Hey, I'm Francis

I’ve always paid close attention to the way people move through the things they care about; the concentration, energy, relationships, and shifts in expression that reveal when a moment carries real weight. Photography gave me a way to preserve those details and show people something meaningful about an experience they were often too absorbed in to fully see for themselves.

A race, recital, tournament, performance, or game may look like one more date on the calendar from the outside. To the person involved, it can represent months of preparation, nerves, frustration, progress, and pride. I understand that investment, and I approach it with the seriousness it deserves.

That means learning the rhythm of an environment rather than simply arriving with a camera. I pay attention to how the action develops, where the strongest moments are likely to happen, and what makes each athlete, performer, team, or community feel like itself. I want to be close enough to create energetic, immersive work while still giving people room to remain present in what they are doing.

The peak moments naturally draw me in: the speed, movement, celebration, and release when everything comes together. I also stay attentive to what happens around them: the anticipation beforehand, the reset after a difficult moment, the exchanges between teammates, and the reactions that give the action its emotional context.

My connection to this work comes from being a parent, a longtime participant in sport, and someone who tends to become genuinely invested in the communities I spend time with. I know the things people care deeply about are not always easy to explain to someone standing outside them.

Stash Shoots grew from that perspective: creating photographs and films that communicate why an experience mattered to the people living it.