Nancy Carbonaro
Photographer & Visual Consultant
Nancy Carbonaro is passionate about working on projects in developing countries for initiatives that make a difference in the world, and is known for creating a relaxing and open environment for her subjects. It is in this way that she is able to capture the true essence of each person, whether they are a corporate CEO or a child playing in their natural environment.
Photo by Patricia Carney
Photography has given me access to meet people from all walks of life, have intimate conversations with strangers, learn about different cultures, and create evocative images that can change the viewers’ world.
Nancy Carbonaro has been creating engaging and sophisticated portraits—from professional headshots to documentary-style photographs—for over 18 years. After moving from the Midwest to Boston, Nancy discovered her passion for photography and began taking continuing education classes and private lessons in order to hone her craft. She has since built and sustained a portrait photography studio in Wellesley, MA, which has taken her around the globe from Cuba, to Cambodia, Mexico, Ecuador, and beyond. In 2019, she began collaborating with National Geographic Expeditions and launched a new division of her practice called CarboClix, a professional pop-up portrait studio based in Boston.
Nancy has studied with photographers including Ernesto Bazan and Joe McNally, and has taken courses at the New England School of Photography, Rhode Island Schools of Design and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. While President of the Commercial Industrial Photographers of New England (CIPNE) from 2007-2009, she helped increase women’s membership from 20% to 50%, elevate support for programming, and double the organization’s board membership. Throughout her career, she has won numerous professional awards for her photography, including Photographer of the Year for CIPNE in 2007.
Nancy Carbonaro in Cambodia.
Photo by Anne Watt
A selection of Nancy’s work
PErsonal History
Photo courtesy of Nancy Carbonaro
In 2005, I went to Cuba to take a ten day documentary photography workshop with Ernesto Bazan. Each day, we journeyed out to the streets of Vinales and Havana, shooting roll after roll of black and white film. Each night, Ernesto would ruthlessly edit all our images. In this intimate and intense classroom, we learned angles, secondary elements, and covering the edges, which we practiced over and over. I learned to be an unobtrusive observer, a one-image storyteller, and most of all, I learned who I was as a contribution to others. Since this workshop, my mission has been to create images that touch, move, and inspire others.