• Humanitarian Research: FHF - Ethical Imagery

    Humanitarian Research: FHF - Ethical Imagery

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  • Humanitarian Storytelling: Lighthouse Creative Leadership Experience

    Humanitarian Storytelling: Lighthouse Creative Leadership Experience

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  • Recent Projects: Ecological Portraiture

    Recent Projects: Ecological Portraiture

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  • Exhibitions: Returning, Reconnecting

    Exhibitions: Returning, Reconnecting

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  • Recent Projects: Mindful Environments

    Recent Projects: Mindful Environments

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  • Blog

    Blog

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My name is Hy V. Huynh, and I'm a Community Psychologist & Humanitarian Photographer.

I help humanitarian professionals maximize their social impact
with ethical and human-centered visual storytelling.



Photography Lens Kit

Theory Lens

Theory Lens

You probably won’t meet too many photographers with a Ph.D. in the social sciences, but maybe it’s time you did. So much of my community psychology and social justice academic background informs my intentional approach to photography.
Practice Lens

Practice Lens

My 10+ years in domestic and international community development work has made me highly attuned to the ethical needs of the humanitarian and photojournalism sector. It’s time there’s a new norm for ethical and human-centered photography.
Storytelling Lens

Storytelling Lens

I’ve worked in personal branding and do freelance web design and copywriting. I’ve also facilitated storytelling workshops for both youth programs and undergraduate classes. Basically, I’ll make sure your images are more than just documentation.
 

learn more about Hy

 

What You Can Expect

Consultation

Whether it’s for your nonprofit branding, next fundraising campaign, or research assignment, I can help you use visual storytelling to its full potential. I’ve worked with a range of professionals: from the not-for-profit and social enterprise sector, to academic researchers in higher ed. We’ll share and align visions before we take action.

Professionalism

I’ve worked in communications, so I know how frustrating it can be to work with an unreliable and unresponsive person or agency. No more waiting around for the photographer to show up or waiting weeks for the final, processed images – I’ll make sure our communication lines are wide open and the expectations are transparent.

Affordability

Trust me- I know how it feels to work for a small non-profit. My sliding scale rates model is meant to tackle this “equity over equality” issue and make sure that a) the most under-resourced professionals can still gain access to quality services, and b) the most deserving stories can be respectfully seen and heard.
 

Portfolio

Humanitarian

Humanitarian

Personal

Personal

Exhibitions

Exhibitions

     

Testimonials

Julian Cadena
“When a photograph evokes immediate empathy, you become invested in a stranger’s story in a way that the strange is washed out and you are left with familiarity. Hy’s work captures universal human feelings and presents them naturally. It is evident in each photograph that the moment captured is carefully framed but spontaneous in form. You get a feeling of being in the middle of the story without intruding, which speaks to Hy’s skills in making the effortful seem effortless.”
– Julian Cadena, Asheville, NC
Nghi Phan
“Hy is able to capture the LIFE in people, their moments of progress and milestones, small and large; their moments of promise; their humanity. A lot of times what is missing from humanitarian organization websites, is real, in-the-moment photos in which the personality and humanity of the individuals and community served shine through. There’s a great need for the humanitarian field to capture the essence of individuals in the real moments, and I truly believe they need someone like Hy to fill that niche.”
– Nghi Phan, Oakland, CA
Elizabeth Green
“I see Hy’s work as both thoughtful and thought provoking- much of his work displays his perspective and invites the viewer into contemplation themselves. His work is deeply respectful. His photos never feel voyeuristic. He’s able to capture a person or place in such a way that the viewer can feel the respect, love, and connection he feels to his subject. In this way, his photos feel more like sharing than displaying. This is an incredible talent and a common thread in his work (and his way of being in this world).”
– Elizabeth Green, Boston, MA
 

Featured Blog Posts

The First Sunrise and Sunset.

The First Sunrise and Sunset.

The day I was first in the continental U.S. to see the sunrise and sunset, I naturally thought of this poem by Mary Oliver. (Thank you again, Acadia.)

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A Marriage of Mountains and Sea.

A Marriage of Mountains and Sea.

Sure, it might be the hardest National Park to access within the continental U.S.
(and yes, it may have taken 20+ hours of driving, one-way…)
but there’s nothing quite like standing near these magical pink granite coastlines,
where the old-growth mountain forests kiss the edge of the sea.

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From the Coast to the Desert.

From the Coast to the Desert.

From the forests to the gardens, to the coast to the desert; I’ll miss all of you, Oregon. <3
Three weeks of laptop-less bliss, wild-caught salmon meals, hikes through multiple biomes, and the warm laughter of old friendships.
Couldn’t have asked for a more restorative and health-giving post-PhD graduation trip to the PNW.

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