Three Circles Studio

Nonprofit Photography, From a Boston Kid Who Ate Free Lunch

My dad came here from Vietnam as a teenager, by himself. He never saw his parents again. Along the way there were organizations that showed up for him, the Catholic church, immigrant services, legal aid. I got to become an artist because someone made room for my father.

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Ten people in colorful formal attire posing together for a group photo indoors, smiling.
Large group posing playfully together on a porch, many wearing matching knit beanies, laughing.

We Photograph People, Not Beneficiaries

Photographing the people doing the work

Your staff, your volunteers, the people who show up year after year. They deserve to be seen the way you see them.

Dignity for people who rarely get it

Before photography, I spent years working with unhoused populations, people serving life sentences, LGBTQ youth, and immigrant communities. It's how I got to college. It's still how I see people. I know how to photograph someone without reducing them to their circumstance.

Events that carry your mission past the room

Program graduations, outreach days, community gatherings. The photos are how people who weren't there understand what you do.

Budget is a conversation, not a wall

Tell me where your organization is and I'll be honest about what's possible.

LET'S CONNECT

I Don't Have the Energy to Protest Anymore

But it's still in my blood to serve

As a teenager, I ran weekends where people came to talk with the unhoused, not about them. I did the same for people who wanted to understand incarceration. I advocated for LGBTQ youth. I co-chaired an Asian American youth organization and ran a 500-person all-day conference.

My immigrant parents were not thrilled. None of this was the path to doctor, lawyer, or engineer. It did get me a full tuition scholarship to Gordon College as part of the first cohort of New City Scholars, which helped, but that was the consequence, not the point.

I can't do all of that now. What I can do is make sure the organizations still doing it get seen.

Four friends laughing together at an indoor venue, one holding a camera around his neck.
One Bead's Career Expo
Three people laughing together at a step-and-repeat, in matching branded shirts, career expo tables behind them.
Young woman with vivid red dreadlocks looking to the side, standing near a step-and-repeat backdrop.
Teenage boy holding a plate with bread, looking at a pamphlet, other teens and an adult reviewing papers nearby.
Woman in a hijab embracing a young boy warmly, both smiling at the camera, event signage overhead.
Wide view of a crowded event space with teens and adults, colorful balloon clusters, career expo tables and booths throughout.
Three men talking and laughing together, one wearing a baseball cap, presentation screens visible behind them.
Family of four posing together smiling, wearing branded sports-team clothing, a pillar banner nearby.
Two young women standing together smiling, both wearing volunteer lanyards, tables and attendees behind them.
Woman embracing a teenage boy warmly, both smiling, a presentation screen partially visible behind them.
Boy holding a blank card, standing next to a woman looking off-camera, other attendees behind them.
Five people gathered around a table smiling, laptops and food spread out in front of them.
Young girl with glasses smiling and talking, other girls partially visible beside her.
Portraits of Pride
Two men holding a glass award together, smiling, a presentation screen behind them.
Three women playing it up for the camera, one leaning back with a surprised expression, in a lounge with pendant lighting.
Three men grinning, one in a mint green blazer, one in a bright green shirt, one in a burgundy plaid suit with a rainbow pin.
Trio standing side by side, one in a black dress, one in an off-shoulder black dress with statement earrings, one in a navy suit.
Ten people lined up in formal attire for a group photo, presentation screens visible behind them.
Two women with foreheads touching, smiling warmly, a crowd visible behind them.
Three men with arms around each other, smiling, one in a white suit.
Five people gathered close, smiling, two holding wine glasses, in an elegant lounge.
Four people grouped close, one in a bright pink dress, one in a yellow dress, both grinning.
Four people side by side smiling, one with a tattoo on an arm, colorful string lights behind them.
Large group of about twelve people laughing and making peace signs together, in front of a marble accent wall.
Two people laughing joyfully together, one in a purple suit, one in a green dress.
Children's Services of Roxbury
Five women laughing together in front of a wooden accent wall, tropical plants nearby.
Wide view of a seated audience at an event, many wearing name badges, a stage visible in the background.
Woman gesturing while speaking into a microphone, two men blurred beside her, tropical plants behind her.
Woman in a magenta blazer talking with a man with long hair and a beard, both smiling, standing at a small round table.
Four people seated on stage in yellow armchairs, one speaking into a microphone, a large circular backdrop behind them.
Woman in a pink blazer at a podium, gesturing mid-sentence, a presentation screen behind her, seated audience in the foreground.
Woman seated and gesturing with a microphone in hand, another woman blurred in the background, tropical plants behind her.
Man speaking into a microphone on stage, seated in a yellow armchair, three other panelists nearby.
Woman in a light blue floral-appliqué blazer, animated at a podium, a presentation screen behind her.
Two women embracing warmly, cheek to cheek, in front of a wooden slat wall, plants nearby.
Two people embracing warmly, one in a bright pink and yellow patterned top, in front of a wooden slat wall.
Four women smiling together in front of a wooden slat wall, plants nearby.
WOCE's Asian Women Making an Impact
Ten people cheering together on a stage, holding wooden trophy-shaped awards.
Three women standing together, one holding a wooden award, a colorful backdrop behind them.
Two women embracing on stage, one holding wooden awards, a third woman applauding nearby.
Woman in a blazer talking with two other women, one holding a small black box.
Three women standing together, one holding a wooden award and a black box.
Woman with a name badge sitting and smiling, two other people partially visible standing beside her.
Six women grouped together on a stage, smiling warmly for the camera, a colorful screen glowing behind them.
Six people playing it up for the camera, hands near their chins, one making a heart shape with her hands.
Three women talking and smiling together, one holding a wooden award.
Four women smiling together in a hallway, arms around each other, event signage visible nearby.
Two women talking and smiling, one holding a wooden award, a colorful display behind them.
Two women embracing warmly, cheek to cheek, one holding wooden awards.
“

He is the kind of person who is great at what he does professionally but also finds time to give back to his community in so many creative ways.

— Jen Truong

GOT QUESTIONS?

Probably, and I'd rather find out together than have you assume otherwise. Nonprofit pricing isn't one fixed rate. Tell me about your organization and your budget and I'll be honest about what's possible.

Carefully, and always with their say. We talk through consent before the day, and anyone who doesn't want to be photographed doesn't get photographed. Nobody becomes a prop for your impact report.

Likely. I've photographed career expos, Pride portrait projects, family services organizations, and AAPI leadership events. Before photography I spent years working with unhoused populations, incarcerated people, LGBTQ youth, and immigrant communities.

Yes. You get an unlimited license to use your photos however you need, print or digital, with no expiration.

Small doesn't mean unimportant. A twenty-person volunteer appreciation night matters as much as a four-hundred-person gala, and I'd rather shoot the one that matters to you.

Full gallery within 72 hours, with photos delivered in real time during the event if that helps your team share while it's happening.

Yes. Two million dollars in general liability coverage, and we can provide a certificate of insurance for your venue.

Ask anyway. Some of the best work I've done for organizations started as a conversation about a problem, not a booking.

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