I’m Tris, a portrait photographer from Chicago’s West Side. I’ve dabbled in art my whole life, but photography has always been a pivotal part of my family history. My grandpa documented everything; paging through his albums made me fall in love with relatives I barely knew and taught me that images carry our stories forward. That’s one of the reasons I became a photographer.
I love cultivating the potential in the people I photograph, directing with care so you leave feeling seen, confident, and lifted. Where I’m from, dreams don’t always feel possible. A Dream Deferred has lived in my head, but mine won’t “dry up like a raisin in the sun.” I’m working on A Dream Fulfilled.
If I weren’t behind the camera, I’d want to be the front-woman of a band, or a lawyer. That mix of stage presence and a quest for justice shapes my work and even my name: Tris & The Exhibition (a little Florence & The Machine, a little Prince & The Revolution). Every session is a set; every image is a moment onstage.
I’m deeply influenced by philosophy and symbolism: the hero’s journey, mirrors for self-knowledge, windows for becoming, a red thread for connection, and the scales for balance and justice. I build those ideas quietly into concepts so your photos read at first glance and reward a second look.
Every face has a story, and Every image is an Exhibition.