Seeing Differently: How Photography and Improv Became My Lens on Life

Perspective. It’s one of my favorite words—and one of my favorite sensations. I love when the world flips its angle on me, when I get to see something familiar in a new way. That’s what makes travel so delicious, art so moving, and conversation so surprising. It’s also what has pulled me, again and again, into the worlds of photography and improv—two creative practices that, on the surface, couldn’t be more different. Yet at their heart, both are about one thing: seeing.

When we change how we see, we change what’s possible.

I’m endlessly fascinated by what happens when someone suddenly sees themselves differently.

We all have our inner narratives—the stories we repeat until they feel like truth. Some of those stories are inherited from others, accepted or rejected, but either way, they can box us in. The real magic happens in the middle ground—where something unexpected reflects back at us and says, “What if there’s more to you than that?”

That’s where my love of both photography and improv come together.

The Art of Seeing Yourself

In portrait photography, I get the privilege of helping people meet themselves again. Sometimes it’s a playful side that’s been tucked away. Sometimes it’s vulnerability. Sometimes it’s power. When they see their portrait, that moment of recognition—“Oh… that’s me?”—is electric. They literally see themselves in a new light, often both softer and stronger than before.

A portrait can remind you who you’ve been—and hint at who you’re becoming.

Improv, meanwhile, lets us explore those hidden selves through play. It invites people to step into new emotions, new characters, and new stories. It reminds us that we’re far more expansive than the roles we play in daily life.

At its most fundamental level, improv teaches “Yes, And”—a deceptively simple idea that can change everything. Many people think they live that way until they realize they’ve been saying, “Yes, But” all along. (“Yes, And” means accepting what someone offers and building on it, rather than resisting or redirecting it.)

Where it All Began

My love of photography started when my dad handed me his Nikon EM film camera. I brought it to college and spent weekends photographing friends at parties. I loved the grainy look of 1600-speed film—the way it captured the texture of joy in low light.

My love of improv, meanwhile, began in middle school—somewhere between a summer drama camp and the realization that making things up on the spot could be both thrilling and freeing.

Over time, I discovered improv’s deeper applications: creating psychological safety in teams, supporting mental health, even neurological growth. (I once developed a curriculum with a functional neurologist for people with Parkinson’s—because the parts of the brain that handle extemporaneous speech differ from those that handle prepared speech. It was one of those “Yes, And” moments where science met play.)

The Merge: Where Art Met Play

In 2007, my 10th year living in New York City, when I was finally deemed a “real New Yorker,” I decided to merge my two loves. I created The Darkroom Blackbox Show, a fusion of photography, comedy, and improv. Photographs hung gallery-style around the space. Actors performed monologues and sketches inspired by those images. And in one segment—PhotoProv—improvisers created scenes inspired by projected photographs they’d never seen before.

The audience got to yell “Stop!” to choose the image that would spark the next scene. It was spontaneous, hilarious, heartfelt—and it felt like the perfect expression of what I love most: art that invites participation, perspective, and surprise.

Art isn’t just something we look at—it’s something we co-create.

Where It’s All Headed

That show—PhotoProv—has lived in many forms since then, and it’s about to evolve again. This time, in my new home of Philadelphia.

I’ll share all the details soon, but in the meantime, you can follow us on Instagram @photo.prov

In my next blog I'll share how to see the show, how to be part of it, and how your own photographs might take the stage and inspire the stories we tell.

What I can say for now is this: everything I’ve learned from years behind the camera and on stage is coming together in this project. It’s playful, thoughtful, and just the right mix of art and heart.

Because whether through a lens or a scene, what I really want to create are elevated experiences—moments that help us see ourselves and each other a little differently.

Sometimes that experience is funny.

Sometimes it’s serious.

But it’s always human.

Perspective is everything. And the more we play with it, the more beautiful the world becomes.

Stay tuned: My next post will share all the details about the upcoming PhotoProv shows in Philadelphia— the amazing cast, how to get tickets, how to submit your photos, and how to join the creative experiment.