People, real people, have been the subject of Robert Houser’s work for over 30 years. Primarily working for healthcare and industrial clients, he travels worldwide with one goal, to connect with those he photographs. That connection is tantamount to his approach to photography – every image begins with the idea of a portrait, a conversation.

Whether he is working with a single assistant or a crew of 10, Bob will discuss each image with every subject individually ahead of time. If that means climbing eight stories up a chemical plant’s tower or getting on the ground to talk to a young child with a rare disease, he aims to begin every project by finding areas of interest with his subjects and commencing a conversation that will continue throughout the shoot.

"'How large will your crew be?' 'Just two', I replied.

This exchange was during a meeting with a global industrial company marketing department – the answer: myself and my assistant, no more. If you want genuine images of your front-line employees working on-site, we cannot walk in with a producer, multiple assistants and stylists. That option works wonderfully with models or people used to being photographed, but for sincere images of everyday workers, it needs to be a conversation. A conversation between me and the individual, that’s it.

Same with healthcare patients – they cannot feel like the shoot is just another medical scan. We are there to see them, as people, real people.

Based in the San Francisco area, I have been an award winning storyteller for over 30 years."

People, real people. To make healthcare images genuine, Robert Houser has spent decades bonding with his subjects – finding a way in.

A chameleon at heart, Bob’s ability to connect is uncanny.  Whether he’s shooting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a plant manager at an industrial site or a rare disease patient for a pharmaceutical company, his subjects’ comfort is paramount in creating sincere imagery, be it motion work or stills. 

Based in the San Francisco area, he has been an award winning storyteller for over thirty years.  

The studio’s project, Facing Chemo, has been awarded recognition by Communication Arts, and has travelled and published in venues worldwide.

"I work in healthcare, often with rare disease patients. People will often ask me if I find it to be depressing, and yet, honestly, it is quite the opposite. 

I once spent an afternoon photographing a four-year-old with a rare and physically debilitating disease for which there was no treatment at the time. When I arrived at her house, she grabbed my hand, brought me to her room and said, “Let’s play princess.” Donning a princess dress she danced and twirled while I photographed – to her during those few hours, she was a princess. 

Even more rewarding was almost a decade later when I met her again after having undergone a new therapy. Distant and aloof, she was a typical teenager, and I smiled thinking about her dancing."

People: when Bob Houser is telling a story, it’s about the people. Connecting with his subjects, with what they are doing, making it genuine - it’s what makes his work real. Whether he is working with athletes, models, executives or patients with rare diseases, Bob engages and finds a thread.

As an award-winning photographer specialising in health and fitness, he has photographed around the world. Some of his recent clients include Fitbit, TRX, Title Nine, BioMarin, Genentech, Visa, Wells Fargo, Forbes, Outside Magazine and Wired.

Bob and his team can tackle projects of any size and he has relationships with crew throughout the country. When he is not shooting, he can be found at home on his San Francisco Bay Area ranch in the Oakland hills playing in his 7000 square foot outdoor studio next to the red barn, tilling the farm with his tractor, and tending to his goats, chickens, bees and two teenagers.