I have a habit of bulldozing introductions. Let’s fix that.
Hiii, I’m Adam.
I designed and art directed at startups, small farms, mid-size firms, and big corporate for 20 years. I ran a poetry press for 10, and a filthy-mouthed guide to Albuquerque for seven. There was a lot of overlap. Everywhere I went, I tried to make meaning. Antimicrobial medical startup? Let’s save some lives. Home lighting? People need to see (and the different whites are confusing). Give me a week, I can make this holy work.
But the thing is… I forced it. All that work to push my little gear to sell another product to prop up a system I don't believe in. For 15 years I focused local, trying to live my values. I was broke and miserable. So I tried selling out, pitting my empathy against office politics, and routinely made it as far as Ned Stark.
I started shooting portraits in 2014. Adored it. The power to reveal something profound with a face—intoxicating. But the business… I hated networking as much as it scared me. Design paid the bills, and photography stayed a side-hustle.
In 2024 I moved to the Bay Area, found an audience for my vision, and everything changed.
I landed in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood and built my studio here. It fits—a community of artists, makers, and people who give a damn. The kind of place where a headshot photographer can also be a poet and nobody blinks.
I hired a career coach, filed the paperwork, filled out my portfolio. For the first time in since I was a kid, I unabashedly believe in what I'm doing again.
Why on earth am I starting now? Because deep down, I believe a great picture of you can change your world and THE world. It can help you get a job, get a date, and get you through hard times. Because on every level, I think most of us just need to be seen.