The Early Days
I’ve been working with both photo and video for a long time. I started shooting pictures when I was a kid in the 1980s, and began with a small Minolta. Those were the days when EVERYTHING was manual, and either you guesstimated your settings or you used a light meter each time the light changed. With college and work on Wall Street in New York, I had to take a break, but I picked up photography again in the 1990s – still the film only days. In 2003 I bought my first digital camera, one of the first Canon EOS cameras. And I’ve been shooting constantly since, upgrading cameras and learning the ins and outs of lightroom and photoshop.
Film and Video
I bought my first camcorder in the 1990s, when only tape was available. In 2005, I took the dive into the Panasonic HVX200, the leading camera of the day, which was both tape and digital, and had film quality capabilities. In fact, I’ve shot theatrical short films on that camera, and still use it today. I made it a mission to learn film-making, and shot commercials, PSAs, corporate videos and short films, learning the whole process from beginning to end. For most of my projects, I was heavily involved in writing, and I directed, shot, and edited most of them. It has been a great education.
Learning on Film Sets
I went into acting in the mid-1990s, and that offered a fantastic opportunity – every time I was on set, I would stand behind the monitor and watch. Not only did I learn a great deal about acting, but between shots, I would ask the DP (director of photography) about lighting, and why he made the choices he did. On top of that, I would also listen as directors at their monitors talked about the choices they were making. Nothing like learning in the field.
Headshot and Fashion Photography
I moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s and went into acting in 1995. Not long after, I decided to pick up the camera again and shot headshots on film. In those days, headshots were still black and white, and were only beginning to transition to color. Shooting was manual, and digital cameras were just beginning to penetrate the market. I learned the old fashion way, before cameras were automated. It was good, though, because I learned how to create a good picture in my mind, without a digital screen to check my work. At first I only shot headshots, but eventually moved into fashion work as well. The acting also helped, because unlike most photographers who are technically driven, I learned how to direct actors to create expressions, moods and characters. On the fashion side, I developed relationships with many agencies around town, and now shoot for many well-known agencies in Los Angeles.
Portfolio Links. To see more of my photographic work, or to find more information about rates and booking, you can click below:
- Headshot and Fashion Photography Portfolio
- Travel Photography Portfolio
- Film and video portfolio – please click on the “Directing” tab in the menu.