Steve WEst

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Biography:

I started out in print design, and I loved it. Type on a grid, tight layouts, a little Swiss influence—real clean, real nerdy. I wasn’t trying to make “cool” stuff. I wanted to make work that worked—books, posters, branding—something you could hold in your hands. Then came web design, and I kind of hated it. Designing for screens never gave me the same satisfaction as making something physical. I like a finished product that exists in the real world. A thing you can touch.

By 2009, I needed a creative outlet that wasn’t tied to clients, meetings, or a mouse. I found a jewelry studio offering classes and figured, “Why not?” First thing I noticed—no computer. Just fire, tools, and my two hands. It was messy, hands-on, and totally addictive. And the kicker? At the end of each session, I had a piece of wearable art. Not a comp. Not a round of revisions. Just something done.

That turned into Silver Piston in 2013—my own line of handmade jewelry. I built it up through Instagram, giveaways, and teaming up with people in the custom motorcycle world, which I’ve always been into. It was a side hustle at first. Then in January 2015, I got fired from my last agency job. That Monday? I was a full-time jeweler. It was kind of perfect.

But like most creative people, I can’t sit still for long. In 2017, I picked up my camera and started playing around with portrait photography. That summer I shot a friend’s jewelry line using natural light, and something just clicked. A few months later, I got a chance to shoot Killer Mike. That was the moment I knew I wanted to go deeper.

Now, portrait photography is a huge part of what I do. I shoot executives, artists, and regular folks who want portraits that don’t feel like stiff

United States

https://stevewestphoto.com

https://instagram.com/stevewestphoto

SNCC Elders

At the end of July 2026 I traveled to Washington DC to meet up with Nse Ufot and photograph the SNCC elders who are still working on voters rights well into their 70s, 80s and 90s. My arrival was a bit of a surprise for the board and while it did take a little cajoling from Nse they agreed. We were staying in the business district so it was pretty quiet outside without a lot of people walking around. I was told the would be coming outside about 6 or so.

Across the street from the hotel was M street and it went due west. Looking east from that corner was trees, sidewalk and buildings. Behind me were also trees. As we got everyone outside, we got a couple of group shots then it was a scramble to photography as many portraits of the elders before they needed to get inside. While I would have loved to have photographed them all, a few slipped away.

At the end of the day I’m proud of the honor to be able to photograph them together, still doing the work they started in school in the sixties. I was fortunate to have such nice weather at the end of July when it could have been ugly hot outside and no one looks good in that.