About Braden Summers
Braden Summers is a director and photographer, whose work alerts the viewer to the beauty in people and their environment. His portraits embody what matters most to him: inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance. Raised in a small, homogenous town in Connecticut, Braden moved to the expansive metropolis of the weird and wonderful San Francisco. There he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Academy of Art University. He found comfort and acceptance in the diversity he discovered in the city. Since then, he has committed his life’s work to highlighting the beauty that exists in different genders, ethnicities, sexualities, cultures, and geographic locations.
Braden’s portraiture, with its evocatively rich colour palette, has been featured in global advertising campaigns including Marriott International’s ‘Love Travels’ campaign, Nespresso’s ‘Origins Campaign’, and Walmart’s ‘Reign On’ campaign at Essence Fest. He has also produced a wide body of work for NGO’s which brought him to remote locations around the world from El Salvador to Liberia to capture the local cultures in all their distinctive beauty.
In addition to his stills, Braden is known for his moving portraits which add a fourth dimension to his work. The gently moving works allow the viewer to dive deeper into the subject matter, as the simple gestures draw out strong emotional connections. Braden has also directed the film Elevate, highlighting a ‘slice of life’ first hand experience for a transgender woman.
His work has been featured in Marie Claire UK, on the sites of French Elle, French Glamour, Advocate and The Huffington Post, amongst many others. Braden splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City with his husband and twins.
CLIENT LIST:
AWARDS:
- 2021 - Lürzer’s Archive 200 Best Inclusion
- 2019 - Lürzer’s Archive 200 Best Inclusion
- 2019 - 2nd Place - Fashion for 2019 National APA Awards
- 2019 - International Color Awards - 1st Place - Outstanding Achievement in Fashion
- 2017 - Selected to be a part of juried photo exhibition On The Street by FABRIK Magazine
- 2017 - Official Selection for Berlin Fashion Film Festival for "KHADIJA"
- 2017 - One Eyeland Photo contest - Bronze for "Royals" series
- 2016 - Tokyo International Foto Awards - Gold in Abstract Films for "The Beat Ballet"
- 2016 - American Photography International Motion Art Awards - Winner for "The Beat Ballet"
- 2016 - Travel Weekly Magellan Awards - Gold Award "Fall For France" campaign
- 2016 - One Eyeland Photography Awards - Bronze "Fall For France" campaign
- 2016 - Applied Arts Photography Annual - 2nd place for portraiture
- 2015 - Communication Arts Photo Annual - Award of Excellence
- 2014 - Getty #RePicture contest - 1st place winner