Capturing the Human Spirit with Rachelle Steele

Rachelle Steele, also known as Steele Capture, has an infectious lust for life. Her black-and-white photography seeks to capture the human spirit while simultaneously igniting a flame within the viewer.

“Eye contact elicits empathy and intimacy,” says Steele, “viewers put themselves in the same environment, allowing them to see and experience the spirit of another person.”

Her upcoming solo exhibition, Master Works, features fragments of two larger bodies of work. Selecting from Early Morning Incense and Scent of Morocco, Steele has curated a collection of striking portraits.

“I want this collection to tell a story,” describes Rachelle, “to take viewers on a journey through a faraway place, a journey within themselves, a journey that asks them to confront who they are now and who they would be in this other place.”

Despite finding her passion for photography early on, her professional journey didn’t begin until 2010, when she left the US Navy after nine years of service. Through photography, she found a path allowing her to follow her deepest passions of connection, fine art, and adventure. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Rachelle launched a career as an international photographer completing residencies and expeditions. 

The two bodies of work that comprise Master Works were taken in Morocco and Nepal while Steele was in residence. Through curating this exhibition and reviewing her past projects, Steele realized the ever-growing strength of her voice. “You cannot hide who you are in your work,” Steele commented, that all work is a self-portrait in one way or another. After all, it’s the observations and interests of the self.

“You have to answer the question ‘why?’ Why would someone take the time to look? Why would they give me their time? Work has to be made for a reason, and that reason, first and foremost, should matter to you, or else it won’t matter to anyone. Give them a reason to pause.”

Both Scent of Morocco and Early Morning Incense are still in progress. Rachelle’s process requires months of exploration and integration into local communities. “I don’t ever want to bother someone; I always seek consent and comfort from my subjects before photographing them.” With the help of an interpreter, Steele spent months in Morocco and Nepal seeking the connection needed to capture moments of genuine, playful, and often gentile humanity.

Master Works will be on view at Manny’s in the Mission District of San Francisco on August 11. Steele’s excitement for the venue is contagious. Manny’s is an active political gathering space that is as far from a white wall gallery as one can get. “The pressure of a white wall gallery is off; Master Works will be more of a celebration and sharing than my exhibitions have been in the past.”

The opening event on August 11 at 6 pm PST will both be an opening and a party. An evening for art lovers, gallery goers, and art world virgins to experience and connect with the work and each other. “Connecting and discussing the work keeps your flame alive,” remarks Steele, who typically shows in formal galleries, “leaving the white cube behind this time, I hope, will make the exhibition less intimidating.”

What’s even more exciting for the photographer is the opportunity to share her work and adventures with current Academy of Art students. Steele hopes to show them that this is just one of many ways their career can go, proving that if they can dream it, their education will give them the tools to achieve it.

“There’s a very clear structure in the art world of how it’s going to go. If you want to be in that world, you have to be hard cause no one will hand you shit. You have to dedicate yourself; you have to be excited. This show is the product of all of my dedication; it’s the tools I’ve learned in use.”

Speaking to Rachelle is both a discussion of the power of photography and a motivational speech. “You have to have an intense urge to get at it. You must push yourself constantly, but only if you’re obsessed.” Her hunger for adventure and creation led to images like Marakkech Snake Charmer, Man of the Shifting Dunes, and Atlas Mountains Daredevil.

Through building relationships with each subject, Steele can move past the walls of introduction and begin to play. She gives us the otherworldliness of National Geographic with the heart of family photos.

Steele plans to dedicate herself to the continuation of these projects over the next few years. The forthcoming work will expand her growing community of subjects through more extended stays in Morocco and Nepal and the exploration of more faraway lands.

Each print from Master Works is available for purchase, with all profits going to fund the continuation of Steele’s projects.