Sarah Bennett

Sarah Bennett is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Northern California, raised along the South Fork of the American River.

Working primarily on film, Sarah documents intimate weddings, couples, and family sessions with a photojournalistic approach shaped by her background in theatre and journalism. Her practice honors the imperfect and beautiful moments of connection — chasing “photos that feel lived in” through the slow, intentional pace of analog process.

Discipline / Art Medium: Film Photography, Wedding & Portrait Photography.

Q: How would you describe your work to someone who’s never seen it?

My work combines the feeling of a wandering river valley coupled with the intentional design of a cabin in the woods. Both desire to be cherished exactly as they are and, in the view of a landscape painting, complete the picture.

Through each turn of the trail, a new vista emerges, unique in its own way of emerging into existence. In this same way, each of the couples I have the pleasure of documenting also comes with their own unique and interpretive story.

Q: Your tagline is “photos that feel lived in.” What does that mean to you, and how do you chase that feeling in your work?

This was a phrase that one of my couples actually came up with when they inquired with me a few years ago, and I was struck by how seen the sentiment felt. When I choose to snap a photo, I ask myself what the story of this moment is and how the photo will be felt. Can this image stand alone? Or does it need something else alongside it to complete the story?

Neither answer eliminates the option for choosing to photograph a moment, but I also understand that if an image can stand on its own, it’s naturally more powerful.

I also love to use the senses when I document weddings as well. Does the day feel warm? What does the air smell like (Flowers Nearby)? What would the cake taste like? Does the sound of the water feel close or far away? Our senses play a huge role in how we remember certain moments, and even more true for specific memories that we will remember forever. In this way as well--- the lived-in feel of a photograph also comes from stillness and peace. If I am hurried, or if my couples are stressed, the moment feels chaotic, and that truly lived-in feel can’t be translated.

Q: You describe yourself as being in the business of storytelling. How does that shape the way you approach a wedding day differently from a traditional photographer?

This idea of a photo telling a story comes from my background in journalism and acting. Through Photojournalism, each snap of the camera invites a story to be told. And for a spread of images, there should only be a few images total to complete the narrative. My acting background comes to play through the practice of scene breakdown, intentional movement, and collaboration. When we used to break down scenes, we sorted through our own experience to visualize and construct the reasons behind the characters’ actions and story. In this same way, I take the time before each wedding to reflect on all that I understand about my couples and my own experiences leading up to their wedding day. Through the intentional design of carving out In-Person Coffee Dates with my couples, I am able to more fully understand them as individuals as well as a couple. Therefore, on their wedding day, I can more clearly capture moments that are unique to their experience.

Q: You talk about creating a space where couples feel seen and understood, like a friend behind the camera. How do you build that kind of trust, especially with people you’ve just met?

When I first started out as a wedding photographer, I would include a 3hr adventure session for each of my couples. This really helped establish trust and freedom when I showed up to document their wedding day. As I grew and realized that I don’t have the capacity to offer such sessions anymore, I was inspired by an interview with John Nolan where he described meeting up with his couples for a drink before their wedding. I was truly inspired by the idea of sitting down with my couples first as friends before becoming “The Photographer + them, the couple”. So I decided that for each of my couples we would carve out an hour or so to get together over coffee or a meal, let the first few moments be weird, and then slowly discover points of connection. Most of the time as well, we choose to shoot a roll or two of film to establish a relationship with my camera as well as to provide an opportunity for discovery.

This way of showing up as a friend comes naturally through my own guiding light of showing up as authentically as I can on Instagram and in our initial virtual coffee date.

Q: You’ve been a photographer for over a decade. What has changed in how you see and work, and what has stayed the same?

I have been documenting weddings for 4 years but I have been documenting moments on film since 2010. However, in the time since I started in 2021, my focus has shifted slowly and stubbornly over the past 5 years.

What started as “let’s see where this goes” turned into a passion that not only is joyful, but also fills me with a desire to search for the deeper meaning behind the heart and the art. When I started out, I knew that for myself I wanted to create differently, and not follow the paths I saw laid out ahead of me. No wedding would ever be “the same,” and I would never fall into a routine of what documenting my couples’ memories would look like.

