Stephen Boatright

Documentarian Of Visual Things



Stephen found he had an eye for photos back in his sophomore year when he took a photography class and his teacher, Dwight Evans, sent him out to shoot some pics around the prestigious Red Bluff High School campus.  Steve didn't know what the f he was doing but Mr. Evans said "Steve, you have a good eye."  

Fast forward 20 years, and Steve has the first iphone.  Steve starts shooting around a bit.  Hipstagram was his jam.  Filtered the shit out of everything. The age of social media came about and Steve was sharing photos on myspace, facebook, flikr, you name it.  

Then in 2022, in a grocery store in Fresno, selling kombucha with his Regional Manager, Steve stepped outside himself and said, what the fuck am I doing in a Save Mart, as he stared at his manager speak to him about KPI's and the new cherry vanilla coming down the pipe.  

He quit the next day.

Around the same time, Steve convinced his wife to let him buy a Canon R6 on Black Friday at Best Buy.  He bought the wrong lens for it, had zero clue what he needed, and the Geek Squad were zero help. He started watching a lot of Youtube and Skillshare and taught himself all the things.  Some were really good videos, some were just people talking too much about birds and shutter speeds.

He's been shooting ever since, and people pay him for it.  Wild...

What makes him a good photographer (in his view) is his ability to connect with people. (well, that and what Mr. Evans told him in 1994)  

-When he shoots portraits, being able to make the person in front of the camera is the number one job, and usually casual conversation makes that happen.

-When he shoots events, being able to blend into the crowd and not make it awkward.

-When he shoots hotels + resorts, that is all Mr. Evans. Symmetry, lighting, angles.  

This is the most Steve has ever written about himself in the third person, and he thanks you for getting this far.  

Lets connect and chat about your project.