Sean Baker is an award-winning American photographer and filmmaker. He was born in Los Angeles, California in 1975 and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in film production.
Baker's photography career began in the late 1990s when he started shooting for magazines such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and GQ. His work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, and Vanity Fair. He has also shot for advertising campaigns for companies such as Nike, Apple, and Microsoft.
In 2004, Baker released his first feature film Take Out which won the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival. His second feature film Prince of Broadway (2008) was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards. In 2011 he released his third feature film Starlet which won several awards including Best Director at the Los Angeles Film Festival and Best Feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
In 2015 Baker released his fourth feature film Tangerine which was shot entirely on an iPhone 5s and became a critical success winning several awards including Best Director at the Independent Spirit Awards and Best Feature at the Gotham Awards. His fifth feature film The Florida Project (2017) was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture and won numerous awards including Best Feature at Cannes Film Festival.
Baker continues to work as a photographer and filmmaker with his latest project being a documentary series about homelessness called Homestretch (2020). He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.