STORIES UNTOLD: THE BOOK
LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES
For my daughters, Sophia, Nicola, Nina, and Cesca. You were my first and greatest creation. Thank you for giving me wings—the time, space and trust to travel—to explore and to make these images.Thank you for your honest feedback and never-ending love and support.
There is a photograph on our mantel of a small shaving house in Kolkata. Light cuts through the smoke in streaks, making the place feel both magical and tender. Shadows hide half the scene, but somehow everything feels alive—ordinary life turned into something beautiful. But capturing this scene didn’t happen by chance—the hard work of photography happens before you pick up the camera.
When I see the image, I am transported to April 2014, when I ecstatically realized that this was exactly where I should be. In that moment, I understood that photography wasn’t just about preserving a scene—it was about being present, building trust, and uncovering life’s quiet truths. I think about the warm grace of the people who allowed me to preserve a sliver of their lives. Their trust was not automatic. I had to earn it. Entering a raw space to find and capture a story is a privilege. That’s why I do this. These pieces show some of life’s divine details which reveal who we are, every day in everyday places, even when life is brutal, tragic, lonely, or ugly. They are easy to miss because they’re delicate and elusive and small. As life speeds up, essences of humanity—emotions, decisions, revelations, and regrets—can slip through the cracks. I photograph to ensure they aren’t lost. South Africa shaped my early years, but leaving opened my eyes. The world started to feel unfamiliar in the best way possible.
Meeting people from every walk of life was always a dream of mine, but it wasn’t until I started traveling solo that I understood how powerful my camera really was. Initially, photography was a way for me to record and organize my experiences, but with my camera I discovered a deeper understanding and connection than through conversation alone. I could relate to strangers without judgment. I had a way in Photography has become my education. It’s how I see the world, how I make sense of it, and how I find meaning. I’m an observer, a student, maybe even a voyeur. To be invited in to get the shot, I have to make myself small, but once I’ve been granted access I can linger. I am given permission to study the crevices and contours of life. In return, I try first to recognize and then to shed light on the unseen experience.
Not everything needs to be shared, but all people deserve to be seen. No single photo could sum up a life, but there are those that can illuminate a story. That’s what I’m sharing: the stories untold, fragments of humanity from around the world, united by nothing more than my camera. I hope my photographs reflect respect, dignity, and beauty. They are flickers of light in a vast constellation. More is left out than included. Negative space is for discovery and imagination, and that is our project, not just mine..