This year the festival started on a somber note. After terrible fires charred the hills, a devastating mudslide tore through Montecito just weeks before the start of the festival. On a positive note, the fundraisers and camaraderie around town was heartwarming to see. Attendees wore ribbons of support throughout the festival… One of the most beautiful...
Going to the movies is an escape from reality and lets the mind wander, but the beauty of film festivals is that the movies come to life. It is incredible to see and meet the actors, learn why the screenplay was written and hear from those behind the scenes describe their experiences. Photographing for...
Many years ago I was hired for an incredible party Oprah Winfrey was hosting only to have the job canceled the day before… So when the opportunity came to photograph her receiving the Montecito Award at the 2014 Santa Barbara Film Festival I was very excited! The evening began with the red carpet walk, interviews...
Nicole Kidman was awarded the 2011 Cinema Vanguard Award by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. She has had quite the career, and this year a powerful role in ‘Rabbit Hole‘. There was a large crowd waiting for her arrival and she didn’t disappoint. She looked awesome in an all-white outfit and greeted the fans...
Last week at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Colin Firth presented the Montecito Award to Geoffrey Rush, and then “The King’s Speech” director, Tom Hooper presented cast members Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter the newly created ‘Ensemble’ Award. Here is the calm before the storm…. The limo or SUV drops off...
After missing pictures of surfing legend Kelly Slater the night before, I was on a mission to do a much better job photographing Seth Rogan present the Outstanding Performance of the Year award to James Franco during the 2011 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He was over an hour late arriving, but turns out you...
I started the second day of the film festival at Santa Barbara Middle School where the cast from the movie, Skateistan were doing a demo for the school kids. The film documents the first skateboarding school in the country of Afghanistan, where over half of the population is under the age of 18. Professional skateboarder...
What an amazing 10 day festival this Santa Barbara International Film Festival has become!!! It’s hard to miss the opening event, as the two trucks with spotlights help create instant excitement: This is what the red carpet entrance looks like on a ‘slow’ night! The line of people in the back have ‘general admission’ tickets. ...