Snapshots: Jeff Hutchens

By Damian Koh
Mar 03, 2006

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Hutchens is someone who listens to his heart. Even graduating with a double major in Psychology and Pre-Med didn't stop him from stepping into photojournalism. The man took on a couple of photography internships and his lucky break came when National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) hired him to be its only staff based outside of Washington, D.C. Two years later (fall 2004), Hutchens decided to move on to pursue his career further as a freelancer. Hutchens has probably traveled to more countries than an average person but his passion still points to social documentary. This month, we feature Hutchens and the pictures he took in Mumbai, India--the pride of Bollywood.

The images you see from this feature have been reproduced with permission from Jeff Hutchens. If you wish to be featured in our interviews or know any photo buffs who may be interested, email us a short description of yourself, or your friend, and we'll get back to you.

Name: Jeff Hutchens
Type of photographer: Freelance professional
Achievements: National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Best of Photojournalism competition first place in Pictorial category and second place in Nature and Environment
Equipment: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7

Images from Mumbai, India, as the monsoon season closes
"I took this photo while wandering around Mumbai with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 point-and-shoot, creating pictures for a project I was involved in with Sony and the National Geographic Channel.

It was a rainy day, one of many as the monsoon season was ending in Mumbai, and I came across these boys playing a pickup game of cricket during a lull in the showers. The sky was spectacular and the colors were beautiful, so I took the shot.

I wanted to include as much of the environment as possible, so I composed it rather wide, and wanted to have a bit of depth to the photo, so I stood behind the bowler to have a bit more of a foreground element, with the rest of the boys staggering through the frame. It's just a slice of daily life in Mumbai."

Image data: 1/250 seconds; F5.6
ISO: 100
Other information: Standard lens, no adapters.