I’m Lea Jaye, a photographer and documentarian based in Santa Cruz. I’m drawn to movement, subculture, and the people who build their lives around what they love.

I was seven years old when my mom, a professional photographer for over 20 years, first hung her heavy camera around my neck and asked me to look through the lens and tell her what I saw. From her, I learned to look closer, stay curious, and see the world differently.

As I grew older, I discovered film photography and fell in love with the way it asked me to slow down. Today, I follow my curiosity into unfamiliar places and the worlds of people who inspire me.

I live for moments of action and find deep meaning in what happens between them. The rituals, relationships, and fleeting details that reveal themselves when you stay a little longer. For me, photography is both a reason to step into worlds I might otherwise never know and a way to appreciate them while I’m there.