Ascendant

Photographing teams, especially game studios, is a great honor. These are nascent juggernauts who build worlds based on dreams. I love world-builders and dreamers, whom I feel a special bond with because I used to be one of them.

Back in the 90's I co-founded two game studios, Drew Pictures and Jinx, and I remember well the feeling of dreaming big and pushing the envelope. There's a special esprit du corps within a small team that is just palpable. And it's infectious. Just being among a team like Ascendant (pictured above) made me feel like I was part of something exciting and important.

Capturing the unique personality of a team through photographs is something I do well. I try and mesh with them, become one of them, while I am with them, and I think I can understand their vibe. I'm not just a good photographer, I'm a good assimilator. I blend in and foster a feeling of e pluribus unum. That's really what a good team is all about. You have many different skills and personalities all serving a single purpose, a belief, a vision.

Ascendant means on the rise and that's what this group is - on the verge of making a name for themselves in a very crowded and competitive space. I've been lucky because I've been brought in at early stages of several Bay Area start-ups who were/are all on the rise. I'm proud to have helped them be seen for who they are - unique individuals striving for singular goals.