I was lucky enough to begin the festival coverage by photographing Adam Sandler as he received the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Dustin Hoffman presented the award: I’ve been lucky enough to take pictures at the Santa Barbara Film Festival going back at least 20 years! I’d...
Actor, writer, producer and comedy legend Will Ferrell received the 17th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The gala was created in partnership with film legend Kirk Douglas, to celebrate and honor some of cinema’s most unforgettable contributors. I was hired as a bellman before the...
One of the very best jobs of each year, I love seeing the ‘behind the scenes’ of the movie business. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is an important stop on the Academy Awards circuit, so writers, directors, actors, studio execs…etc. all attend and make for such an amazing experience interacting with the community and...
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...
One of the films I was asked to photograph for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival was, Amy Berg’s “West of Memphis“. I quickly realized two things… 1) This was much more than a film… and 2) I was not plugged into current events when I was in high school! Here is a summary of...
There were over 23 Oscar nominees at the Santa Barbara Film Festival last week! So many talented and inspirational people that truly excel at what they do. Here are some of my favorite images of the most recognizable faces. The first set of images are from the World Premiere of the film ‘Darling Companion‘ starring...
I’ve been lucky enough to photograph the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for a few years now and it’s one of my all-time favorite jobs! Not necessarily because of the movie stars (although that is definitely a lot of fun), but the size and scope of the event is so exciting. From red carpets to...
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...