Stephen Downes

Accomplished Photographer & Filmmaker with 25 years of experience in studio and on-location assignments. Proven ability to deliver high-quality content for diverse clients including Lululemon, the UK Government, Moroccanoil, Merck and HSBC UK. Expertise in advertising, editorial, wedding and corporate photography, adept with various lighting systems and camera formats.

Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite, offering creative visual storytelling for compelling brand narratives and impactful campaigns.

Photographer / Filmmaker at Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker (1995 – Present)

• Executed a wide array of studio and location assignments, encompassing advertising, magazine features and corporate projects across the US and internationally.

Wedding Photographer at Freelance Wedding Photographer (2010 – 2026)

• Photographed beautiful weddings across many locations, including New York, Provincetown, San Francisco and the Caribbean.

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at Lululemon (2025-01 – 2025-12)

• Black-and-white special project photographing ten survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault — nine women, one man — for Lululemon's Exhale to Inhale, which since 2013 has supported over 3,000 survivors through trauma-informed yoga.
• NYC · studio · stills & video · strobes, LED, white background

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at Moroccanoil (2013 – 2020)

• Managed a vast array of studio and location shoots, and provided backstage photography at NY Fashion Week for numerous top designers, including Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren, during Moroccanoil's tenure as a main sponsor.
• Produced content for advertising, beauty campaigns, marketing materials, brochures and social media platforms.
• NYC - studio & on-location · strobes, mixed available light & on-camera flash

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at Merck (2016 – 2016)

• Created editorial-style portrait photography for two spokespeople featured in Merck's national HIV education campaign, "I Design," which provides support for individuals living with HIV.
• NYC · studio & on-location · strobes, daylight, white background

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at A&U Magazine (2000 – 2025)

• Captured cover story photography for this nonprofit publication dedicated to the HIV/AIDS community.
• Photographed subjects including Kenny Scharf, Duane Michals, Jon Stewart, Bebe Neuwirth, Anthony Quinn, Michael Cunningham and other artists, writers, performers, and individuals, some of whom are HIV+.
• Across the US · studio and on-location · varied lighting equipment

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at HSBC Bank UK (2005 – 2005)

• Directed the planning, production, casting, and shooting of six advertisements over one week in London for an HSBC UK insurance product.
• London · studio · strobes, white background

Freelance Photographer/Filmmaker at UK Government — Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (2005 – 2005)

• Executed an on-location advertising campaign in London for a public-awareness initiative regarding available government benefits.
• London · on-location · daylight + augmented

BA in Commercial Photography – Rochester Institute of Technology (1988 – 1991)