About the Cover Artist

Professional photographer Adam Jacobs’ many accolades include the prestigious Best Licentiate Award of the British Institute of Photography Qualification, being named 1 of the top 6 fine-arts photographers in San Francisco, and a KCBS Difference Maker for his charitable work.

His work ranges from landscapes, aerial photography, and abandoned spaces to portraits of the famous, and sporting and other events, alongside commercial work. Adam has been an official photographer for the Olympics, the Queen’s Jubilee, World Cups, and Super Bowls. His commissioned portraits include Sir Mick Jagger, tennis star Andy Murray, The Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu, all of whom he says were a privilege to photograph.

Adam has generously donated fine-art photographic prints and time to numerous charities, including Sport Relief, the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Make-A-Wish, and Rays of Sunshine, just to name a few.

Work with charities and a photography career both arose from living with chronic debilitating pain, notably chronic migraine. Adam considers himself fortunate to have a career, knowing that many people with his condition—postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)—and other causes of chronic pain cannot do so because, “It is difficult to make your boss understand the constant pain that you’re in because it’s an invisible illness, despite the huge amount of disability it can cause.”

When Adam’s symptoms first arose during his freshman year of college, he was diagnosed with chronic daily headache, and spent almost 2 years unable to leave a dark room. Even the sound of normal conversation was unbearable. Seeking a diagnosis and proper treatment was frustrating, especially when his pain was dismissed as imagined. After a partially successful treatment, Adam began taking photos to distract himself from his pain while on short walks.These were noticed by a local photoshop developing his film, and Adam’s photography career began to build from there. Today, he manages his symptoms with a combination of pharmacotherapy and meditative/mindfulness practices and makes use of the flexibility afforded by running his own business that includes commercial projects with clients such as Four Seasons Hotels, PWC and Hewlett-Packard; showing his work in fine-art galleries; and teaching workshops to beginners and professionals alike. He regularly uses a combination of earplugs, sunglasses, and hats with ice packs to reduce sensory input that is still painful.

Adam’s photography captures the light in a manner that evokes Ansel Adams, with saturated color that adds a vibrant energy and provides a window into his migrainous world. Finding the positive, Adam says, “I see light and colors more vividly, as my sensitivities are heightened and this helps me create, not just take, photographs full of vibrancy and light.”

Adam’s work can be seen at:
AdamJacobsPhotography.com and on Instagram @adamjacobsphotography.