A few aspects for me that have changed recently are my desires to dig deeper + to replenish my creative capacities. In this phase, my expansion into a deeper understanding of film has altered, for the better, the way I document wedding days. Instead of shooting constantly--I look for the story of the moment--what are my couples seeing, sensing + feeling? Is there a smell I can capture, the tangible feel of the wind? In this way, when I shoot on film--I feel like all of those elements align to an almost perfect scale-- in that the magic is in the imperfect nature.

Q: Intimate weddings are your specialty. What draws you to smaller, more personal celebrations?

As I discover more of my own strengths as an artist, I am discovering that when I show up authentically through my own creativity, I tend to attract couples who love the outdoors, who crave deep connections + who have a desire to be seen on their wedding days. While these traits aren’t simply related to couples who desire a more intimate celebration, most of my couples do choose to hold their wedding day as an event that is deeply personal to who they are together.

A second piece of my desire to document more intimate weddings comes from a place of comfort. As a woman who is neurodivergent--I get overwhelmed easily in enclosed spaces, with loud noises and too much stimuli. In these situations, I tend to shut down, and I don’t create my best work. However, I do choose to take on larger weddings as well when I feel deeply aligned with the couple or when their venue of choice has a deep focus on nature + is almost completely outside.

Q: Northern California is your home base, but you travel often. How does place and landscape factor into the way you shoot?

I have always been drawn to the coastal shores of Northern California--when I started documenting weddings, I naturally gravitated towards the San Francisco area, where I found freedom in the open spaces, in the magnificence of a coastal sunset, and in the memories of childhood exploring San Francisco with my great-aunt.

As I grow and get to explore new landscapes, I love to immerse myself in natural spaces and coffee shops that create the energy of this new area of exploration. When I travel for weddings, I set myself up somewhere for at least the night before a wedding (longer if I can) to settle into the space. I bring my journal, photo books, and books of poetry to establish a brief residency in the new landscape.

The venues my couples choose to host their weddings play a deep role in who they are as individuals and as a couple. When I receive an inquiry, I dive into their chosen venue, and I can get a sense for who they are, and I can more deeply understand if we would be the right fit together. I think this comes from how much I love being outside and could live fully outside in the perfect climate.

Q: What was your relationship with your portfolio like before the Artist Program?

Before the artist program, I felt a bit lost in the direction I desired to grow into. I knew that I could only grow more deeply into my practice, but I was lost in how to grow my work while also staying true to who I am as an artist + storyteller.

Q: What felt missing or incomplete in how you were sharing your work with the world before the Artist Program?

I felt a deep disconnect with the work I was creating and the direction I wished to evolve in. I felt like I was half of myself in the work, and that I wasnt living authentically in the way I truly desired.

Q: Tell us about your experience in the Artist Program. How did the experience shape you as an artist?

When I first started the program, I knew that I needed to dive in deep--I beleived and was right in knowing that I couldn’t do my work halfway anymore. I witnessed the seeds of magic in every wedding I documented and knew that the growth I sought was just under the surface.

I struggled when I was asked questions that, on the surface, I didn’t know the answers to. I had spent too long in the in-between where I believed no answer I could give would be the right one. I would see others’ work and wish my own was like that. I couldn’t see my own work as anything special or desirable to anyone else. So when I was asked what makes you as an artist unique--I had no idea, because I felt my uniqueness was something to be covered up.

As the season went on--and as I started documenting weddings again in the Spring- those seeds and questions continually permeated my mindset. I asked myself the questions I was afraid to answer, and the knowing grew deeper and truer, and all of a sudden I could no longer look backward.

This program helped me pause and evaluate my own understanding of the direction I wished to grow into and my why behind how I kept showing up. I needed the year before this to settle into a new home, a new life, and a new understanding of myself. This program helped break the clay open and helped me sow seeds that I have been preserving.

Q: What did you learn about yourself and your work through the process of refining your portfolio?

I learned what photos I was deeply drawn to and which photos I truly wished to share. I also understood better the depths I needed to go to truly uncover a deeper and truer understanding of myself as an artist.

Through this digging and depth-discovering, I realised how much more I loved the film photos I have delivered, and I grew in my own understanding that I wish to move into documenting weddings, couples and families entirely on a non-digital medium. I realized I loved the slower pace, the expected slowness and imperfect nature of film. That the couples who also sought that would find me through the work I was so scared to showcase before.

