Photographers often get invited to inticing fashion events. Mainly because the event sponsor knows that a photographer would bring attractive,    undiscovered models with them. Hot Models will always go when a photographer invites then because it is their chance to go to a cool fashion event and hopefully get discovered. One time I was attending this influential fashion event in San Francisco with two glamorous models. I mean, I was only in my twenties and what else am I […]

Back in the ’80s, there was a famous commercial photographer whose name was familiar to virtually everyone in the industry: Jay Maisel. Jay Maisel was a New York photographer who became both famous and wealthy by being one of the pioneers of commercial stock photography licensing. Today, you can find any kind of image online for pennies on the dollar. But back then, stock photography was a very different business. If you wanted to use a photograph, you licensed it. […]

I was fortunate enough to meet Steve Jobs twice.I also had the privilege of photographing his successor, Jean-Louis Gassée. The first time I met Steve was during a shoot for Macworld. A valued client at the time, for whom I created numerous images, including fourteen cover shots over the years. This particular assignment was to help introduce the iMac. The first bold, colorful, and    “hip” personal computer. I had been warned that Steve’s schedule was extremely tight and that […]

She was begging me. So I gave in. I was lucky enough to meet Robin Williams more than once in the studio. He was just as warm, funny, and down-to-earth as you’d hope. His passing hit me hard. Not because we were close friends, but because this world is a lesser place without him in it. I have three stories to share that involve Robin. Two center around other people’s reactions to fame. The third is a great lesson about […]

It was about ten o’clock on a Saturday morning in late 1999. I was still a young man, and I stood on a sidewalk in the SOMA area of San Francisco, watching a bulldozer and a crane tear apart a building I had recently bought.    The cracking of old timbers and the thunderous collapse of the roof brought one thought sharply into focus: What the hell am I doing? I was a photographer, not a developer, contractor, architect, demolition […]

“What do you think we are—animals?!” The inmate was screaming at me, veins bulging, eyes fierce. Around us, prisoners started swarming like bees to a hive. And the assistant warden who was supposed to keep me safe? Gone. Vanished as quickly as a magician’s rabbit.  In that moment, I thought: my first prison photo shoot might also be my last. But let me back up. Years ago, when I was still a student at Art Center, I was taking a […]

There used to be a school in San Francisco dedicated to teaching the flying trapeze. Back when I was healthy, I thought it would be a fun skill to learn. And, if I’m being completely honest, a fit and attractive model convinced me to give it a try.  So I did.  It is definitely not for the faint of heart. The school had a full-sized flying trapeze rig, complete with a massive safety net stretched below. The experienced performers soared […]

It was mid-April. The mornings were still brisk, but the afternoons could become surprisingly hot. Since my first studio had no air conditioning, I often worked late into the evening when the temperature finally dropped. Sometimes I even worked through the entire night. This was one of those times. I endured a marathon work session that stretched through the night, into the following morning, and well into the next warm afternoon. Two days with virtually no sleep. By then, I […]

In the early years of my career, and at several points along the way, I negotiated some remarkably rewarding trade arrangements with clients. One of the most memorable was with a renowned wine shop in Menlo Park: Belltramos. This respected establishment had been serving connoisseurs since 1882, founded by Italian immigrant Giovanni Beltramo. The team there possessed an extraordinary depth of knowledge. They catered to a discerning clientele and offered some of the finest wines in the world. At the […]

When I was but a young lad, I explored nearly every type of art that existed.  Water colors, oil paints, sculpting, poetry, music, performance.  You name it, I wanted to try it. So when I came upon the photography class that was offered in high school, I was eager to try my hand at that. The problem was that it was a very popular course and would fill up each year.  I had to devise a plan that would allow […]