World renowned editorial photographer Dan Winters, a Moorpark College alumnus, will appear Friday, Sept. 25th at the Moorpark College Forum to speak about his life’s work and the publishing of “Periodical Photographs”.
A photography student who studied under Moorpark College Professor John Gray in the 1980s, Dan Winters is the recipient of over 100 awards and regularly shoots for major magazines such as Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine.
Gray has invited him to speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Forum where he will share his experiences in photography and the journey of how he came to be recognized as one of America’s most prestigious photographers. He will present his newly published monograph “Periodical Photographs,” which includes portraits of renowned stars including Denzel Washington, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bono, Leonardo Dicaprio, Eminem, and Willie Nelson.
Born in Ventura, California in 1962, Winters was raised in the city of Moorpark. He began taking classes at Moorpark College in the 1980s and started the Beginning Photography course under Gray.
Gray recalls that Winters showed a great interest in photography, but prior to that had another focus.
“He was more interested in building spaceships,” said Gray “[But I] knew immediately that he was going to become a successful photographer.”
As a student, Winters didn’t like to follow rules, but Gray commended this quality in him because of his artistic independence and creativity.
When asked what was different about Winters’ work, Gray offered great praise.
“He puts pictures together in ways that amplifies the meaning of every photograph by its juxtaposition with other photographs, he’s building a message,” said Gray.
Strong storytelling can be seen in the photos presented in “Periodical Photographs” due to the mood pairings in each of the sets.
Although Winters had always shown an interest in photography, like many artists, he was also involved with other creative forms, like filmmaking. He prepared for a year to go to film school in Germany, but was denied. However, that didn’t stop Winters. He eventually landed in the film school and decided he didn’t like it, so he returned to America. He began his career in photography in the city of Thousand Oaks and applied for a position at the photo lab in the “Thousand Oaks News Chronicle.” Through his hard work and creative photographic elements, he was able to land a scholarship in New York. Gray said he’s “worked with some of America’s greatest photographers.”
To hear more of Winter’s life’s work and achievements, see him speak Friday Sept. 25th at 7:30 in the Moorpark College Forum located in the Applied Arts Building, Room 147.