Q: How has being part of the Artist Program community influenced your creative practice?

I felt seen, truly, by Darcy and Maya. Getting to meet the other Artist Program participants was also such a dream, and I am so glad that we were able to hop on calls together and discover our own creative spirits as a collective. Through the community, I also discovered the value of uniqueness and how each artist’s own story, passions, and discoveries are what make their work shine.

Q: What would you say to other artists considering the Artist Program?

If you feel the pull of a pivot point or a desire to deepen your craft, gift yourself the Artist Program. The simple understanding is that there are two incredible folks (Darcy + Maya) who are not only wonderful artists themselves, but also care deeply about crafting a personalized, unique, and artistically crafted website and branding platform for you. You will be seen, heard, and respected as an artist. They care deeply about community, the deeper truths, and your unique story.

Q: Where do you see your work going from here? What projects or ideas are you most excited about?

I am so excited to keep diving deeper into my own unique perspective on the art of Documenting Weddings. I can see now that this is simply the launching point for a new chapter of growth and development and that each season of transformation brings along its own special periods of growth.

In the future, I am very excited to keep following my instincts in creation and developing my craft of Film Photography.

substack: all that wander

website: sarahbennettphoto.com

IG: @sarah.j.bennett

Visit Sarah’s live portfolio website

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Walls Trimble

Walls Trimble (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based photographer and Super 8 filmmaker specializing in portraits and events. Her work is inspired by her background in theatre and a strong curiosity around character and color.

Walls uses both analog and digital tools in her practice and brings her experience as an actor to help guide subjects. Through her use of cameras from the 1960s to today, she seeks to bridge the gaps between how we understand our current lives with our perception of the past.

She hopes her work will bring the same joy, comfort, and knowledge to future generations as her own family archive did to her.

Discipline / Art Medium: Photography, Super 8 Film.

Q: How would you describe your work?

I hope my work might be described in many different ways—what comforts one might agitate another, and so on. In general, though, I myself would try not to describe it! There’s an idea attributed to Picasso, published by Garson Kanin, “When art critics get together they talk about content, style, trend and meaning, but when painters get together they talk about where can you get the best turpentine.” What’s important to me is the act of making the image.

Q: What draws you to analog mediums in a highly digital era?

Proof! A film strip is physical proof that we were there, making something, on that day, in that time.

I’m also very drawn to structure—a few limits from a film camera offer me a greater sense of creative freedom than a “limitless” digital device. It feels very similar to a blank page in art class. If it’s just white computer paper, I don’t know where to begin because the possibilities are endless. A sheet of handmade paper, or a coloring sheet, or origami paper, though, and I’ll have a grand time. I need some outside structure to help me find the inside creation.

With film, each of my cameras has its own personality, as does each film stock. I like thinking of them as characters, and when paired together we tell stories in different ways.

Q: Your background is in theatre. How does that shape the way you work with people in front of your camera?

A director I worked with says that making a good play is 90% good casting. If you get the right people in the room, you’ve already won. On a wedding day, I trust that whoever is present is already getting us to 90%. There’s very little I need to do if they’re given space to be themselves. With that in mind, and whenever possible, I want to leave folks alone and capture them doing something. Just as an actor “acts,” sometimes with a prop, or a set piece, or a cast mate, a photo subject can do something.

A wedding is a live event—we’re all there to witness a union, to dine, to dance...what happens on the outskirts of those moments is just as important to me. In theatre, a good director has designed the show to guide the audience’s eye to certain points. A brilliant director knows, however, that you can’t guarantee audience attention, and so they’ll design the areas outside the key points too. On a wedding day I know I need to capture the key moments, but I’m always on the hunt for an interesting side quest. A close-up photo of a pinky can be as impactful as a traditional portrait.

Q: You describe your work as bridging the gap between how we understand our current lives and our perception of the past. What does that mean to you in practice?

Today, in 2026, we are as far from 1990 as 1990 is from 1954. I am the same age my parents were when they had me. What I thought of as “olden days” were simply their childhood, and I’m sure the next generation will encounter this realization too. We are never as far from “before” as we might think. Photos can help with this.

Photos are very much like wine in that they gain value over time. Casual photos taken during my parents’ childhood are worth everything to me, but they might not have felt as special just a week after being made. Something I photograph today might not grow into itself for many years to come. I hope my confidence in this long-game appreciation allows my clients to be more patient too.

