FAMILY ENNEAGRAM (2023)

One of the last nights of summer, I took my family to the beach for a photoshoot during sunset, each wearing the garment that I had made to match our different Enneagram personality types. My dad stood straight and formal, hands neatly at his sides. My mom moved between modeling and photographing, determined to capture the most naturally moving shots of my grandparents and me. My grandpa was made for the camera, instantly locking into a power stance. My grandma was always telling me to photograph others first before taking more of her. The sunset had gone but we still lingered on the rocks. My dad had warned us about the forecast, but I insisted the rain had passed. It hadn’t: soon droplets hit our faces, and we ran back across the dark sand, jackets tight, hoods up, laughing together.

Looking back, the shoot felt like a living diagram of the Enneagram itself—each person’s patterns and motivations emerging naturally, without trying. This project spread to me photographing many others in these nine garments, each person bringing their own life to the nine garments.

The work becomes reinvented each time a new person wears the garment.

Family Enneagram modeled by Bei Qi and her mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa.

Enneagram photoshoot series modeled by Victor Oliveira, Kaila Silbert, Jacob Kao, Lillie Boero, Ben Eskenazi, Lizzy Krska, Ethan Handojo, Katie Zhu, Aaron Mamoon, Magdalene Aideyan, Jada Silbert, Kavya Patel, Zoe Brader-Araje, Stella Goffman, Lily Pecoriello, Samir Joshi, Caitlin Laska, Kai Bukesova, Will Armstrong, M.J. Brown, Jackson Hescock, Keren Guo, Jiun Park, Kendall Watts, and Tobi Pristupin.