About

San Diego based, Joseph is a photographer-turned-musician-turned-gemologist-turned-photographer. He has fronted a rock band, held a government secret level clearance, traveled four continents, recovered stolen property for the FBI, owned a Harley and pedaled thousands of miles on various bicycles without regard for the weather.

Joseph's father taught him chemical darkroom techniques at the age of twelve while his portrait artist mother introduced him to the delicate interplay of light and shadow needed for creating depth on a two dimensional plane.

Joseph focused his lens primarily on sports during his high school years covering everything from motocross to SCCA racing and CIF league play. Joseph worked for the school annual staff while simultaneously fronting a local rock band and playing gigs throughout Southern California. He went on to study commercial photography and photojournalism in college.

Convinced by a cub reporter for the LA Times that there was no money in photojournalism, Joseph ditched the idea and attended the Gemological Institute of America, earning the prestigious Graduate Gemologist diploma. These studies brought a new facet to his visual library. Learning to examine the minutia of gem materials to discern their origin and quality. Again, his critical eye for light, shadow and depth were further refined through mastery of microscopic examination.

Approaching this work with significant attention to detail, Joseph is a master of controlled lighting leaving nothing to chance in the studio. Outdoors shoots are planed just as meticulously with back up plans at the ready due to the elasticity of mother nature's whim.