Braden Summers is a director and photographer, whose work alerts the viewer to the beauty in people and their environment. His portraits embody what matters most to him: inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance. Raised in a small, homogenous town in Connecticut, Braden moved to the expansive metropolis of the weird and wonderful San Francisco. There he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Academy of Art University. He found comfort and acceptance in the diversity he discovered in the city. Since then, he has committed his life’s work to highlighting the beauty that exists in different genders, ethnicities, sexualities, cultures, and geographic locations. Braden’s portraiture, with its evocatively rich color palette, has been featured in global advertising campaigns including Marriott International’s ‘Love Travels’ campaign, Nespresso’s ‘Origins Campaign’, and Walmart’s ‘Reign On’ campaign at Essence Fest. He has also produced a wide body of work for NGO’s which brought him to remote locations around the world from El Salvador to Liberia to capture the local cultures in all their distinctive beauty. In addition to his stills, Braden is known for his moving portraits which add a fourth dimension to his work. The gently moving works allow the viewer to dive deeper into the subject matter, as the simple gestures draw out strong emotional connections. Braden has also directed the film Elevate, highlighting a ‘slice of life’ first hand experience for a transgender woman. His work has been featured in Marie Claire UK, on the sites of French Elle, French Glamour, Advocate and The Huffington Post, amongst many others. Braden splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City with his husband and twins.
