Bio

Spencer Bodian has always been deeply passionate about photography and, at the most basic level, capturing the human experience.

His love for photography began when he was a kid, around 10 years old, when his beloved aunt, Beverly, gave him his first camera. She introduced him to some of the photographers who would go on to become major inspirations for his work and outlook on the world, including Gordon Parks. To this day, Spencer still has some of her photography books, which remain deeply meaningful to him and connected to the way he sees.

Spencer grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in an extremely diverse environment that gave him an early appreciation for different cultures, people, and the experiences that shape them. That upbringing continues to inform his eye as a photographer.

He attended Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, where he studied photojournalism and entrepreneurship. During his time at Syracuse, Spencer was passionate about using his talent to get involved with the local community. Applying his photography, writing, and storytelling skills, he worked with several local organizations, nonprofits, and companies, including InterFaith Works of Central New York, Auxygen, the Rescue Mission, and Acropolis Development. He also photographed for a variety of university publications, traveling the East Coast to cover high-profile sporting events, music, and other newsworthy topics.

While studying abroad in London, Spencer completed nine assignments over 14 weeks throughout Europe, including an international migration study in Glasgow, Scotland. During that time, he documented life and culture in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. He also attended meetings with photo editors and journalists at The Guardian, Reuters, and the Associated Press, engaging in conversations about the rapidly changing sociopolitical landscape of Europe and the Middle East.

After receiving his degree, Spencer made a significant shift in his life and decided to pursue real estate. Even then, photography remained a creative outlet, even during periods when he was not carrying his camera every day. After a long sabbatical from shooting with intention and growing his craft, he felt the creative itch return in 2025 and decided to dive back in.

To this day, travel, different cultures, and the simplicity of day-to-day life remain central inspirations for Spencer’s photography. His work is also shaped by a belief that life’s beauty is not to be taken for granted. This precious force of life we embody is short, and it is important to stop and take it all in. Photography is one of the few things in this world that forces him to do that.

Among Spencer’s major photographic inspirations are Gordon Parks, Steve McCurry, Annie Leibovitz, and Sebastião Salgado. But his greatest artistic inspiration remains his beloved aunt, Beverly, who passed away in 2014 and inspired him to look at the world differently. She lived purely, creatively, and passionately, weaving art into every facet of her life: the way she designed her incredible apartment, collected unique furniture and art around New York City, painted, arranged flowers, designed gardens, cooked meals effortlessly that exceeded anything anyone in the family could muster, listened to music (especially reggae), and shared stories from her travels as a young free spirit exploring the world.

Her life, creativity, and way of seeing continue to shape Spencer’s own perspective in the present, and behind the camera.

EMAIL:    spencerbodian@gmail.com

TEL:    +1 (301) 467-5150