About
photos with love and respect
joan beard statement
My photographic work and spiritual practice is to witness people and places. I share those stories.
My goal is to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera so their inner beauty can shine through. My portrait business, Mainely Portraits is inspired by my childhood in Maine where I had the experience of feeling deeply connected with my surroundings. My photographs of nature and people are taken with love and respect.
Healing will come more easily when we connect with our environments and bear witness to each other's stories.
Bio
I was raised on the coast of Maine, on Wabanaki and Abanaki Land. Much of my time was spent playing/learning from the tidal pools and forests near me.
My work around and in the Salish Sea reflects my deep appreciation for habitats that are thriving. They are in stark contrast to so much of what I personally and we as a culture see in our everyday life. It is my belief that without a point of reference, it is challenging to explain what the natural world can teach us. As we rebuild our relationships with our surroundings it is important to constantly find inspiration through direct contact with nature.
My series Direct Revelation explores
how nature speaks directly to me through my lens.
I received an undergraduate degree from UC Berkely and a graduate degree from Hunter College. My first book, Family: A Celebration was a collaboration with Margaret Campbell. The story telling of diverse families launched my career photographing real people to tell multiple stories. Some times this work was in advertising, stretching the boundaries of how women and families were represented. I also worked in not-for-profit Identity Development.
My second book created in collaboration with the Artist Marita Dingus Mommy's House was published in 2024. It is a photographic essay about Marita Dingus’s sculptures which are made from discarded materials to tell the stories of black people. This collaboration was partially funded by 4ACulture Grant in King County, Washington State.
Click above where it reads Marita Dingus Mommy's House to learn more and buy the book.
I am an activist has committed to Equity and healing the planet. My experience includes anti-fracking activism and working toward desegregation in NYC Public Schools. I have a deep love and respect for our physical world and the creatures that inhabit it.
I use my camera as a way to slow down, listen and connect with what is in front of me so that I can focus, learn and share.
Witness: 8864
In 2024 Marita Dingus and I published Mommy's House, a book about Marita Dingus, her artwork and family home
Her work addresses how people and objects that are culturally deemed of little or no value. As a Black Feminist Artist, Marita Dingus explores a range of emotions that include Black people being joyful to expressions of the grief. Her stand ins are always autonomous, maintaining their sense of self beyond deep challenges. Her sculptures place us in a dialogue about the long-term historical scars in our culture. Collectively, we share our twin histories of black and indigenous lives being exploited and murdered, both hidden and in plain sight. The disregard of people is echoed in relationship to land and objects. Her reclaiming of people and “waste” inherently suggests a more connected and respectful path. This photographic book will explore her work through images and text.
What my clients say:
Joan brings a unique realism and authenticity to her work. She has a process of working with her subjects that allows her to capture honesty through spontanaeity. This makes her work believable and allows an audience to really connect with her photographs. The campaign my agency did with her was extremely successful. The photographs were unique, attention-getting and moving.
Susan Sacks, Senior Creative
Joan brings a unique realism and authenticity to her work. She has a process of working with her subjects that allows her to capture honesty through spontanaeity. This makes her work believable and allows an audience to really connect with her photographs. The campaign my agency did with her was extremely successful. The photographs were unique, attention-getting and moving.
Jaime Belden, Creative Director
I went to Joan Beard for professional head shots and they are great. She was very helpful in planning the shoot, and calm and warm behind the camera, making a situation I expected to be awkward comfortable. She was brilliant in capturing and selecting images of me that represent how I perceive myself. That's very rare for me. I can't recommend her work too highly.
Jeanne Bergman
visit mainelyportraits.com for my photographs of people