Nick Hagen is a Detroit-based documentary and portrait photographer who emphasizes truth and honesty over style. He is all about visually showcasing the world in the most objective and truthful way possible, while retaining a tinge of optimism and humour.

The work shown in this Spotlight is pulled from multiple stories spanning three continents, like the passionate video game community of Lagos, Nigeria, refugees trying to relocated to the Metro Detroit region, everyday life in Beijing, China, and the Flint-born boxer, Claressa Shields, fighting in one of Detroit's most historic venues.

Nick’s ultimate goal is to make people feel seen and heard by synthesising their stories into honest photography.

Nick has been commissioned by Bloomberg Businessweek, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, The London Telegraph, Poltico, Time Inc., The Washington Post, Vice Media, and Vox Media.

See more work and get in touch at his website.

Nick Hagen is a Detroit-based documentary and portrait photographer who emphasizes truth and honesty over style. He is all about visually showcasing the world in the most objective and truthful way possible, while retaining a tinge of optimism and humour.

Working primarily on location, Nick has had many opportunities to showcase interesting people and stories, like the passionate video game community of Lagos, Nigeria, an ex-NFL lineman who is now in the business of making peanut brittle, the beauty of suburban banality in Metro Detroit, and a man whose arm was lost in a hippopotamus attack near Victoria Falls, among many others.

Nick’s ultimate goal is to make people feel seen and heard by synthesizing their stories into honest photography.

Nick's work has been commissioned by AAA Living Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Financial Times, The London Telegraph, Google, Paper Magazine, The Washington Post, and Vox Media.

See more work and get in touch at his website.

Nick Hagen is a Detroit-based documentary and portrait photographer who emphasizes truth and honesty over style. He is all about visually showcasing the world in the most objective and truthful way possible, while retaining a tinge of optimism and humour.

Working primarily on location, Nick has had many opportunities to showcase interesting people and stories, like the passionate video game community of Lagos, Nigeria, an ex-NFL lineman who is now in the business of making peanut brittle, the beauty of suburban banality in Metro Detroit, and a man whose arm was lost in a hippopotamus attack near Victoria Falls, among many others.

Nick’s ultimate goal is to make people feel seen and heard by synthesizing their stories into honest photography.

Nick's work has been commissioned by AAA Living Magzine Bloomberg, The Financial Times, The London Telegraph, Google, Paper Magazine, The Washington Post, and Vox Media. See more work and get in touch at his website.

Nick Hagen is a Detroit-based documentary and portrait photographer who emphasizes truth and honesty over style. He is all about visually showcasing the world in the most objective and truthful way possible, while retaining a tinge of optimism and humour.

Working primarily on location and with light that’s as natural looking as possible, Nick has had many opportunities to showcase interesting people and stories, like the passionate video game community of Lagos, Nigeria, an ex-NFL lineman who is now in the business of making peanut brittle, the beauty of suburban banality in Metro Detroit, and a man whose arm was lost in a hippopotamus attack near Victoria Falls, among many others.

Nick’s ultimate goal is to make people feel seen and heard by synthesizing their stories into honest photography.

Nick's work has been commissioned by AAA Living Magazine, The Financial Times, Hour Detroit Magazine, The London Telegraph, Paper Magazine, The Washington Post, and Vox Media. Get in touch with him at his website for more.

Nick Hagen is a Detroit-based commercial and editorial photographer interested in digging into everyday situations and coming out with compelling stories. He is all about visually showcasing the world in the most objective and truthful way possible, while retaining a tinge of optimism and humour. His core ideology regarding his work is that serenity can be found in the mundane. Some of his clients include AAA, Google, Siemens Wind Power, and Vox Media.

This portfolio is a small sample of editorial and commissioned work from Airbnb and Meural. With any job, Nick’s ultimate goal is to show the most authentic and comfortable versions of his subjects.

Visit his website for more portrait and reportage work and to get in touch.