Ashley Riffo Issue 153, Photographer Profiles

Michele Zousmer: Kindness, Curiosity, and Conversation

Michele Zousmer got her start as a self-taught photographer, shooting on the sidelines of her son’s high school basketball games. After he left for college, she went on her first photo tour in Peru with a professional photographer guide. That trip taught her many valuable lessons about storytelling in imagery. For Michele, photo trips like these, particularly as a novice photographer, were a huge part of her learning process. “I always came away thinking about photography in different ways,” she says.

Back at home, she began volunteering with local organizations, including a foster care agency, where she saw firsthand how photography could amplify voices and shift perspectives. These moments set the foundation for what was to come.

Becoming a Humanitarian Photographer

A pivotal moment came when a local sheriff invited her to document a women’s reentry program. Changing the public’s perception of female convicts was no small task, but Michele was up to it. Michele is warm and charming, with an unmistakable New York accent. She would show up at the jail dressed to the nines, with perfectly coiffed blonde hair and bright red lipstick. Far from making her unapproachable, her fashion sense made girl talk come naturally with the inmates, and girl talk, she says, is an excellent way to connect with another woman. This approach—finding common ground to break the ice with a stranger—is one that has served Michele well over the years. Her advice? “It’s important to just talk about something you have in common. I think the person feel important and it disarms them, and then conversation begins.”

For the next seven years, she built relationships with the women she photographed, gaining a profound understanding of their stories and struggles. The whole experience was unfamiliar to Michele and at times uncomfortable, but it was life-changing, and it marked the beginning of her deep dive into social documentary photography.

Through this work, Michele’s name spread, leading her to document survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and marginalized communities worldwide. Naturally, her focus shifted toward capturing shared humanity, particularly the experiences of women and children. This was especially true in her work with the Irish Travellers.

The Irish Travellers

Michele first learned about the Irish Travellers from a reality TV series, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. “They were so amazing and wild. I thought they were fabulous,” Michele said with a smile. She was intrigued. So, she decided to use her photography contacts to find a way to meet them. Eventually, she got in touch with Joseph-Philippe Bevillard to do a photo tour that would bring her into close contact with the community. Michele bought a plane ticket and set off to visit Ireland for the first time.

Joseph-Philippe took them to a horse fair, a key cultural event for the Travellers. She found herself drawn in, connecting with the women over conversations about beauty and lipstick, gradually earning their trust. The men on the photo tour were surprised she was able to get so close, another testament to the power of girl talk (a.k.a. finding common ground).

Early on, Michele noticed that despite the racy attire and pouty poses, the girls and women of the Irish Travellers were very traditional, conservative even. Their culture is tight-knit and family-oriented. Yet, despite these positive attributes, the Travellers are often subject to discrimination. It’s not uncommon to find signs outside restaurants and other establishments that read, “No Travellers Allowed.”

Michele has returned over the years, building up deep relationships and even friendships within the community. Her focus is on documenting their traditions, struggles, and resilience. In the process, her work humanizes a group that is all too often denied opportunities because of prejudice and misconceptions.

Michele says of this project, and of her photography in general, “I hope my work inspires others to feel we all matter and to care more profoundly. Engaging in the world and becoming open to different cultures and traditions allows for more conversation on diversity and equality. Photographs hold the power to connect people and create understanding. This is why I do what I do.”

Open to Connection

Michele’s curiosity is unwavering—she’s always on the lookout for a story—and she genuinely cares. You can feel it when you talk to her. She doesn’t approach a conversation or photography as an outsider peering in but rather as a fellow human, willing to listen and engage. Her project Sounds of the Sidewalk is a testament to this approach.

When a chance encounter brought Michele into contact with a homeless choir, she was hooked. As she documented the lives of homeless individuals who formed the choir, she formed bonds with them. So much so, that Steven, a choir member everyone loved, came to Michele with a startling request. He confided that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and wanted her to chronicle is final days. Having lost her own husband to cancer, Michele’s first reaction was to say no. “I didn’t want to watch someone else die. And I knew what was coming down the pipeline,” she said. But Steven kept asking until she said yes.

Michele documented his final weeks, surrounded by his girlfriend and choir family, and honored his request to use the work as a way to say goodbye to all of his friends. Just before his death, the choir got the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent, after singing a song Steven wrote. They delivered the news to him over the phone because he had been too weak to attend. He smiled—then passed away shortly after. These moments, raw and real, are at the heart of Michele’s work. They often require her to step out of her comfort zone, but these are the moments that remind us of our shared humanity.

Bearing Witness for Social Change

For Michele, photography is not just about capturing images—it is about bearing witness. Her experiences with incarcerated women, foster children, and displaced communities have shaped her own worldview. She sees photography as a tool for change, a way to illuminate overlooked narratives and offer dignity to those often dismissed. Whether it’s her documentary work or her recent fine art project featuring African American professionals in STEAM as role models for students of color, her mission remains the same: to uplift, to understand, to advocate, and to share the stories that deserve to be told.

Michele’s experiences prove that photography, at its most powerful, is about connection. It requires stepping outside of comfort zones, asking questions, and being willing to listen and see things from someone else’s perspective. Her work reminds us that everyone has a story, and sometimes, all it takes to uncover it is a little kindness, curiosity, and conversation.

Where to Find Michele Zousmer