Why I Only Shoot Headshots on Weekends
Photography wasn’t part of the plan. Not at all. I was supposed to be a 3D modeler, building fantastical worlds and characters that lived inside computer screens, untethered to reality. That was the dream, meticulously crafting scenes pixel by pixel, alone in a room. Headphones on, humanity out.
Then life did what life does: it shook things up. It handed me a camera store job in New York City in 2010. I needed a paycheck but instead I got a purpose. And slowly, photography found me. Or I found it, rather. Either way, I stopped building imaginary worlds and started noticing the real one. The people in it. Their faces. The way light rakes across their skin and tells the story of every year of their lives. Turns out, the human connection I’d been avoiding was the missing piece all along.
Camera Stores and the Art of Seeing
There’s something about working in a camera store that rewires your brain. You’re surrounded by people chasing dreams through a viewfinder, rookies, pros, and everyone in between. You learn to talk shop, troubleshoot gear and inspire others, even when you’re barely holding your own creative ambitions together. I’ve worked in camera stores in NYC and DC, meeting everyone from the college freshmen buying their first cameras to the grizzled National Geographic or Washington Post photographer. I even shared my first studio space with a White House photographer.
In the camera store I would photograph thousands of people a year for passport photos. Some of them didn’t speak English, so I mastered directing with gestures, smiles and a kind of universal body language. These are tiny, fleeting moments, but they’re human moments, and I’ve learned to love them. This isn’t a job for everyone. Some photographers do it for the money; I do it because I’m addicted to seeing people light up when they feel seen. And I carry that addiction into every headshot I shoot.
Why the Weekends?
My weekdays are booked solid. Between corporate headshots and helping the next generation of photographers with my mentoring sessions, there’s little room for anything else. That’s why I reserve weekends for what I love most: individual headshots. It doesn't matter to me whether I'm photographing a lobbyist, therapist, actor, or musician, I just love meeting people and capturing them on camera. My goal is always the same, for the people that know and love that person to say "That's the *insert name here* I know!"
Weekends are for slowing down, for creating without distractions, for turning the mundane into the magical (also for nice long brunches). I want every client to feel like they’re my only client, and weekends give me the space to do that. You deserve more than a rushed, cookie-cutter photo session sandwiched between meetings. You're better than that. You deserve a moment where you’re the main character, the star, the art.
Turning People into Art
Here’s the thing, I’ve been making portraits since I was 10 years old. Back then, it was sketchpads and pencils (and very often the margins of my math homework), studying faces like they held all the secrets of the universe. When I picked up a camera, it felt like coming home. Over the last decade, I’ve shot weddings, products, couples, street scenes, studio portraits, and everything in between. But headshots and portraits are my sweet spot, because I actually care to know the person behind the image.
There’s something sacred about a headshot. It’s not just a picture; it’s a statement. It says, “This is me. Look closer.” And that’s my job: to make sure when people look closer, they see the best version of you. The way we get there is easy for me now but took lots of trial and error over the years. Some photographers sit you in front of their camera and say "okay, go!" but that's not my style. I like to learn about you as we shoot and find your best angles and expressions.
Why I Should Be Your Photographer
Because I love what I do. I love people. I love the spark of human connection, the alchemy of turning light and shadow into art. I love seeing someone walk away from my camera with a little more confidence than they had before.
Somewhere in my journey from 3D modeler to photographer, I realized I wasn’t just creating art, I was creating experiences. Moments that matter. Whether it’s directing someone in a language I don’t speak or finding the perfect angle for a headshot, my goal is always the same: to leave people better than I found them.
So if you’re looking for someone who sees you as more than just a booking on their calendar, someone who’s been around the block (and the studio...and the camera store), someone who does this because they love it—then I’m your guy.
Let’s Make Magic This Weekend
Weekends are for headshots. For art. For connection. Let’s make yours unforgettable.
