Great portraits are remarkably hard-working images.

A single photograph might introduce a CEO on a company's website, accompany an editorial feature, appear in an annual report, support a recruiting campaign, or become the face of a new marketing initiative. Creating portraits with that kind of longevity means thinking beyond the moment and considering how they'll serve the organization long after the session ends.

I spent a cold February day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a Washington Post editorial assignment photographing Democratic primary candidate for the U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, as he was out and about on the campaign trail.

As a portrait photographer, I’m constantly testing how light shapes not only a person’s face, but also the feeling of an image. These sessions became an exploration of light, expression, timing, and the subtle movements that can have a massive impact on these creative portraits.

Just two days before Christmas, I spent time with the Brown family at their home, capturing portraits for the Washington Post story: 'Dad was a football star—until Dad was ‘a monster’. Corwin Brown, once a respected NFL player and coach, faced a tragic downfall as years of head trauma took their toll.

Highlights from a recent creative portrait studio session with Adam at Em En Art House in South Bend, Indiana.

In November, I spent a day in Carmel, Indiana, working on a piece for The Wall Street Journal’s Mansion section. The assignment took me around town, met the outgoing and incoming mayor, and spent time with a couple of families. The weather put a slight damper on the plans, but I was pleased with the overall outcome of the images and how they ran in print!

I recently photographed chemistry professor Marya Lieberman at her University of Notre Dame lab for a story in Bloomberg Businessweek. Lieberman’s team developed a field test to detect whether the correct amount of active ingredient were present in the chemotherapy drugs they received.