The wonders of photography were brought to Moorpark College Sept. 25 as Dan Winters, a former college alumnus and now an internationally celebrated photographer, spoke to students about working in the ever-competitive entertainment industry.
Studying under Professor John Gray in the 1980s, Winters has gone through an incredible journey since he started the photography course at Moorpark College. Winters started small, working as a lab technician at the “Thousand Oaks News Chronicle,” and now shoots regularly for well-known magazines such as “Esquire,” “GQ,” “Rolling Stone” and “Wired.” Emphasizing great skill and determination as tools for success, Winters is a living example of a small-town talent turned into a distinguished artist.
Gray introduced Winters to the Forum by starting with some words about his work, saying that, “he is a sculptor as much as he is a photographer.” Celebrating his former student’s successes, Gray reminisced about their first photo projects and applauds the growth in Winters’ art.
Winters didn’t begin his career in photography. Early on, his interests were consumed with cinematography; he attended film school in Munich. He dropped out of school with an interest in still-photography and started working freelance.
Working as a photojournalist at the “Thousand Oaks News Chronicle,” he produced non-traditional shots that stood out in the paper. His ability to tell a story intellectually and creatively through his photos landed him jobs in New York.
Despite starting with nothing but an empty apartment in the city, Winters pushed on and his work was highly celebrated among magazines and papers. His work emitted incredible emotion, as he shot sensational subjects like prisons, disasters and the homeless, describing his work as “psychological torture.”
He never stopped pushing his work, as he tried several times to get published by the Aperture Foundation with a series of photos chronicling life in New York City. He presented his first book published by Aperture called, “Periodical Photographs,” and had a book signing at the end of his speech.
Working as a photographer has brought him many ups and downs. When a student asked if he recommends working in the industry, he jokingly replied, “Don’t do it.”
Starting small, with photo essays for small papers, Winters has shot portraits of prominent individuals like President Barack Obama, actors like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and musicians like Tupac Shakur. He emphasized determination and learning all you can.
Most of the attendees were planning on working in the industry, or had adopted photography as a hobby, asking for tips and techniques about shooting.
Angelo Lorenzo, a formal Moorpark College student and a beginning commercial photographer, found the presentation to be very insightful.
“Just hearing someone who’s so well known and has put in a lot of time in the industry, hearing them talk about their experiences,” said Lorenzo. “It’s just really inspiring.”
