Stephen would tell you that, "photography was a happy accident as a result of wanting to get into post production." After attending UCLA film school, Stephen put in nights working at Roger Cormin, Concord studios in Venice where some of today’s heaviest hitters got their start. He wanted knowledge, experience and opportunity, which is what drove him to take this grass roots path. Anyone that has gone through the Cormin education would tell you it's exactly that, it's grass roots and hands on for no pay. At the time he was pursuing his quest to be an editor working on independent features. This is where he made the transition to behind the lens and where he first got his hands on a camera, the rest as they say is history.
"I bought a meter I couldn't afford, pointed the camera and prayed," which says allot about his desire and natural abilities. From his perspective he would say, "ignorance was bliss" but has always learned the most when thrown in the fire, "I wish I didn't jump feet first sometimes" he says but from our accounts it seems like he landed squarely on his feet.
At Concord he modestly started shooting mostly establishing exteriors and moved into second unit coverage down the road as a result of his fiery introduction into cinematography. His interest in becoming a better shooter lead him away from the independent world of production to become an assistant, climbing the ladder from loader to first camera assistant and onto a more experienced cinematographer. His assistant work compiles a laundry list of projects which also include some of the industry's largest studio projects ever produced like Dante's Peak, Contact, and Jurassic Park III. The assistant career broadened his knowledge through his exposure to a wide range of talent to which he says, "You can't get this type of experience anywhere else but on set especially from the very best, it gives you insight that would take years of stumbling over yourself to find." He made the transition from assistant to shooter through, what industry insiders would call, "freebees." Right out of the gate he shot two low budget features and a few shorts before getting his feet wet in commercials. He recounts, "Some very humbling experiences." He has worked in the commercial end of the business ever since. Today he shoots for some A-List directors. And in his words, "he loves it."
His shooting experience is much broader and diverse than most by virtue of his editorial background and formal training as an artist. As well as those things he's pickup along the way. His oil paintings reveal his understanding of composition and lighting, his editing, an understanding of storyline. Quite amazingly he has borrowed from these experiences and combined them to make up a successful career as a shooter. We understand now why he says it was a happy accident. Talented may be understating what we see but to really get a look at Stephen, take a look at his work.
