MENU

Every Picture Tells A Story

Looking back over the years, I've created more than 10,000 portraits, but the one you see above will always be one of my favorites. In 2013, I went on a short-term mission trip to Peru with Food for the Hungry. I was blessed when a pastor offered to take me to meet some of his friends up in the mountains above Cuzco (13,000 feet altitude!). This woman and her husband lead worship at their small church, and she allowed me to do a portrait with her youngest child in the kitchen of their home. Her shy smile reminds me that contentment doesn't come from your space, but from your heart.

Below, you will find a handful of the portraits of which I am most proud. Clicking them brings up the full image. Enjoy.

Summer Outing

Jeff East (far left) is an actor who played the young Superman in the 1978 movie. We found a wonderful location for his family portrait in Westlake that had incredible lighting.

Les Amoureux Des Arts

This portrait with my wife, April was done on a set in the studio, and was inspired by a Frederic Leighton painting "The Painter's Honeymoon." The portrait hung at the Epcot Center and was honored by Eastman Kodak as one of the top four portraits created that year.

Awaiting Sunset

Keith and Camille Kannard loved the movie "Out of Africa," and so we rented a bi-plane and had it flown to a location above Ojai. Bi-plane rental:$100. Portrait:Priceless!

The Tango Begins

Prior to their wedding, this couple learned The Tango, and treated the attendees to a dramatic interlude.

Casablanca

The movie "Casablanca" was the inspiration for this portrait of a Delta Airlines pilot and his flight attendant wife. The Commemorative Air Force maintains this C-46 plane at the Camarillo Airport. You might expect Bogart and Bergman to step out of the fog at any moment.

House Painter-Russia

I made eight trips to Russia from 2000 to 2005 with Global Mission Fellowship, and two of those trips were in the middle of winter. On one of those trips I photographed this house painter in his winter working clothes. I've always loved the portrait work of Irving Penn, and I attempted to style this portrait in that direction.

Innocent Eyes

Tim Kelly is a good friend and an exceptional photographer. His work inspired me to do this portrait of the Hoang children with very simple lighting and background.

Just A Trim, Please

Mrs. Avery wanted a portrait of her sons on a pastel background with starched white shorts. Her older son wasn't having any of it, and with the help of a schoolmate, he hacked up his hair to get out of doing the portrait. What an inspiration for a Norman Rockwell styled image! Their 15-year-old Irish Setter made for a perfect prop dog.

Kelly

When our daughter, Kelly, put on the dress she wore to her senior prom, she reminded me so much of Grace Kelly from the movie, Rear Window. Inspiration can come from so many places.

Maiden On Monet's Pond

I've created some elaborate sets over the years, but none quite as laborious as making a reflecting pond INSIDE a studio. It's just two inches of water but in a framework that was 16x20 feet. A friend of our daughter, Kelly Billingsley was a very patient model for the test shoot.

Saturday

This Rockwell inspired portrait of my sister-in-law's family is the oldest of all the images in this collection. The portrait of Meg and David Bransby's family was done when I was a student at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara back in 1979. Side note: The Bransby family didn't own a dog, so we had to borrow one from a neighbor!

Robert Avec Ses Soeurs

There was a period of time when many of my portraits emulated the work of Johannes Vermeer. This portrait of the Diggs children was done on a two-walled set in the studio. A pre-Photoshop image, this was locally diffused by projecting the image through a piece of glass smeared with mineral oil!

A Paris Boudoir

My wife, April, is an incredible "prop mistress," and helped style many of my favorite portraits, including this one of Erin Broughton. We borrowed many costumes over the years from the California Lutheran University drama department.

Tap Dancer

This simple portrait of Melinda Sullivan was created when she was in high school, but those tap shoes went on to bigger and better things. You will see her tapping her way through the opening scene of the movie "Lala Land."

The Visionary

My friend, Glen Uslan was an art director for Packard Bell computers back in 1995, and bore a striking resemblance to the artist Frederic Bazille. We re-created Bazille's self-portrait by using a "HoseMaster" light. In essence I "painted" Glen with light during a two minute exposure in total darkness.

CLOSE