Two Heads. Four eyes.
Married photographers. We have history, we have a height difference. Since 2001, we have both been working in the newspaper and non-profit world as a visual communicators.
A few years ago, as our oldest son was about to enter Kindergarten, we took a big leap of faith. We saw an opportunity to reshape our lives into ones that included more creative flexibility, and the chance to grow relationships with family members we adore – but rarely got to see. We sold our house outside Washington D.C., and moved to New England! It was simultaneously the hardest and easiest decision we have ever made, but life in our small town has afforded us a better balance between peace and pace.
Maple + Main grew out of our shared passion for visual storytelling, and a reinvention of our journalism education. The best way we can describe our work is artistic journalism. Authenticity meets creativity. Our approach to branding photography strikes a balance between unscripted fluidity and a keen attention to detail.
We met while studying photojournalism in the graduate program at the S.I. Newhouse school at Syracuse University. It was photo love!
Katye began her career at the Paradise Post, in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada. She quickly traded possibly the smallest newspaper in the country, for the largest; Seven years as photo and multimedia editor at USA TODAY led to an opportunity to bring photojournalism to the non-profit sphere. Katye helped in establishing a narrative photography presence at The Pew Charitable Trusts as the organization's first photo editor and staff photographer. It was Pew's advocacy work that introduced us to the potential visual storytelling holds for non-profit organizations.
Joe began his career at the Potomac News in Manassas, VA, and has since freelanced while leading our wedding photography business, The Happy Couple. We like to say Joe makes sure our pixels are in a row. He is our gear manager, software guru, and website whisperer. He is the lead (OK, the ONLY) drone pilot here at Maple & Main, licensed by the FAA to fly safety and responsibly.
Just down the road ...
Maple and Main Streets intersect a few hundred feet from our house – in one of the oldest neighborhoods of our small Massachusetts town. Literally, it's where we work and live. (And it sure does have a nice ring, doesn't it?) Figuratively, it's the meeting of small businesses and non-profits where they're at, and forging forward with quality narrative visual content.
At the core of our philosophy is the well-known photojournalist ideology attributed to photographer Arthur Fellig – "f8 and be there". Our studio? Wherever you do you. The best way to tell your brand story is to capture it in the heart (and at the height) of your business and mission. This can absolutely extend beyond your physical address – a slice of life in your neighborhood, the creative space where you cultivate inspiration, or your staff at work in the field. Portraiture is environmental, product photography has a "found" quality.
Our specialty is shedding the best light without compromising authenticity. We take an approach that strikes a balance between realness and perfection. That could mean blending into a wall, and letting your jam just unfold. Or transforming challenging lighting. What we do best is plan, anticipate, and avoid over-directing.