Seth Thompson on Fstoppers

Green Frog

I specialize in environmental portraiture, because photography is a way to connect with people. I tend to shoot in wider angles than you normally would for portraiture, and I do that for two reasons: first, to show the environment the person is in, and second because that requires that I am closer to the subject than I could be with a longer lens. We all have an energy about us, and for me, the photos are better when subject and photographer’s energies are closer to each other. I prefer shooting on location rather than in the studio because of the many challenges that location photography presents; everything from finding the location in the first place to working with/fighting against that day’s weather.

I love that photography takes me to places I would never otherwise be in. The part of my job that I love the best is getting on a plane, going to a town I’ve never been to, meeting people I’ve never met, and making an authentic connection with new people that feels like we’ve known each other all our lives. Whether or not that connection was made is, in my opinion, instantly noticeable, at least subconsciously, when you look at the images.

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