraits every day, exclusively, because meeting new people and getting to know them is what I live for. My passion is in feeling your passion and showing that to everyone else.

This is the eighth panel in the mosaic of Marshall. There are nine total and I could have done more. You’ll notice that this one is in black and white, which has sort of a timeless quality to it. I don’t shoot in black and white (hardly anyone does anymore) I convert later on. Some photos just demand it.

Faces matter because people matter and the face is the portal through which we enter the person. Faces matter because looking each other in the eye has become a lost art. Faces matter because looking into them is how we acknowledge our humanity, our dignity. I tell people to stare right into the lens of the camera because that round hole is the world looking back.