Q: What do you think the medium of film offers to your work?

Personality! I’m never interested in general stories, only the specific because it’s actually a much quicker (and more interesting) way to get to shared experiences. For years I’ve thought about an improv teacher saying, “The specific is universal,” which I’ve just learned is theft from James Joyce. He wrote in a letter, “For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal.”

The sound of my Super 8 camera motor is so specific that every single time I start it heads turn. Almost exclusively heads over the age of 50, and they turn with a look of wonderment that instantly reveals their childhood selves. This is the sound of their childhood birthday parties and Christmas mornings. Of living room performances and hot summer barbecues. Then they ask, “Is that...8mm?” In a span of about three seconds we’ve connected, all because this camera needs a motor to crank the film along, and it can’t do that silently.

Every one of my film cameras gets a response akin to this. A strong presence is a gift when you’re short on time. No need to beat around the bush—state who and what you are proudly, and we can get to making!

Q: Your work spans weddings and family portraiture across very different cities and settings. What through-line do you hope people see when they look at your body of work as a whole?

My goal is to capture people and moments just as they are. So perhaps there’s a line of authenticity running through the work, but I can only control my contribution. Viewers see what they need to.

Q: What was your relationship with your portfolio like before the Artist Program?

I thought I had a strong sense of myself and my work before the program. I even liked my website! But I also had a feeling I needed some fresh, smart eyes on it all. I’d done quite a bit of growing professionally since my last critique and I was due for a review to help me understand what my next steps might look like.

Q: What did you learn about yourself and your work through the process of refining your portfolio?

I learned that there is a very definite thread throughout everything that I do, even though it may be less immediately apparent. I am a much more coherent and organized person than maybe ever gave myself credit for.

Q: What felt missing or incomplete in how you were presenting your work to the world before the Artist Program?

This was my first time working with other artists on my website and branding, and it’s absolutely what I needed! The photos are made by a professional, why not do the same for the art direction and web design?

Q: Tell us about your experience in the Artist Program. How did the experience shape you as an artist?

It was such a treat getting to collaborate with Darcy and Maya. As someone used to doing everything myself I cannot overstate how valuable it was to work with other creative professionals. They brought brilliant ideas to the table, and their expertise meant that everything happened faster (and better!) than if I’d tried to continue on solo. It’s quite a bit like a house renovation. Hire the pros!

Q: What did you learn about yourself and your work through the process of refining your portfolio?

We discovered that nearly everything I was drawn to was already on my desk: paper doll bookmarks, framed butterflies, a magnifying glass. The colors I loved were also already in my work, despite my not noticing. A real study in, “What you need is already inside you.”

Q: How has being part of the Artist Program community influenced your creative practice?

The start of this process was the first time I’d written about my photographic work. It’s been so long since I’ve had cause to write about my creative process beyond an Instagram caption, and I’m very excited to see what else wants to come out.

Q: What would you say to other artists considering the Artist Program?

If there’s a little part of you that wants a challenge and a supportive container to grow in, follow that instinct. It’s okay to not know where you want to end up just so long as the journey sounds worthwhile.

Q: Where do you see your work going from here? What projects or ideas are you most excited about?

I’m excited to keep working with clients who love analog processes and who want to build their own archives. One of the greatest gifts from this type of work is that I often get to see clients more than once. We might meet when they’re engaged, then at their wedding, and then again as they move homes, have children and so on. The work that goes into their personal archive is also part of mine.

Capturing other artists at work is a real pleasure. I’ve been documenting The Streetcar Project, a stripped down, site-specific production of A Streetcar Named Desire, for three years. They’ve performed in a retail boutique, a church, the DC underground, and everywhere in between. There’s something very special about documenting repetition. Monet did this when he painted in Venice, and Craig Foster did the same in his film My Octopus Teacher. Returning to something again and again can offer a different challenge and deeper fulfillment.

In that vein, I’d love to follow a musician on tour. Bucket list would also include a children’s brand campaign, work for New York City Ballet, and on-set behind the scenes.

substack: Walls Trimble

website: wallstrimble.com

IG: @trimblenator

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Anastassia Tretiakova

Anastassia Tretiakova is a Russian born visual artist currently based in New York City. Her work is highly observational, kinesthetic - exploring intimacy and vulnerability.

