“My role is to be the observer, the curator of visual moments. I’m not there to create moments, I’m there to capture them.

My name is Cliff Etzel and I’m a Pacific Northwest region award winning photojournalist.  Conservative, yet compassionate in my work that brings the look of documentary and street photography to the areas of  family, wedding, birthing and end of life documentary photography.  I also offer one day street photography workshops  and one on one portfolio critiques in addition to other services to aspiring photographers to help them go to the next level in their work.

With over 35+ years of experience for framing and catching fleeting moments and light is what gives my photos meaning and sets my photos apart from run of the mill photographers.

In my photographic work, I feel there’s a real beauty in documenting authentic life experiences with a level of compassion as well as traditional values guiding what I see through my camera viewfinder.

My passion and mission is to document the lives of everyday people and families that I encounter.  This is driven by what I see as  the future of traditional families and values disappearing to the ever increasing changes in our society due to technology.  Visually documenting these moments provides an archive for future generations to know where they came from in their family history.