General FAQ

How long will it take me to get my pictures?

It depends on how grumpy my internet’s being — but depending on upload speeds I’ll send you every unedited photo we take within a day or two of our shoot. I’ll have edits for you within the week.

How do you deliver the photos?

A secure, password protected online gallery.

Will you help me with poses?

I’m very anti-posing. Poses are designed to make you look like someone other than yourself, which is antithetical to my work. I’m much more interested in how you move naturally. We have this cultural idea that great art comes from pain, suffering, emotional laceration, discomfort: the whole “pain is beauty” ethos. I hate it, and I disagree. Some great art comes from those dark places — but just as much comes from a place of joy, love, lightness, happiness, pleasure, laughter, comfort. I’m much more interested in making that type of art.

To that end, I want you to move with as much freedom and authenticity as you can. You’ll always know your body better than I can, so I’ll very rarely give you specific poses or movements — usually my direction amounts to “remember to breathe, forget about the camera, and follow your impulses.”

I won’t leave you out to dry: if something isn’t working I’ll let you know, and if we need to tweak something a little bit to make it amazing I’ll let you know — but by and large the more you’re able to move around and, basically, try things without worrying about looking stupid, the better the photos will be.

That sounds terrifying, is it terrifying?

No! It’s definitely an exercise in trust and letting go of vanity, but there’s such freedom in that. Jump on your bed! Stand on your head! Make pancakes! Cry naked on the bathroom floor! Whatever impulse strikes you, follow it. Most of the photos will suck, but that’s liberating, too — it means there’s no right answer we’re looking for, no “perect shot” we’re trying to get, no fear of taking a bad picture. The plan is to take bad pictures, and then along the way we’ll accidentally take some great ones.

A lot of the people in your posted work are naked. Do I have to take my clothes off?

Absolutely not. The most important thing in any shoot is that you’re completely comfortble. Bodies are beautiful — all bodies, every one — and some people find exploring that without clothes to be empowering. If that’s you, great! If that’s not you, also great! I obviously photograph lots of naked people — I’m good at it, and if you’ve come to me for those type of pictures you’ve come to the right place — but if you like my way of seeing but prefer to be fully clothed, that’s totally fine, too! There’s never any pressure — I’ll certainly never ask you to take clothes off — and whatever you want to do is what you should do.

I want to be naked, but I’m insecure about my body. Should I wait until I’m in better shape?

Fuck no! Don’t push yourself into something you’re not comfortable with, but if you know you want to do a shoot and you’re just worried about the way you look then you should close your eyes and dive in. 90% of the people I shoot with, regardless of how many abs they have, are nervous about how they look — and 0% should be. Whatever it looks like at this moment your body is beautiful because it’s yours.

What if I get my period right before the shoot?

Tampon strings don’t scare me — I’ve edited out my fair share — but if you’d prefer to reschedule that’s totally fine! Whatever feels best to you.

I have [scars/acne/birthmarks/etc]. Will you edit them out?

Only if you want me to.

Can I print my photos?

Of course!

Can I sell my photos?

Yes! If you’re an artist and want to use these as reference images, or if you collage, or if you want to use one of our photos as album art, or if you have an OnlyFans, or if you’re into NFTs, or…whatever — you’re welcome to sell the photos we take.

I don’t want any of my photos posted anywhere, is that OK?

Of course! I’ll never use any photos without your permission, and there’s never any pressure to give me that permission. If you want these to be 100% private that’s 100% fine!

What sort of editing do you do?

My editing is mostly focused on skin touchups (removing pimples and blemishes), color treatment, and cleaning up distractions (scuffs on the floor, background objects, the stray piece of pet hair).  If you do your own editing or have a go-to retoucher, you're more than welcome to!

Will you make me skinnier?

Nope!  I don't do any body modification.  If you need that, though, you're welcome to do it yourself or bring the unedited photo to a retoucher. 

Do we have a planning session before the shoot?