Working primarily through photography and bookmaking, Tretiakova investigates themes of familial intimacy, memory, and the elusive concept of home. She uses film as a way to preserve fleeting experiences, drawing on family archive material to reconstruct childhood memories that would otherwise remain inaccessible. Her approach is deeply impressionistic and nostalgic, capturing ephemeral moments within her family and daily life.

Discipline / Art Medium: Film Photography, Bookmaking, Visual Art.

Q: How would you describe your work?

My work is a direct reflection of my experiences - quite literally using photography to preserve my memories into something more tangible, but also a way for me to explore complex emotional states of being - oftentimes heavier emotions like disappointment and a sense of rootlessness in the world and ones that I don’t have the a verbal capacity to describe. I think I am always striving for beauty and transcendence which might make my work nostalgic, impressionistic - it stems from a sort of desire to preserve the ephemeral while also learning how to let it go.

Q: What draws you to photography and bookmaking?

Because I’ve always had a hard time remembering certain parts of my life more vividly, I was attracted to photography to solidify my memories into referential material. I grew up looking through my mom’s photo albums that I always managed to find hidden in a drawer at my grandmother’s house and it felt like her secret world. I think I wanted to create my own secret world too. It has always been important for me to create my own ‘archival’ material to use as well. I grew up reading and really loving picture books, especially children’s encyclopedias where I was always more attracted to the images than the text and the tactile experience of flipping the book and handling the pages is still important to me.

Q: Why do you primarily use film in your work?

I think I started using film because I always loved the analogue look but it has become essential to how I photograph now. It helps me find more value in the world around me, helps me to really slow down and be present with whatever the subject matter that I am photographing. I also love (and almost need) the surprise element of film. It’s a way for me to have more patience and bring more awareness to using a camera since there is no instant gratification. Sometimes you get surprises that truly feel like magic. Film really is alchemical and I feel like a bit of a magician when I get my images back and get to relive the experience I had when photographing in this almost dreamlike way. Its an otherworldly quality that digital photography really doesn’t have for me.

Q: How has your personal background shaped your work? Who/what influences you most?

I think being born into one culture and being shaped by another created a sort of gap that I have always been trying to bridge and because language always misses the essence of the particular word or feeling, I turned to visual language. I definitely feel very much influenced by Soviet cartoons and fairytale films that I grew up watching in Russia - the work of Yuri Norstein and in particular ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’, is very important to me and in some ways probably my introduction to basic Zen Buddhist principles, which is something that I am actively reading and researching the last few years.

I read a lot of poetry at a young age, mostly Keats and Emily Dickinson as well as philosophy and I was really attracted to the philosophy of Romanticism so it definitely had a big role in shaping how I look at the world. In my twenties I also finally arrived at watching the films of Andrei Tarkovsky which stirred something very deep inside of me and definitely informs a lot of what I make now.

Q: What was your relationship with your portfolio like before the Artist Program?

My relationship with my portfolio was a bit avoidant. I have been working on creating an organized archive for a few years now but its been difficult to really solidify and edit it down into the main projects that I have worked on and that are in progress.

Q: What felt missing or incomplete in how you were able to share your work with the world before the artist program?

A platform that felt aligned with my work and one that represented my work in a way I felt aligned with and proud of is what was definitely missing for me. I felt like I couldn’t really conceptualize a space for myself on the Internet, a place where my work could live in an organic way.

Q: Tell us about your experience in the Artist Program. What shifted for you as an artist?

The Artist Program was a really profound experience for me because it uncovered a lot of resistance and helped me be more present with my own archive of photos and to really consider myself as an artist and value my own efforts and experience more.

Q: What did you learn about yourself and your work through the process of refining your portfolio?

I learned that there is a very definite thread throughout everything that I do, even though it may be less immediately apparent. I am a much more coherent and organized person than maybe ever gave myself credit for.

Q: How has being part of the Artist Program community influenced your creative practice?

I think being part of the Artist Program community has made me crave the community aspect in my creative practice even more. I’d like to build my own community in tandem with the Artist Program. It has also re-inspired my dream of having a space to invited a physically community into one day.

Q: What would you say to artists considering the artist program?

