Bay Area-based Blackbird Photography was founded in 2001 by veteran photographers Jennifer Pickens and Tiffany Black. Began as a pet portraiture business because of their mutual love of animals, Blackbird has since expanded its award-winning craft to weddings, travel essays, photojournalism, and professional portraits for local and international clients. These unique artists have combined their contrasting styles to create a broad and multi-faceted body of work.

Whether it’s an atmospheric snapshot of a mist-shrouded castle in Romania or an endearing portrait of a beloved family pet, my artistic vision inspires a full gamut of interpretations. Described as “timeless,” “emotional,” and “quiet,” my work lends itself to black & white images and makes optimal use of natural light to introduce gentle contrasts that evoke a classic, vintage feel. Textural, eclectic, and varied, my natural, informal style captures and enhances the subtleties of any situation with an unparalleled ease and grace.

An award-winning photojournalist with 10 years of professional snapping behind me, I work as a staff photographer for the Mission Dispatch newspaper and hold the title of Senior Editor at VegNews magazine. As a freelance photographer, my work has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including the San Francisco Observer, Haight Ashbury Beat, Western Edition, Castro Star, Etc. Magazine, Guardsman, and the San Mateo Independent Newspaper Group. Commissioned works include CD and magazine covers, as well as product shots for print editorial.

My extensive travel experience across all seven continents has greatly influenced my work. Exposure to and understanding of many different countries gives me the unique advantage of being able to express a multicultural viewpoint in my photographs, examples of which have been exhibited at galleries throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

As a team with a combined 20 years of experience, Tiffany and I bring our unique perspectives together to create strong, compelling images that transcend trends. We are artists as well as problem solvers, and together we bring a positive, flexible attitude and a passion for photography to every job.

Photography has always fascinated and inspired me, and discovering and capturing unique, once-in-a-lifetime moments are what continue to spur me in my craft. Editorial photography—my preferred medium—best illuminates my thought-provoking style. A favored technique is to wait for my subject to forget there’s a camera around before grabbing a shot. My unstaged images have a stylized, highly perfected quality about them that almost defies the concept of candid photography.

My experience as a live-music photographer is widespread, having documented performances at major music festivals around the globe, including All Tomorrow's Parties and Camber Sands in the UK and Sasquatch! Music Festival stateside. In addition, I curate art shows for various venues throughout North America and have shown my work at numerous galleries, such as LoBot, Mama Buzz, Minna, Back Seat, White Line, Ego Park, and RPS Collective.

I met Jennifer in college, where we both studied photography, and since 2000 we’ve collaborated on everything from weddings to pet portraits to travel documentary. Our styles never compete and nearly always complement each other. Together, we excel at capturing images ranging from the informal (corporate events or parties) to formal (weddings, both small and grand, or personalized portraits).

Unconventional and edgy, but always to a high standard, my photography is best described as “Art.” I’ll do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot, and my clients are always pleased with the final product.