We can! I haven’t found it necessary in most cases — it usually takes less than 5 minutes to find our first setup and start shooting — but if you’d feel more prepared meeting ahead of time I’m happy to do a planning call to talk through location, lighting, and wardrobe. The fee for this is $25.

Is there a rescheduling fee?

No, it's free to reschedule. Life happens!

Can I get my $50 deposit back if I decide to canecl?

Nope, the deposit’s nonrefundable.

Remote Shoot FAQ

What's a remote shoot?

It's a photoshoot done over our phones. This means distance is no object — we don't have to be in the same state or even the same country.

How does it work?

There’s a free app called Clos, which allows me to remotely trigger your phone's camera. It interfaces just like FaceTime or any other video chat service, so we’ll hop on a call, work together to find framing and lighting that looks good, then you'll get in front of the camera and it’ll be just like a regular photoshoot.

Are the pictures any good?

Yes! It sounds crazy, but they can be every bit as good as anything taken in person with a professional camera. Because I'm triggering your phone's camera directly (as opposed to capturing live photos on FaceTime or screenshotting the video call) the photos are high resolution and excellent quality.

Do I need special equipment?

Nope! Just your phone! If you have a tripod or a ring light or anything like that, cool — but they're definitely not necessary. Most people I work with just prop their phone against something and we tend to use available light.

Does it matter what kind of phone I have?

Nope! The app works on both iPhones and Androids. Only important thing — and this is REALLY IMPORTANT — is that you have at least 30gb of free space on your device, because the photos are stored locally before they upload.

What if I don't know where to put the camera?

That's my job! Don't worry, I'll help you find good light, angles, and backgrounds.

Is it OK if my WiFi sucks?

Totally! The app we use allows me to remotely trigger the shutter on your phone's camera, so the quality of our connection doesn't affect the quality of the image. After the shoot just leave your phone unlocked and the app open while the photos upload to a secure gallery.

It sounds weird. Is it weird?

Sort of, yeah! We'll use your back camera because it's higher resolution, which means you won't be able to see yourself or me as we shoot; you'll just hear my voice. The first five or ten minutes can feel silly and awkward. BUT it's also a lot of fun and the pictures come out great. Most people settle into it pretty quickly and end up having a great time. It's different than a traditional shoot, but it's by no means worse. It feels like its own distinct medium, and there's tons of creativity to be explored through it.

Do I have to be indoors?

Theoretically no — as long as you have a cell signal we can shoot anywhere. But I've found that it's much easier in a more controlled environment, and the app can be laggy over cellular data; so for our first shoot I’d prefer we keep it indoors. Once we’ve established a working vernacular and are comfortable together we can take things outdoors for future shoots.

What if we get disconnected?

This isn't usually a problem, but if we have insurmountable connection issues I of course won't charge you for a shoot that didn't happen. We can either reschedule and try again, or if you decide it's not worth the headache you can cancel with no fee.

I kind of want to try it, but I'm nervous the pictures won't be good. What should I do?

Try it! All my shoots have a satisfaction guarantee — if you're unhappy with the results for any reason I'm happy to give you a full refund.

How much directing do you do?

Very little. Once we have our camera angle set up I’m pretty hands-off. I’ll let you know if you’re out of frame or if the shot needs to be adjusted, but by and large I’ll just encourage you to do your own thing.

What I particularly love about these remote shoots is how collaborative they are. We feel like equal creative partners in a way I’ve found often isn’t the case with traditional in-person photography, which can have an uncomfortable power dynamic. I see my role in remote shoots less as a director (“Stand over there!” “Move your left arm sideways!” “Suck in your belly!”) and more as a facilitator for you to express yourself however you want. My goal is to create a safe space for you to explore and experiment without embarrassment, shame, fear, or judgment.

Outdoor FAQ

Where are you located?

Alaska. If you’re not in Alaska come visit or buy me a plane ticket to wherever you are.

How does it work?

Head over to the Human/Nature page, all the info’s there!