The Story Behind the Portrait: A Morning with Fashion Designer Justin Haynes

Story-Driven Portrait Photography at a Glance

• Rob Faber Photography is a story-driven portrait photographer serving entrepreneurs, founders, and creatives across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
• This post is the story of a single studio session: how I noticed fashion designer Justin Haynes at the Farmington Polo Club, sent one direct message, and ended up photographing him weeks later.
• You will see why the best portraits are not about gear or poses, but about finding the real person and holding still long enough for the camera to catch them.
• Above all, it shows the kind of work I care most about: giving grassroots entrepreneurs images that finally match what they have built.

I saw Justin before I ever met him.

A few weeks back at the Farmington Polo Club, a man walked past in a jacket I could not stop looking at. Patchwork stripes, every panel telling on itself, nothing about it accidental. Blue beard. Round frames. He had a presence that said there was a story underneath the style. I did not get the chance to say a single word to him that day.

Then his post came across my feed. I sent a direct message. He answered. And this past morning, he sat for me in my studio.

That is how the best sessions tend to start. Not with a booking form, but with a moment of curiosity that refuses to let go. As a story-driven portrait photographer, that instinct is the whole job. I am always looking for the person whose outside hints at something deeper, and then I try to photograph the deeper part.

Who Is Justin Haynes, the Designer in the Jacket

Turns out the man in the jacket is Justin Haynes, known online as @theofficialjus10h and to the fashion world as JUS10H. He is a Springfield, Massachusetts native who left a stable job more than a decade ago to build a fashion label out of his parents’ garage.

His origin story is the kind I love. He started at The Gap in eleventh grade, making a few dollars an hour, learning merchandising and window design. From there he began sketching and sewing at home, long before anyone was paying attention. That garage label has since walked the runways of New York, Paris, Milan, and Dubai. He built JUS10H around upcycling, giving old fabric new life across luxury tees, denim, suits, and outerwear, all of it marked by vibrant color, bold pattern, and elegant patchwork.

The credentials kept coming. He advised the Golden Globes on red carpet style this past January. He was the first from the Springfield area to show at Paris Fashion Week, right at the Eiffel Tower. And after all of it, he came home. In June of 2026 he opened the JUS10H Fashion Studio at Tower Square in Springfield, honored with a City Hall proclamation. A man who dresses people for the world’s biggest stages chose to plant his flag back in Western Massachusetts.

That homecoming is exactly why I wanted him in front of my camera.

Why This Is the Work I Care About Most

Here is the truth about what pulls me toward a subject. It is not the résumé. It is the person who bet on themselves before anyone was watching, and kept going when it was uncomfortable.

Justin is a grassroots entrepreneur in the purest sense. He did not inherit a platform. He built one, panel by panel, in a city that people too often overlook. That is the story I want to shine a light on. Because for every founder walking a Paris runway, there are hundreds more in Hartford, Springfield, and the towns in between who are quietly building something real. My camera exists for them.

A great portrait does not invent confidence. It finds the confidence a person already earned, and it makes that confidence visible to everyone else. When you have spent a decade proving yourself, your photos should say so at a glance.

Four Looks, All Made by His Own Hands

Justin arrived with four looks, and every single one was made by his own hands. That fact changed the whole session. I was not just photographing a man in nice clothing. I was photographing a designer wearing his own argument.

First came the striped patchwork blazer, the same energy that stopped me at the polo club. Then the graffiti-splashed white suit, loud and precise at once. Next the raw-edge denim, stripped down and honest. And finally the frame I keep coming back to: Justin throwing a leg over the arm of a green leather chair like the room already belonged to him. It did.

My job in those moments is mostly to get out of the way. I set the light to sculpt, not to flatten. I watch for the second the pose stops being a pose and starts being him. Then I hold the frame. With a subject like Justin, the confidence is already there. The work is patience.

How a Story-Driven Portrait Session Actually Works

People assume a portrait session is about knowing how to stand. It is not. It is about feeling safe enough to stop performing. Here is how I guide a subject toward their real self:

1. First, I set the light to flatter your specific face and mood, not a generic formula.
2. Next, I get you talking about the thing you have built, because that is when your shoulders drop.
3. Then, I coach small adjustments, chin, angle, hands, so the frame reads as intentional.
4. Finally, I give feedback in real time until we both know we have the shot.

Because the conversation matters as much as the camera, even people who hate being photographed tend to relax. And once you relax, the real you shows up. That is the version worth keeping.

Who These Sessions Are For

If you are building something and your photos do not yet match what you have built, this is for you. I work with entrepreneurs, founders, and creatives across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts who have outgrown the selfie and the ten-year-old headshot.

Whether you run a firm in Hartford County, a shop in Hampden County, or a brand you started at your kitchen table, your image is working for you around the clock. It sits on your website, your LinkedIn, and your pitch decks. A strong portrait opens doors before you say a word. A weak one quietly closes them. For a business owner, this is not vanity. It is marketing that never sleeps.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a story-driven portrait photographer?

It is a photographer who treats your portrait as a piece of who you are, not just a picture of your face. Instead of running you through generic poses, I learn what you have built and shape the light, the mood, and the direction around that story. The result looks and feels like you on your best day.

Do you photograph individuals and small businesses across CT and Western Mass?

Yes. I work with founders, executives, creatives, and small business owners throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, from single portraits to full personal-brand sessions. I tailor the look to your brand rather than forcing you into a template.

I hate being photographed. Can you still get a good shot?

Almost always, yes. Most people freeze in front of a camera, and my entire process is built to solve that. Through conversation, direction, and real-time feedback, we get past the stiff first frames and into the ones that actually look like you.

How should I prepare for a portrait or headshot session?

Keep it simple. Bring a few outfit options that feel like you, get good rest the night before, and come ready to talk about your work. You do not need any experience in front of a camera, because I direct you through every step.

How do I book a session?

Fill out my contact form and I will send over the details. From there we will talk about your goals, your timeline, and the look you want, then get a date on the calendar.

Let’s Tell Your Story Next

Justin bet on himself in a garage in Springfield and never stopped. Your story is different, but the principle is the same: if you have built something real, your portrait should prove it.

If your current photos no longer match who you have become, let’s change that. Reach out through my contact form and we will start the conversation. And if you want more behind-the-scenes on portraits and business, subscribe to the Shoot for Succession podcast, available on all major platforms.

The most important thing a portrait can do is tell the truth about you. Let’s go find it.