I would say that its a program that is run by two of the most considerate and caring artists who are incredibly gentle in holding you through the process of uncovering layers of who you are as an artist which is then alchemized into a truly beautiful platform as a perfect reflection of that.

Q: Where do you see your work going from here? Do you have any upcoming projects you're excited about this year?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I hope to continue exploring different mediums to interlace with photography and I hope to synthesize some of the projects I’ve been working on for a few years into something more physical like a book or an exhibition.

I also see a lot more physical manifestations of my work being made - like floral arrangements, working with found materials, more mixed media type of collages with my own photographs…

I am working on developing a backlog of film rolls from the last two years and excited to see the surprises they hold. I’m currently working on a collaborative project with my friend Hilary White, who is a writer, making a photo-text book dummy from our time in Finland together in January of last year at Arteles Creative Center residency.
And I’d like to continue exploring photography in a collaborative way and work with more artists and makers.

substack:

website: tretiakova.com

IG: @anastassiatretiakova

Visit Anastassia’s live portfolio website

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Christian Bañez

Christian Bañez is a visual artist and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. Working primarily in painting and drawing, Bañez explores the architectures of memory, intimacy, and identity through an observational yet dreamlike lens. His images trace the emotional residue of domestic spaces and human connection, creating quiet worlds that hover between the familiar and the imagined.

Q: What is your approach to visual art and writing?

My artwork always starts with writing. I carry a Moleskine Cahier notebook with me everywhere, and I'll have notes like "self-portraits in a corn field," "deconstructed bird from memory", or "childhood swan attack" that I'll reference when I'm back in the studio to create supporting imagery.

I was a newspaper reporter at 14 and started vlogging in my bedroom when Youtube started, so creating artwork that documents my life is inherent to me. My works are always in reference to memories of my childhood, things I've experienced, and feature people in my life.

Q: How would you describe your work to someone else?

"Ongoing exercises exploring vulnerability"

Q: What are some themes your work explores?

A lot of my early work dissected my experiences as a formerly undocumented immigrant living in rural Missouri, and that work taught me so many lessons on vulnerability, messaging, and being unwavering as an artist.

Right now, I'm working on a series of drawings and watercolor paintings that collage all the visual references I've studied that are foundational to what I see and enjoy (genre art, portraiture, Greek & Roman antiquity, bit-style drawings, and anime) so be on the look out for the developments ♡

Q: How has your style evolved over the years, and what influences have shaped your visual language?

Moving to New York to do an art residency and managing to stay in the city since - it will be 5 years in the summer!
I just want to see as much art as possible, and being in a place that has so much of it has helped me prioritize what I value as an artist.

Q: What was your relationship with your portfolio like before the Artist Program?

It did the job but I wanted something that felt more personally me!

Q: What felt missing or incomplete in how you were able to share your work with the world before the artist program?

I think my previous portfolio/website served more as a vessel for imagery to be in and didn't leave much of an impression for people seeing my work for the first time. I think now with the Artist Program, the website showcases the personality behind the artwork and also stands out as its own creative thing.

Q: Tell us about your experience in the Artist Program. What shifted for you as an artist?

I love to talk about curation, storytelling, and branding and the Artist Program team was great to bounce ideas off of. The behind-the-scenes work to set the stage for your artwork to be shown in the best way is so important, and it was great to work with people that understand and value that idea.

Q: What did you learn about yourself and your work through the process of refining your portfolio?

Part of refining my portfolio was taking stock of everything I've made in the last 6 years and it really shocked me how much I've made. Once I was over the shock, I spent a month creating a select portfolio which now serves as the landing page of my website.

Going through my work with a critical eye, and seeing which pieces from my various projects strongly showcase my practice was so beneficial. It sharpened my editing skills and decision-making.

Q: How has being part of the Artist Program community influenced your creative practice?

Darcy and Maya were so supportive throughout the whole experience! I had a crazy year in my artist practice and personal life, but the Artist Program team was really there to help me push through in creating a portfolio I am so happy with.
They were also there to root for my milestones whether it was creating new artwork, getting into new shows, etc that I'm so happy to have had them there with me.

Q: What would you say to artists considering the artist program?

If redesigning your portfolio, and having fruitful discussions regarding how your presenting your work online has been on your mind definitely go into the Artist Program!

Q: Where do you see your work going from here? Do you have any upcoming projects you're excited about this year?

