Hi, I am Steven. I photograph the valley. Real estate, events and headshots. Ten years, still learning.
I grew up here and I work here. If you are trying to sell a house, cover a night that matters, or get a photo of yourself you do not wince at, that is what I do.
The beginning
How I got started
At fifteen, I had almost nothing except a camera and a lot of curiosity. I taught myself by shooting every day, watching the light change, and studying how different subjects responded to it.
I shot everything I could get access to: portraits, events, empty houses. The valley turned out to be a good teacher. Light here changes completely between six in the morning and six at night, so you learn to read it fast, and that reading is most of the job.
The philosophy
What drives the photography
Every shoot has a job to do, and it is rarely the same job. An agent needs a listing that stops a thumb mid scroll. A director needs a headshot they are not embarrassed by. A nonprofit needs proof the night landed so the next sponsor says yes. None of those are the same photograph, so I ask what yours is for before I start.
The first five minutes are just talking
Almost nobody feels natural in front of a camera, and I do not expect you to. Once you know who I am and what we are doing, your face stops working so hard. That part matters more than any setting on the camera.
Light beats gear, every time
I started with one body and a kit lens, so I had to move until the light was right. Better equipment since then just made that quicker. If somebody tells you the camera is what matters, they are selling cameras.
A room should photograph like it feels
If a space feels bright and open when you stand in it, the photo should say the same thing. Nudging it further than that is how you get a buyer who feels misled at the door, and nobody wins there.
My style
A room should photograph like it feels
I shoot true to life. If a room is warm and full of afternoon light, that is what you get back. I am not interested in pushing a photo so far that somebody turns up at the door and feels lied to, and I have never had to.
At events I work documentary. I would rather be forgotten in the corner of a room and come away with the moment somebody actually laughed than line everyone up and ask for it. The posed frames still get taken, but they are not what I am there for.
And I love black and white. Not for everything, but when color is only telling you what a shirt was, black and white leaves you with the expression, and that is usually the thing worth keeping.
Honestly
I would not trade this for anything
I have spent more hours than I could count teaching myself this. Nights going through my own frames working out why one worked and the next one did not. Tutorials, books, other photographers' work, and a lot of shoots where I was the only person who knew I had nearly got it wrong.
I still do it. Ten years in, I go back through a gallery and find the thing I want to do better next time. That is not modesty, it is the part I actually enjoy. The day a shoot stops teaching me something is the day this gets boring, and it has not happened yet.
So if your shoot is awkward, or the light is difficult, or nobody has ever managed to get a photo of your team that everybody liked, tell me. That is the interesting version of the job, and it is the one I want.
What I have shot
Ten years of Coachella Valley work
Real estate
500+
Starter homes through estates. After enough of them you start to see which room is going to sell the place, which saves everyone time on the day.
Headshots & portraits
100+
Executives, agents, whole teams in an afternoon. Most people tell me they hate having their photo taken. Most of them leave with one they like.
Events
300+
Ribbon cuttings, galas, conferences, fundraisers. A lot of the valley runs on these nights, and I have been lucky to shoot a good number of them.
How I work
What you can expect if you hire me
You will not be guessing on price
You get the number before the shoot, not after. Once the date is set I send an invoice, and there is nothing added to it later.
You are not being handed a template
I do not have one look I apply to everything. Your house, your night, your face are not the same as the last one, and the photographs should not look like they were made on a production line.
The dates I give you are real dates
Listings in 24 to 48 hours. Events in 3 to 5 business days. If something ever puts that at risk, you will hear it from me before the deadline, not after.
I ask what the photos are for
An MLS listing, a LinkedIn headshot and a fundraiser recap all want different frames. Knowing which one you need changes how I shoot it, so I ask first.
Questions
A bit more about working together
What is it like on a shoot?
Fairly relaxed. I turn up early, work out the light, and stay out of the way of whatever you are actually there to do. For headshots I talk you through it so you are not standing there wondering what to do with your hands.
Do you travel outside the valley?
Sometimes. Anywhere in the Coachella Valley is included in the price. Beyond that, ask me and I will give you an honest number.
What gear do you bring?
Whatever the job needs. For headshots that means portable lighting and a backdrop. For property it means wide lenses, a tripod and patience with the light.
What areas do you cover?
The whole Coachella Valley. I shoot photography regularly in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms, and Bermuda Dunes, and I am happy to travel anywhere in the valley at no extra charge. There is a page for each city below with what changes there and what it means for your photos.
- Real estate photography in Palm SpringsMid-century architecture, downtown condos and a tourism economy that runs year round.
- Real estate photography in Palm DesertEl Paseo, country clubs and a professional base that skews established.
- Real estate photography in La QuintaTwo markets in one city: the Cove against the mountains, and the golf clubs to the south.
- Real estate photography in Rancho MirageLarge lots, country clubs and a concentration of medical and philanthropic organisations.
- Real estate photography in IndioThe valley's largest city by population, with a faster-moving and more family-driven market.
- Real estate photography in Cathedral CityBetween Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, with a working commercial corridor and a growing arts presence.
- Real estate photography in Desert Hot SpringsThe valley's north end: natural mineral water, spa rentals and long views back across to San Jacinto.
- Real estate photography in Thousand PalmsUnincorporated, in the middle of the valley: the Ramon Road business corridor, established neighbourhoods and the preserve on its eastern edge.
- Real estate photography in Bermuda DunesUnincorporated country club living between Indian Wells and Indio, with a general aviation airport in the middle of it.
- Event photography in Palm SpringsMid-century architecture, downtown condos and a tourism economy that runs year round.
- Event photography in Palm DesertEl Paseo, country clubs and a professional base that skews established.
- Event photography in La QuintaTwo markets in one city: the Cove against the mountains, and the golf clubs to the south.
- Event photography in Rancho MirageLarge lots, country clubs and a concentration of medical and philanthropic organisations.
- Event photography in IndioThe valley's largest city by population, with a faster-moving and more family-driven market.
- Event photography in Cathedral CityBetween Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, with a working commercial corridor and a growing arts presence.
- Event photography in Desert Hot SpringsThe valley's north end: natural mineral water, spa rentals and long views back across to San Jacinto.
- Event photography in Thousand PalmsUnincorporated, in the middle of the valley: the Ramon Road business corridor, established neighbourhoods and the preserve on its eastern edge.
- Headshot photography in Palm SpringsMid-century architecture, downtown condos and a tourism economy that runs year round.
- Headshot photography in Palm DesertEl Paseo, country clubs and a professional base that skews established.
- Headshot photography in La QuintaTwo markets in one city: the Cove against the mountains, and the golf clubs to the south.
- Headshot photography in Rancho MirageLarge lots, country clubs and a concentration of medical and philanthropic organisations.
- Headshot photography in IndioThe valley's largest city by population, with a faster-moving and more family-driven market.
- Headshot photography in Cathedral CityBetween Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, with a working commercial corridor and a growing arts presence.
- Headshot photography in Thousand PalmsUnincorporated, in the middle of the valley: the Ramon Road business corridor, established neighbourhoods and the preserve on its eastern edge.
- Headshot photography in Bermuda DunesUnincorporated country club living between Indian Wells and Indio, with a general aviation airport in the middle of it.
Let's plan your shoot
Let's get your shoot started.
Pick what you need photographed and add your name and email. That is all I need to reply, usually within one business day.