Bio

Some kids grew up knowing what they wanted to be from a very early age. I didn’t. I spent my child hood moving a lot and spending time on my own, mostly outside. The infamous, “Go outside and play,” was my staple growing up. But I learned to appreciate how the trees moved and the clouds made shadows. Most of all I watched the light. How it fell on leaves and made shapes. How a cloud softened everything, how morning had different colors than afternoon. My fascination with light began and has driven me ever since.

My first science fair project at school was building a laser.  “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. I wanted to understand more about how light worked and how it’s textures made me feel. I became very involved in lighting in high school and college. I studied Set Design and Lighting and Directing in college and graduated with honors.  I was offered a full scholarship to Cambridge University to do my Masters. This was one of those decisions that shape the whole rest of your life.

Instead, I sold everything I owned and made a decision.  I moved to Los Angeles.  Surprised?  Me too! “Where in the hell did LA come from?”  Well, when I dreamed about where I wanted to be one day, it wasn’t designing sets. It was making movies! So off to LA I went, not knowing a soul and having never even been there before.

After being there for three weeks without getting any jobs, I thought, “What the hell have I done?” I was facing the fact I must make some cash to be able to eat. The only thing I could do instantly was to become a waiter/sommelier. Again.

I joined the endless ranks of other artiste drifters and wannabe movie star hopefuls that man LA’s service industries.

So on my first day of training at my new waitering job, I saw a guy struggling in the corner trying to set up a rear projection screen.  I offered my help and we talked. He found out I knew all about that stuff and took me to lunch the next day.  I handed in my resignation the next and started do lighting and staging events. Saved! I was working in LA, and not as a waiter!

From there, I found my way onto film sets and TV commercials. LA was fabulous to me. I met incredible people and worked on great projects. Then one day a producer friend of mine asked me if I would mind doing some lighting for a stills photographer.  I said “Sure, why not.”

The set was out in the middle of the desert. There are these guys building four stories of scaffolding and all this stuff everywhere. I thought it must be a TV shoot. I walk up to the guys and introduce myself, they tell me what they need done and I go to it. Someone walked up while I was working and asked me what the hell I was doing on the set? I turned around and said, “Working! Who the hell are you?”

Just for the record: not the best introduction to your boss. He told me who he was. The Photographer. I said, “Glad to meet you, I’m Bryan. The soon to be fired assistant.” He laughed, we shook hands.

By the end of the four-day job I had a new respect for stills guys. They worked hard, had all the toys to play with and enjoyed making stunning photos. At the wrap dinner, the boss asked me if I wanted to come and work for him full time. I said, “Why in the hell would I want to do that?”  He replied, “For the money!” I asked him to write down on a napkin on what kind of money we were talking here.  By the end of dinner I was handed this napkin and my life changed once again.

So four years pass, a few trips around the world happen, and I find a passion for this thing called photography. I proceeded to work with many famous photographers from all around the world. I became one of the top associate shooters and first assistants on the US west cost.  But there was still something missing…creativity…freedom…

I was offered a chance to direct my own TV series for the US.  It was going to be six months in Africa and six months in LA. Six months in Africa sounded pretty good, especially being based in Cape Town. And then fate struck, 9/11 happened and the series was put on hold. But I’d come, I’d seen, and I stayed.

So I looked around at the local market in film and photography, and decided to start shooting stills again. And here I am. Doing it!

Bryan