I was born in Inglewood, CA, in 1950--just 23 days after my parents bought a new home in Liberty Village, Manhattan Beach. This house is still in my family. I have three brothers and a sister, and I am the second to the oldest. I have three wonderful daughters: Sierra-45, Shelby-36 and Katie-32. Sierra has two sons, Tennyson-17 and Asher-15. She also has a daughter, Eden who is 12. Shelby has three boys, Wylie-5, Jackson-3, and Colton-15 months.

 

I love being able to take advantage of all the diversity the South Bay area has to offer. There are many different types of terrain for wonderful settings and backgrounds for portraits. Not to mention I love Manhattan Beach after living here most of my life.

 

I have been in business now for 41 years. I opened my studio in Malaga Cove Plaza, Palos Verdes Estates, in July of 1981. I chose this location based on the aesthetics of the area. Since I do almost all of my photography on location, as opposed to in a studio, the beauty of the locale was very important to me. I closed the studio after 40 years, thanks to Covid, and now I work out of my home.

 

When I was in 4th grade, I had a friend whose father was into photography. One day my friend showed me how he could take a black and white negative, lay it on a piece of studio-proof paper with a piece of glass as a cover to keep it flat, and then expose it to the sun for about 20-30 seconds. This paper would turn to different values of brown – anywhere from very light to very dark (almost black) when exposed to sunlight. I, of course, had to try this on some of my own negatives and quickly became fascinated with the process.

 

Well, fast forward to high school and I am now loving art classes. I had forgotten about my young fascination with photography, but that was soon to change. I took my then-girlfriend to the Palm Springs Tramway. I borrowed a very basic 35mm camera to take pictures of the trip. When I looked at the photographs from the trip, I was thrilled with how well they turned out! It was near the beginning of my studies at El Camino College when I decided to major in photography. After graduating with an AA degree, I moved to Santa Barbara and attended Brook’s Institute of Photography where I earned a double major BA Degree in Illustration and Portraiture.  Upon graduating I decided to take a job in the South working for a portrait photographer who at the time had studios in Shreveport and Little Rock and did both studio photography and location photography in the home, park, etc. After living in the South for 6 years I decided it was time to move back to THE BEACH!

 

I started CMS-Design Portraiture (CMS are my initials) right after I moved back to the South Bay. I wanted to bring my style of portrait photography back to my hometown area. The “Design” part of my business name relates to one of the core services I offer. It is what sets me apart from most other photographers. I have always wanted to create portraits that go beyond most typical portraits. I prefer to use real backgrounds--not impersonal studio backdrops. I want to make an authentic statement about the person or persons in front of my camera. I want to talk to my client and find out what their needs are, what their passions are, and what would define some aspect of their personality. I want to design a portrait for my clients with their input--not just have them sit down in front of my camera and smile.

 

When I go to a client’s home, the backgrounds are there waiting for me to decide how to use them. The items in the background automatically say something about the individuals who live there. The client’s entire wardrobe is there. I often suggest a change of clothes if the client would like to try a couple of different looks (i.e. something dressier, something casual, etc.). Most locations dictate what time of day is going to be the best for lighting reasons. Due to this, I like to go to the home or any other location I am not familiar with to check out backgrounds and lighting so we can determine the best time of day to do the photography.

 

Creating a fine portrait is like taking all the pieces of a puzzle and putting them together to create the final beautiful image. I pride myself (based on years of experience) on being able to take my client’s puzzle and put it together for them. I do this through discussion, careful observation and skilled execution.

 

My biggest competition today is actually not from other photographers but from anyone with a cell phone camera, digital point-and-shoot, or any other camera that produces a quality image automatically. Most people are not going to even think about hiring a professional portrait photographer because they have more images than they can deal with. Fortunately, there are still people who appreciate what a professional portrait photographer can do for them. Most individuals don’t know how to arrange and pose people so they look their best. They don’t understand good lighting and how to create or find it. They don’t know how to bring out the best expression to support the statement they want to make about the person, and they don’t know when the correct split second is to push the shutter button. They also don’t know how to take a portrait image into Photoshop and bring out the best in the subject and the rest of the image. Also, it is very difficult to do any of this when you are supposed to be in the picture. It is not easy to take your own family portrait photograph.

 

LOVE! That love and passion have constantly pushed me to become the best I can be at what I do. If I can create an image that makes me happy, I know my client will be happy as well.  As a student, I once photographed a child for a class assignment. When I gave some of the images to the mother, she was very appreciative and thankful for what I had captured for her. That experience is one of the things that made me realize I wanted to become a portrait photographer.

 

I love to read, ski, walk and surf. I also love to fish, hike, and enjoy everything about nature and the outdoors. I have been shooting pool and playing in tournaments for 30 years. My early high school interest in art was re-kindled several years ago when I started painting with the medium of pastels. I am now the president of the Pastel Society of Southern California. I love gardening and all the beautiful colors flowers present. Most importantly, I love visiting my three daughters and my wonderful grandkids.