In fact, I have a theory that the best things in life usually come with a little bit of chaos.
New York City is one of my favorite places on earth, and they literally put hot garbage on the sidewalk.
Building a business you love? Incredible. Also occasionally makes you question every decision you’ve ever made.
And people? Please. We are complicated, awkward, brave, hilarious, still figuring things out — and absolutely worth celebrating right in the middle of it.
That’s how I approach photography.
I’m not here to clean you up into some glossy, more impressive version of yourself.
I’m here to pay attention long enough to understand what makes your story yours — and then create images that make that visible.
Because if your brand doesn’t have a story, it lacks a soul.
Hi, I’m Roxanne.
Photographer. Storyteller. Hype woman. Mama of four. Flaming extrovert. MS warrior. Former teacher. Spicy-food enthusiast. Dancer anytime, anywhere. Woman of faith.
And a person with absolutely no problem talking to strangers.
I love people. I love asking questions. I want to know why you started your business, why you keep doing it, what matters to you now and what you’re becoming next.
Because when you’ve been heads-down building something for years, it can be hard to stop long enough to really look at it. Sometimes you need somebody else to notice.
And one of my favorite moments in this work is when a client looks at her images and says:
“This feels so me.”
I don’t believe your story gets better when we clean it up.
Roxanne Engstrom of Hawa Images
And I freaking love that.
But here’s what you really need to know. I only hype what I see is true about you.
Women tell me they started crying when they saw their images.
They’ve told me they had never loved photos of themselves before.
Business owners told me our time together was the first time they had stopped long enough to appreciate what they had actually built.
Because they see their vision reflected back to them in a way no one has ever been able to do before.
So yes, I will celebrate you so hard.
I’m not standing behind my camera handing out generic compliments because that’s what photographers are supposed to do.
I’m paying attention.
And when I see something good, beautiful, brave, weird, funny or completely you?
I’m going to say it out loud.
We start with what’s real.
My clients call me a hype woman.
Listen, I am all for fabulous hair, great makeup and excellent lighting (and that is a given).
And if your pens are ugly, I may tell you to get better pens.
But I’m not going to hand you a coffee cup you’d never use, make you pretend you journal every morning or turn you into some bougier version of yourself because somebody decided that’s what a successful personal brand looks like.
We’re going to elevate what’s there. Not invent someone who isn’t.
Beautifully? Absolutely, yes.
Honestly? Always. And Amen!
My love for photography began while my family lived in Tanzania, East Africa — a place that burrowed deep into my heart and profoundly changed the way I understand people, culture and the responsibility we carry when we tell someone else’s story.
The more stories I had the privilege of helping tell, the more I understood something important:
A camera gives you power.
You decide what gets shown. What gets left out. How someone is represented.
That matters deeply to me.
It’s why I’ve studied storytelling ethics.
It’s why I talk about co-creating images rather than “capturing” people.
It’s why consent, dignity and collaboration are woven into the way I work.
And it’s why I want the person in front of my camera to recognize themselves in the story we tell.
And one of my favorite moments in this work is when a client looks at her images and says:
“This feels so me.”
There’s a reason I call this storytelling.
Hawa Images is about sharing the stories of these people; near or far, foreign or familiar, similar or seemingly different. Hawa is also the Arabic name for Eve; the first woman to bear another; a giver of life. Hawa Images desires to partner with people to share their stories as created ones, valued, loved, dignified, and with purpose. Stories of family, love, work, culture, time, space, and life lived. Just as Scripture speaks of wind that blows wherever it pleases and the unexplainable nature of God’s Spirit, Hawa conveys the mystery of how He is at work among all people. Hawa Images believes in the power of stories to move people to empathy and then to action.
This desire to tell stories was birthed when I lived in East Africa; a place that has burrowed deep into my heart and provided many opportunities to express the beautiful diversity of God's creation through photography. I adore humanitarian photography and I love to travel and roam around exploring, meeting & learning with people from around the world, and eating ALL the food. My desire is to photograph the humanity in each of us – people of every ethne and culture that are created and loved by God- through images & storytelling. I desire to share images that compel us and change us.
Stories should move us toward each other.
Every month, a portion of proceeds from Hawa Images supports World Relief and its work alongside immigrants, refugees and communities around the world.
Welcoming people and honoring their dignity isn’t an add-on to this business.
It’s part of what Hawa means.
Why Hawa Images?
People ask me this a lot.
Hawa means Humanity, Appreciation, Worth — Always.
In Swahili — the beautiful language I learned while living in Tanzania — hawa means “these,” rather than “those.”
These people. These stories. These lives. Not subjects kept at a distance. Human beings we are invited to know.
I have MS — an identity I never would have chosen, but one that has given me grit, empathy and a much deeper awareness that people are often carrying things we cannot see.
Our family lived, learned, & loved in Tanzania, East Africa & my experiences there profoundly changed me.
I order ALL my food at the spice level 'painful.'
Our crew of 4 kids are the best & raising them with my husband is the toughest ad most rewarding journey. Our family was built through adoption & bio kids and we truly embrace that LOVE is what makes a family.
My husband Jason and I met because I started a food fight in our college dorm cafeteria and got my whole table kicked out. Strong start.
I'm a hot mess & do not have it 'together' - whatever that means.
I am so thankful for Jesus.
We have a fur baby named Chewbacca who is my emotional support animal and we are complete Star Wars nerds.
Teaching in Chicago was my main gig for years & I miss being in the classroom. It is why I love partnering with educators, students, & parents.