Aside from the new series of drawings and watercolor paintings I mentioned earlier, I'm doing more in-person things like offering in-person portraits at events, and building out a quarterly zine to share on my digital platforms (Patreon & Substack).

I'm currently in a group show Stuck in Saṃsāra at Bunker Projects in Pittsburgh, PA, and finished an illustration project for a musical.

substack:

website: christianbanez.com

IG: @christianbanez_

Jillian Adams

Jillian Adams (b. 1998) is an anthropologist turned photographer, primarily telling the stories of the wedding ritual between couples & families along the East Coast. With a decade of experience and an educational background in anthropology & human rights, Jillian offers a uniquely mindful approach to wedding photography. Alongside documenting weddings, Jillian works within other sociocultural spaces photographing lived human experiences and human rights projects.

Q: How would you describe your approach to photography?

Under the constant shifting landscapes of the wedding industry there’s an undercurrent that runs deeper - down to what matters, down to why humans gather to celebrate what it is to join hands with the people they love.
My approach is centered around the belief that there’s a way to have space to cherish, space to breathe, and space to feel. I show up with my camera and I press the shutter when the magic happens. Because the magic is already there. It will be there whether or not it’s caught on camera, whether or not I’m there, whether or not any wedding photographer is there at all.

Q: What draws you to documenting weddings, and what do you hope others feel when they experience your work?

Back when I first picked up a camera, I was actually much more interested in landscapes and nature than in photographing people. I photographed my first wedding at age 15 for a family friend and immediately everything changed. I fell in love with the way I could shift between scenes and spaces without interrupting or being noticed, and I realized my quiet personality allowed me to photograph people honestly and how they were, rather than my preconceived notions about what wedding photography was.
As time went on, I went to college and studied anthropology and psychology with the intention of going to grad school and having a more traditional career path than that of an artist. Having the educational background in anthropology has only drawn me to photographing weddings even more. This is something that the Artist Program helped me find the right words for in communicating my “why” in my brand as an artist.
I hope that others feel a deeper reverence for wedding photography when they experience my work, and that they might be left with more questions than answers.

Q: Can you walk us through a typical wedding day from your perspective? What are you looking for in those moments?

On a typical wedding day, I always try to provide a safe and encouraging space for people to experience the day around them, rather than leading them through the day as a director. Depending on what makes the subject most comfortable in front of the camera, my presence might be more or less known. For example, if a couple has expressed that they feel their best with soft guidance during portraits, I’ll offer more hands on encouragement than a couple that might prefer that they have no idea I’m there at all.
In the moment, I’m looking for ways to document the human experience of a wedding. One of my favorite parts about photographing weddings is that this looks different for every event and every family. There’s a theory in anthropology that everything we touch leaves a trace of our existence. The moments that I’m looking to document are the traces.

Q: How has your style evolved over the years, and what influences have shaped your visual language?

Over the years I feel like I’ve been leaning in more and more to creating work that only I can create with a point of view that has been crafted from my own life experiences.
Many influences have shaped my visual language, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. I’ve found the best influences are those that ask us to look further into ourselves. For me, this includes experiences such as travel, interactions with strangers, education and literature, and other forms of art - whether that be creating different genres or appreciating other artists and their mediums.

Q: What was your relationship with your portfolio like before the Artist Program?

Prior to the Artist Program, I didn’t have clear messaging when it came to narrating my portfolio or communicating my work to clients and even to myself. I was looking for a space that felt aligned with my point of view as an artist and felt out of place with the limits of my previous website and sharing platforms. I almost felt scared to share my work because of this misalignment, and would sit stuck in a space of uncertainty.

Q: What felt missing or incomplete in how you were able to share your work with the world before the artist program?

Something that felt missing when sharing my work was an aligned platform. I was searching for a website and brand where the copy could flow more like poetry than sales gimics, which was hard to find in the traditional offerings of wedding industry branding. I actually knew that the Artist Program was exactly what I had been waiting for when I saw the program’s own website and offerings page.

Q: Tell us about your experience in the Artist Program. What shifted for you?

I’ve learned that while we can find inspiration from other artists, the bottom line is that your best work is the work only you can create. There’s always room for growth as an artist, but the most meaningful growth comes from channeling something within you rather than originating from a place of comparison. That’s why having a program like this has been so helpful in putting in the work to bring out my own voice as an artist.
I no longer hesitate to share work that I’m proud of, no matter how obscure or different from the norm in my industry.

