A ceramic artist’s hands shaping a newly made clay bowl

Documentary Photography

Rooted in what matters.

People. Work. Place. Animals. Photographed as they are.

Aimee Myers · Tucson, Arizona

View the portfolio Pet portrait sessions

Connected by story.

The things worth remembering are usually in the details.

Root & Thread photographs people engaged in work, craft, care, and community activity. The photographs show process, environment, relationships, and the details that help an audience understand what is happening.

01 / Selected work

Two studies of people at work.

These two Tucson studies introduce how I photograph process, working environments, and the relationships between people, tools, and materials.

Tucson Clay Co-op Sublime Tattoo

Independent documentary study

Tucson Clay Co-op

Ceramic makers working with clay, wheels, tools, and one another inside a shared studio.

Two ceramic artists working together at a pottery wheel at Tucson Clay Co-op
Clay-covered hands shaping a vessel on a pottery wheel
A ceramic artist working beside a bright studio window
A tattooed ceramic artist pressing and shaping a large piece of clay by hand
Hands wrapping handmade ceramics in newspaper
A ceramic artist examining a hand-built clay vessel beside another unfinished form
A clay-stained apron hanging among studio shelves and unfinished pottery

Independent documentary study

Sublime Tattoo

Christina tattooing inside the Tucson shop, followed by a portrait of shop owner Manda.

Tattoo artist Christina working with a client at Sublime Tattoo in Tucson
Christina concentrating while using a tattoo machine
Gloved hands guiding a tattoo machine across a client’s skin
Christina tattooing a client inside the studio
Manda, owner of Sublime Tattoo, seated inside the shop

02 / Pet portraits

Photographs of pets as themselves.

Portraits of animals on their own and with the people who know them best. Sessions can take place at home or outdoors, with room for personality, movement, and the small interactions that make the relationship recognizable.

Pet Portrait Session

$295

45–60 minutes · 10–15 carefully edited digital photographs · one Tucson location · up to two pets · people welcome

Ask about a pet portrait session
Australian shepherd resting outdoors and looking up toward the camera
Black cat with green eyes looking toward the camera
A white dog pants close to the camera while two other dogs stand behind
A woman and a speckled dog lean toward each other with their noses nearly touching
A speckled dog rests in grass beside a person's hand with a green-painted fingernail

03 / Independent work

Tucson, observed.

Independent photographs of public space, waiting, architecture, and ordinary life. This ongoing work develops how I see relationships, gesture, distance, and place. It is not presented as a separate client service.

Street and documentary work

Observed stories

Layered moments in public and commercial spaces.

An older dog walks past a pet-store window while a puppy watches from behind the glass
A waterbird and its reflection in the foreground with two people fishing from a boat beyond
A worker tying an apron, seen as a reflection in a window
A repeating row of stainless-steel machines inside a Tucson laundromat

Architecture and form

Graphic studies

Structure, repetition, and visual paths found in the built environment.

Stacked stair flights frame a rectangular opening of blue sky
Concrete walls converge around a long dark vertical window
A curved foreground structure creates a visual path toward a bicycle

04 / Work with me

Assignments, commissions, and assisting.

I am available for documentary assignments, selected commercial commissions, nonprofit and community projects, and paid assisting work with photographers and production teams.

Assignments and commissions

Photography with a clear purpose.

For businesses, organizations, publications, and community groups that need photographs of people, activity, process, and place. Larger or different assignments are scoped and quoted individually.

Discuss an assignment

Photography assisting

Reliable support on set and on location.

Available for paid photography-assistant, equipment and lighting-assistant, third-shooter, event-assistant, backup-under-direction, and culling or image-management roles.

Generally available weekday afternoons, Fridays, selected evenings, and weekends.

Ask about availability

05 / Commission

More than one portrait.

A compact image library showing the person, process, tools, environment, and details that make the work understandable.

At Work Session

$475

75 minutes · 18–25 carefully edited photographs

  • The person actively working
  • Hands, tools, materials, and process
  • The working environment
  • An environmental working portrait
  • Finished work or product when relevant

Delivered as a cohesive set for your website, press, email, and organic social media.

See full session details Ask about an At Work Session

06 / About

Aimee Myers is a documentary photographer in Tucson.

Through Root & Thread, I photograph work, craft, care, community activity, and everyday life. I am interested in the relationships among people, what they do, and the places where it happens.

My approach is attentive and collaborative. I begin by understanding the work, the setting, and any boundaries around privacy or image use. During the session, I stay focused on what is actually happening and offer direction only when a portrait or detail will strengthen the final collection.

Consent and dignity are part of the process. I do not manufacture vulnerability, ask people to perform a false version of their work, or include an image that misrepresents what happened.

Available for assignments, commissions, community collaborations, and paid assisting opportunities in Tucson and Southern Arizona.

07 / Contact

Tell me what you are working on.

Tell me what you need photographed and how you plan to use the images. I welcome inquiries about pet portraits, documentary assignments, nonprofit and community projects, At Work Sessions, photography assisting, and third-shooter work. Please include any known dates and locations.

Aimee Myers · Photographer

hello@rootandthreadstudios.com 615-473-6503 @rootandthreadstudios rootandthreadstudios.com

Tucson, Arizona