ABOUT ME:

My father was an avid photographer and my mother was often nearby with a ready smile or beguiling pose. They gave me my first camera, a Brownie, for my sixth birthday.  I was entranced when the booklet of prints - those white borders and deckle edges! - came back from processing.  Five years later, my father gave me one of his 35mm SLR cameras. Along with it came Kodak film in a bright yellow box with a printed exposure guide inside. My favorite was “Open Shade” because of the way it created diffuse light on faces.

College breaks gave me time to work in our darkroom at home creating magic: images slowly appearing under the amber glow of the safelight. Radio played Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Mamas and Papas. Loneliness was kept at bay. I was hooked.

I embraced digital processing when image-making in pixels finally met standards set by silver gelatin. Now I am grateful for the expanded artistry that digital allows, and excited by possibilities created when silver-gelatin and digital combine: alternative historical chemical processes can use digital negatives, scanned film negatives are being digitally enhanced before printing, hand-coloring on inkjet prints is possible. So much to explore!

These collections of images over the decades reflect my passion for photography, captured not just through the lenses of my cameras, but with the filters of my interest in anthropology and work in midwifery and child abuse. People reign here. I offer this site as a place for reflection.

I live in Gig Harbor, Washington, with Al Truscott, my husband and best friend of many years. We have three grown offspring living in Seattle - and an old, affectionate, orange cat named Rico.

I am available to do your portrait or portraits of people you love. Prices are very reasonable and depend on your needs. Send me an email to get the conversation started.

It's pretty obvious that I've done several maternity-focused projects. You can learn more about this work through these links. For prison nursery work, link to www.protectivecustody.org.  For reflections about my experiences in Mongolia (2010) and Haiti (2011), go to www.hannatruscott.blogspot.com.

Please contact me should your organization need a maternity-focused photography project. I'm a willing traveler.

My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph. ~Richard Avedon

"You don't need a camera all the time — the soul, the heart, the eyes, and spirit and all your other senses capture moments beautifully too. ~Terri Guillemets