Once I relocated my studio from Palo Alto to San Francisco, the nature and scope of the projects I was given began to evolve. From local assignments for nearby companies,  to opportunities with national and even international clients. The shift was both exciting and affirming, One particularly assignment involved photographing portraits for the New York Opera. As it happened, one of their principal singers was residing in San Francisco at the time, which made the collaboration especially convenient. The shots […]

No one believed me. Not a single soul. Every attempt to share my experiences fell on deaf ears, and I have no reason to expect anyone will believe me now. The only person who eventually came to accept it, on her own terms, and certainly not because of anything I said, was my sister, Julie. Even she was skeptical at first. That changed after one dark evening when she found herself alone in the studio. It was then she witnessed […]

The make-up artist couldn’t help but laugh at my nerves. We had worked together on countless shoots over the years. Capturing everyone from top executives to actors and celebrities. She knew me well, knew my rhythm, my calm. So when she paused, looked at me, and said, “I’ve never seen you nervous before,” it caught even me off guard and put me in my place. Why was I nervous? It didn’t make sense. I had worked with notable figures before. […]

The entire Art Center experience was a three-year journey of personal growth, shaped within an intense system designed to mirror military training for the arts. In all honesty, that was one of the very reasons I chose the school. It had a reputation as a demanding yet deeply rewarding place to improve artistic skills, where only the most dedicated could succeed amid fierce competition.  Even so, I was hardly prepared for what I would encounter on my first day among […]

Many people are familiar with PINK, the pop/rock artist. Most have heard her number one hit, “Don’t Let Me Get Me”. But if she had listened to me that song might never have reached the ears of the world. We were working together on a shoot in the desert just outside of Vegas. The landscape was mystical. An endless canvas of muted tones, cool rock formations and endless sky. In person, PINK was genuine, thoughtful, and refreshingly down-to-earth. However, it […]

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 […]

Around 2005 I opened up the studio in San Francisco as a rental stage. It became home to a wide range of productions. Everything from major feature films to small local production companies. Some shoots were memorable, others routine, but each brought its own energy and lessons. One week, Playboy rented the space to conduct a casting call for their lingerie book series. I had no formal role in the casting itself, but you can be certain I made it […]