Photography for me is my tool to help understand and explore the world.
After finding a love for photography in high school and then following that love to art school. I started working in the field of photography about 11 years ago. I moved to Brooklyn, NY to find my first creative community, photograph dancers and work on assignments for a food magazine. This combination really helped form my style for photography. From there I made my way to Portland, OR where I worked in the fashion industry. I never saw myself in that line of work for long. However, in the end, it afforded me lots of new skills, connections and a few solid friendships. I began shooting weddings, elopements and portraits thinking that it was a good direction to head. It ended up taking me to Los Angeles and eventually New Orleans.
It felt like this work held a common thread with what I was looking for in my personal work.
That being, connections and relationships. The kinds we have with ourselves, others and with nature. It all felt interconnected and it felt like such a privilege to document people at this beautiful stage in their journey. I dove deep into this work and found a balance between traditional wedding photography and my own style. As you can see in my portfolio I have left a lot of my more experimental work as I love to use photography to explore different themes and concepts. I work and collaborate with each client to find what they are looking for in their shoot.
This is where I grew up.
A small town in the foothills of Northern California. I consider it one of the most beautiful places on earth and has deep rooted me in nature. You maybe can see a theme in my work that may include adjectives like peaceful, quiet or natural. I got all this through my time growing up in close proximity to the natural world. Keeping a healthy balance of understanding good composition as well as deep listening when I am shooting allows me to create images but also just be at the right place at the right time.
Currently I live in California
After moving to New Orleans for some time, I am back on the west coast.
I’ll stop there with my story but if you have more questions feel free to check out the Questions & Answers page or to contact me. Id love to hear from you.
Testimonials
“Justin is an incredibly talented and charming photographer. Justin has done multiple photo shoots for my family and I. For me, he has done both engagement and wedding photos, and has also done a postpartum photography session for my daughter and I. Justin's photography speaks for itself. He's a true artist. Justin's work captures moments from multiple perspectives. He utilizes the light, shadows, and the environment to create very special and unique photos. Justin brings more to the table than just incredible photos. He creates an extremely comfortable and relaxed space for those being photographed; providing grace and ease during his photography sessions. When I look back at the photos that he has taken for me, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him in this capacity and I look forward to all the sessions I know we will have in the future!”
-Taryn Sether
“Justin photographed my wedding, and I cannot say enough good things about the experience and results! He was easy to work with, came prepared, and was a beacon of calm the day of. He put my husband and I at ease, and the result is a series of photos that really look like us - genuine interactions, smiles, laughs, and love. Also, our ceremony pictures look like stills from a movie! Justin did such a wonderful job capturing the feeling of the day, and I will cherish those memories forever through his beautiful photos. Hire him already!”
-Jeffrey Arlyn
“My husband and I hired Justin for our wedding in 2018. He was a delight to work with from day one! He’s kind, prepared, professional and always quick to respond. Justin has a special ability to capture the truly authentic moments. We hosted our wedding on a big piece of land, so it was not the easiest to photograph, but Justin did a fantastic job! On the day of the wedding, he spent time with us as individuals but was also able to capture the collective experience. He’s gentle in his approach, never trying to control or force the situation. We love our photos so much, and we wholeheartedly highly recommend Justin! “
- Jess Cook
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