HERITAGE BEARERS

Our beautiful America was built by a nation of strangers.... The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources – because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.

PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON, 1965

Documenting the Keepers of Culture: A Photographer’s Journey to Preserve Immigrant Heritage in America

In a time when cultural traditions risk fading across generations, Los Angeles–based photographer and filmmaker Sej Saraiya is embarking on a project that captures the living lineage of immigrant artists and craftspeople in the United States—those who carry ancestral practices across oceans and time.

Her lens, previously recognized at the International Photography Awards, now turns homeward, to explore the quiet resilience of America’s cultural bearers: the weavers, dancers, musicians, and healers who sustain memory through art.

 

Los Angeles, CA | info@sejalsaraiya.com | @sejvsaraiya

Sej Saraiya is an award-winning visual artist, filmmaker, and photographer whose work explores the intersection of cultural conservation, Indigenous wisdom, and coexistence. With an MFA in Writing from the University of Southern California, Sej has spent over a decade documenting the world’s diverse communities—from India to the Americas—revealing stories of resilience, identity, and belonging. Her photography has been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and featured in ELLE, USA Today, Deadline, and LA YOGA. A cultural bridge-builder, Sej also serves on multiple boards and leads mentorship programs empowering emerging artists.

Highlights:

  • 2nd Place Winner, Editorial Category, International Photography Awards (IPA), 2025

  • Board Member, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP–LA) & Garifuna Indigenous Film Festival

  • Exhibitions: Bowers Museum, USC, Foley Gallery (NY), House of Lucie (Athens), John Wayne Airport

  • Featured In: ELLE, USA Today, Deadline, LA YOGA, Nomadict

  • Global Work: Documented Indigenous and traditional communities across 25+ countries

 WORDS FROM OTHERS

As soon as I walked into the theater lobby, I was mesmerized by the larger-than-life portraits of people from places and cultures I didn’t know existed. I couldn’t take my eyes off the magnificent faces so perfectly captured by the photographer. I felt I was looking into their souls, her subjects speaking to me without words.”
- Micki Dickoff, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker

Sej’s unbelievable talent for photography is just one of many talents she possesses. She helps people tell their stories through the photographs that she captures. Her ability to shine a light into communities is a much-needed add-on.
- Cassidy Gard, 2x Emmy-winning producer, anchor for Good Morning America

“When I first encountered [Sej’s] photos, I was absolutely stunned. Her photos have that unique storytelling aspect that is extremely rare to find in a photographer. These photos are not just the beauty of light or composition, of which she is an expert, but they go deeper and speak to an issue and a story of people that is begging to be heard.”
- Adam Schomer, Award-winning Director, and Producer of the documentaries HEAL, WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO, CHASING THE PRESENT

Ms. Saraiya is an ardent documentary photographer and filmmaker whose stunningly visual work shows a unique and compassionate look at people from all over the world. Through her photographs, she conveys and provokes an empathic understanding of other cultures. That empathy is so greatly needed in our society. Her work pushes the viewer to see the collective humanity in all people so that we can see that humanity in our neighbors in our own lives.
- Danette Kubanda, Multiple Emmy-winning national television producer for CNN, CDB, FOX, former Oprah Winfrey Show producer

“In looking at Sej’s photos and reading what she’s written about the people and places she visits, it is clear that she understands these ancient cultures because she is in touch with something deep and ancient in herself. It is easy to see that her success in reaching out to vanishing cultures and indigenous people (and others), is also based on her natural respect for people and cultures, a sharp and curious mind that understands what she is hearing and experiencing, and a natural giving quality that makes people feel she is on their side and appreciating them. All of these contribute to her success as a photographer and to why her work is so well and deeply received.” 
- Jefrey Ainis, Editor, Writer, and former Associate Editor at Hollywood Reporter 

“Sej brings a very distinctive wisdom to this world. This is the wisdom of being rooted in a place. It is the wisdom of being aware of connections around the world. Her photographs are not merely objects to look at. They take you on distinctive journeys to places and people's lifeworlds across the globe. I have felt removed from reality and deeply rooted in the reality at once by looking at many of her creations. Sej's work became even more engaging for me as I interacted with her in course of conversations about religion through photographs at my university. My undergraduate and graduate students found her work deeply instructive and reflective about world cultures. Sej is so at-ease with different age ranges. We invited her to Culture Journeys Summer Camp to share her wisdom about world cultures through photos. Her presentation and storytelling became an instant hit among K-12 students who were in the camp. Sej's passion for particularity, compassion towards humanity, and eagerness to share her wisdom with the world make her a great artist.

- Mugdha Yeolekar, Associate Professor, California State University of Fullerton