Every Person is Soulgenic™: Reflections from Taste of Palm Springs
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A couple weeks ago, I set up an outdoor photo studio on a beautiful golf course for the Taste of Palm Springs event. All around me were local restaurants, live music, and people walking from booth to booth tasting food and wine under the desert sky. Amid all that energy, I brought something different: a quiet space with a simple setup - a couple backdrops, some props, soft light, and my camera. My intention was clear. I wanted to prove something I believe with my whole heart: that every single person is Soulgenic™.
For me, that word means so much more than being photogenic. It’s about presence. It’s about that unmistakable moment when you let the performance drop, when your soul shows up - raw, human, unfiltered, beautiful. That’s what I came to capture that night. Just real people. Strangers. Each one carrying their own story, their own energy, their own kind of beauty.
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At one point during the evening, a woman walked up and said with a nervous laugh, “Well, I guess I’m your next victim.” That moment stopped me. Because beneath the joke, I could hear something very familiar - that deep discomfort so many people carry when it comes to being photographed.
I’ve heard versions of it countless times. “I’m not photogenic.” “I hate pictures of myself.” “You’ll have to work a miracle.” But what she said, “I guess I’m your next victim,” revealed something different. It wasn’t just self-consciousness. It was the belief that having your photo taken is something to survive. And I get it. Like me, you’ve probably been conditioned to believe the camera will expose your flaws, your insecurities, your not-enoughness. That being photographed means being judged.
But here’s what happened next. Within just a couple of minutes of standing together, the tension in her shoulders softened. She became very present. The guardedness in her eyes began to ease. And in that tiny window of stillness, I saw her soul. The photograph we created was powerful because it was about presence.
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That’s the part of this work that moves me every single time. It’s about the space between two people, the quiet energy that starts to build when someone begins to trust that they’re safe. When I photograph someone, I’m not trying to make them look a certain way. I’m creating an environment where they can feel like themselves. I pay attention to the tiny things: the shift in someone’s posture, the way their shoulders drop when they start to let go, the moment their eyes meet mine without fear. That’s when I know we’re there. That’s when the mask starts to drop and authenticity comes forward.
People often ask how I get my subjects to look so natural or soulful in their portraits. The truth is, I don’t make it happen. They do. My job is to hold space long enough for the facade to fall away and to witness what’s already there.
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Throughout the evening, one by one, people stepped in front of my camera. Some came alone, some with partners, a few holding glasses of wine and laughing nervously as they took their place in the light. Each person was different… different ages, backgrounds, styles, and stories. But what struck me was how quickly the same thing happened every time. Within minutes, the energy would shift. The chatter of the event faded, the noise around us softened, and there we were, two humans sharing a moment of presence.
It didn’t matter who they were or what they looked like. Every single person had that moment when their eyes became still and true, and I could feel their soul come forward. That’s what it means to be Soulgenic™. It’s not a pose, not a look, not even a feeling you can force. It’s the part of you that shows up when you stop trying to be anything other than yourself.
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As the night went on, I realized something profound. Every single person who stepped in front of my camera, whether they admitted it or not, wanted the same thing: to be seen. Not for what they do, how they look, or who they’re supposed to be, but for who they actually are.
You spend so much of your life performing, trying to look composed, confident, successful, or “together.” But underneath that, you’re just craving permission to exhale. To let someone witness you without expectation or judgment. That’s what I saw again and again that evening. The moment someone felt safe enough to stop performing, their whole energy changed. Suddenly, they were there, the one that’s real.
It reminded me why I do this work. Because photography, when held with reverence, becomes a kind of mirror. It reflects back not just how you look, but who you are when you feel safe enough to show up fully.
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That night reminded me why I believe so deeply that everyone is Soulgenic™. It’s not about being photogenic or perfect in front of the camera. It’s about presence. It’s about the moment you stop trying to be who you think you should be and allow yourself to simply exist as you are. When that happens, everything changes. The camera stops being a threat and becomes a witness. You stop performing and start connecting. You begin to recognize the beauty that has always been there, waiting to be seen.
Every person I photographed that evening left with more than a portrait. They left with a reflection of their own soul, a reminder that they don’t have to earn the right to be seen.
I want to give a special “thank you” to my amazing team that made this all possible - Joe, Kenny, and Barbara.
If you’re in Los Angeles or Palm Springs and you’ve been waiting for a sign to step in front of the camera, maybe this is it. I’d be honored to create portraits that reflect your truth, your humanity, your light.
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reach out if you’d like to talk about what this could look like.