Photography

As a historian, I tell the stories of people that might otherwise be lost to the past. Photography allows me to capture people in their present. We owe that to one another — to look and see people how they want to be seen — rather than to leave it to the historians of the future. My work is person-forward, and it explores gender and sexual identity, intimacy, and love. It challenges the viewer to answer the gaze of the person in the image and to engage in the powerful process of seeing.

Follow me on Instagram @spy_of_love_photography

I’m currently working on the photo-documentary Queer Veterans Project with Mel Porter about LGBTQ+ service people in the US military.

Group Exhibitions

 Queer Veterans Project: A photo-documentary with Mel Porter, June 1-June 30, 2026, Rainbow Cammo, Rochester, NY

• “Michelle,” digital photograph (2025)
• “Jaime,” digital photograph (2026)
• “Malcolm,” digital photograph (2026)

9^th Annual Member’s Exhibition, March 13-April 18, 2026, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY 

• “Around,” silver gelatin print (2025)

35th Annual Member’s Exhibition, December 5, 2025-February 14, 2026, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY

• “The Way the Grass Smells at Night,” film photograph (2025) **Winner: Visual Studies Workshop Award

Mx. Media, November 7-December 5, 2025, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY

• “Michelle,” digital photograph (2025)

Seeing and Being Seen: LGBTQ+ Visions of Rochester, May 17-October 26, 2025, Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY

• “One Night in October,” film photograph (2024)
• “To the Moon and Not Back,” film photograph (2024)
• “I Met Him at the Candystore,” digital photograph (2025)

Growing in Pride Art Exhibition, June 21, 2025, FLX Pride, Canandaigua, NY

• “Mel,” digital photograph (2025)
• “Jack,” digital photograph (2025)
• “Michelle,” digital photograph (2025) **Winner: Award for Best Depiction of Light

 8^th Annual Member’s Exhibition, March 7-April 27, 2025, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY 

• “Mace as Bruce Springsteen,” digital photograph (2025) ** Winner: Award of the Distinction in Photography and Digital Arts

34^th Annual Member’s Exhibition, December 6, 2024-February 15, 2025, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY   

• “To the Moon and Not Back,” film photograph (2024) ** Winner: Eastman Museum Award 

Publications

“Michelle,” Trans Survivors Zine, Volume 3: Aging and Growth, Forge, 2025.

Presentations

Participant in roundtable, “Artist Discussion and LGBTQ+ Dialogue,” Seeing and Being Seen: LGBTQ+ Visions of Rochester, Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY, August 3, 2025

In the Media

Austin, Albanese, “The Veteran-Owned Rainbow Cammo is a Gathering Place for the Queer Community,” City Magazine, July 16, 2026

Austin Albanese, “Project Creates a Record of Lives Long Left Untold,” Rochester Beacon, June 30, 2026.

Greg Owen, “New Photo Exhibit Celebrating Queer Veterans Brings Healing and Unity: ‘It’s Really Been Just a Joy,’” LGBTQ Nation, June 27, 2026.

Adriana Loh, “Veterans Share Struggles Between Duty and Identity as Part of Queer Veterans Project,” Spectrum One News, June 21, 2026