Way back in another life, I worked in photo labs. Right out of high school, I got my first job at Superior Color in San Jose, CA. Then, at 22, I moved to Los Angeles and landed at Photo Impact B&W Lab in Hollywood, on the corner of Melrose and Citrus. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Greg Gorman’s studio was right upstairs. To say I was lucky and blessed is an understatement.
Calling Don Weinstein a photography legend doesn’t even begin to cover it. I owe so much of my career to him. He believed in me, supported me, and always gave me honest advice. Working at Photo Impact introduced me to some of the greatest photographers of all time—Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Matthew Rolston, Greg Gorman, Norman Seeff, Paul Jasmin, Brad Branson, and so many more.
I learned lessons there that have stayed with me for over 40 years. The one I’ll never forget was Don’s advice:
“It’s not what you shoot, it’s who you shoot.”
You can have incredible photos of nobodies, or shitty photos of somebodies. People notice the somebodies.
After all these years, Photo Impact is still here—and in my opinion, it’s still the greatest black-and-white lab on the West Coast… maybe anywhere.
Thank you, Don, for believing in me when so many others didn’t. You had a bigger impact on my life and career than you’ll ever know.
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