Monthly:March 2026

The Palo Alto studio was the largest space I ever operated. 7,200 square feet, It was an easy walk to Stanford University. The main shooting area measured over 2,100 square feet, providing ample room for large productions, multiple sets and complex lighting setups. Because of its size I regularly hosted meetings there for the professional photography groups. At one of those meetings, while people were milling about and chatting as they waited for the evening’s speakers to begin, I met […]

I got a call from an ad agency asking if I could photograph a live shark. This was long before AI, and Adobe Photoshop was still in its infancy. Computer processing power was a fraction of what it is today.you could start a simple Gaussian blur and have enough time to leave the room for coffee and a snack while the machine churned through its task. The assignment sounded simple enough. Capture a clean image of a shark against a […]

This famous photograph comes from the series that ultimately launched Playboy magazine and propelled a 19-year-old redhead into international stardom. That woman would later become known as Marilyn Monroe. The image was conceived and captured by photographer Tom Kelly in 1949, before the young Norma Jeane Mortenson dyed her hair blonde and changed her name. And certainly before she appeared in any films. At the time, she was a financially strapped housewife who was paid just $50 for the photo […]

I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard of anyone trying to impress a model quite like this. We were on location in Pacific Grove. One of the most breathtaking places on earth, and without question one of my personal favorites. The light was golden, and the Pacific stretched endlessly toward the horizon. It was one of those evenings photographers dream about. The assignment was a sunset shoot featuring a stunning 22-year-old model. Fit, athletic, radiant, and effortlessly poised in tight […]