Q: Were there any unexpected discoveries about your own work through the process of refining your portfolio in the Artist Program?

I didn’t expect that a branding program would be such an in-depth journey. The program itself isn’t providing the answers. It sounds so cheesy, but you’re bringing out the answers that you already have within you. Darcy and Maya have built a beautiful space and framework in which you do the work yourselves alongside their incredible support. (Until it comes time to code, then Maya creates the magic!)

Q: How has being part of the Artist Program community influenced your creative practice?

Overall, being part of the Artist Program has influenced my creative process and workflow to be more art-centered where it was previously industry-centered. I no longer feel like a wedding vendor, but a commissioned artist. I also now have a brand and website that I can call home and that communicates exactly the messaging that I want to portray to both potential clients and even galleries.

Q: What advice would you give to photographers who feel their portfolio doesn’t yet reflect the caliber of work they’re creating?

Get another set of eyes on things. Even though our portfolios and brands are so personal, when you find the right people to help it can bring out your true self and your true artistic view even more. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, and having professionals working alongside you can be a game changer.

Q: Where do you see your work going from here? What are you excited to explore next?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

From here, I see my work becoming deeper and more niche, while also expanding to other genres alongside wedding photography. I’m excited to explore what photographing the human experience means to me and what I can learn from it, knowing that I have a website and brand that can grow with me.
I can now confidently say that I’m in a space where I’m aligned with the work I create, and can also grow to encompass any work I’d like to create in the future. Exploring the artists’ journey through the Artist Program gave me so much more than just a brand, but a deeper sense of self and identity as an artist.

substack:

website: jillianadamsphotography.com

IG: @jillianadamsphotography

The Artist Program is a seasonal initiative designed exclusively for independent artists seeking to clarify their brand identity and showcase their work in a space that honors its true essence. Through thoughtfully crafted brand assets and designer portfolio website layouts, we will create spaces reflective of the artist’s unique vision and voice.

Guided by the hand of DN-A art director and brand designer, Darcy Nellis, artists will formulate a cohesive brand experience through logo design, typography exploration, and color selection, uncovering the brand identity as a partnership between the artist and the art itself. Darcy, a multidisciplinary artist in her own right, understands the delicate balance between expression and presentation, with an informed perspective for displaying the work in its most compelling format, similar to the curator of an art gallery. Alongside her, Maya of Alétheia Made — an intuitive web developer, designer, and artist — brings these concepts to life through a selection of refined, functional Squarespace portfolio websites that support both form and function. Together, they offer a design and development experience that honors the artist’s creative input, while also providing a platform that evolves with them.

Each portfolio is carefully tailored to ensure that it not only both showcases an artist’s work but and amplifies it, creating a space that allows for interpretation, breathing room, and meaningful reflection for the viewer — much like an art gallery itself. These websites are intentionally designed to remain timeless yet adaptable/tensile/malleable, allowing the artist’s evolving style and body of work to flourish without constraint. The result is a living, breathing digital gallery — one that grows with the artist, reduces overwhelm, and encourages natural progression.

The Artist Program is for those who understand that their identity and their work are ever-evolving. It’s for artists who desire a platform that can keep pace with their growth, a space where their distinctive vision is celebrated, safekept, and seen as it was always meant to be.

APPLY HERE

PREMISE

to be an artist
is to perceive beauty in the overlooked moments.
to transform what one sees
into something that resonates beyond words.
to carry a particular sensitivity.
walking through the world differently,
collecting fragments others miss,
assembling meaning from the everyday.

we begin with listening.
truly listening.
sitting with their stories,
their processes,
their doubts and dreams,
before crafting anything visual.
the relationship between artist and identity
is not static.
it breathes.
it evolves.
it requires space to grow.
our process acknowledges this fluidity.
as we build a framework that holds the present moment
while remaining open to future transformations.
no confinement.
no limitations on becoming.
artists change.
their work changes.
identity must honor this journey.

we offer something different -
a collaboration that respects the natural rhythm
of creative evolution.
a visual home that expands
as the artist expands.
this is our gift to fellow creators:
freedom within structure.
roots and wings.
a foundation that supports
rather than restricts.

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