Rockin’ the Suburbs
I had never crossed paths with iconic photographer Bill Owens previously, but both Michelle Golden, my wife, and agent had, and they both told similar stories: he’s a lot of fun, he moves fast, you never know what to expect.
After Maren Levinson introduced us over email we did a quick phone call. She exclaimed, “You’re going have fun with Bill! “I replied, “Yes, that’s what scares me.“
I like to have fun, but my goal with Bill was to get come out with some great photos, and I was aware that our limited time together could easily be hijacked by long stories and low-key misadventures.
Bill told me that he was an early riser, so I made a point of scheduling our meetup for shortly after sunrise. He suggested that we go to breakfast together, and I saw my opportunity to prioritize the photography, asking that we get some shots in before breakfast, as the light will be nice (photographers can’t argue with good lighting!).
Arriving at his home at the appointed time, it was indeed a pleasure to meet Bill in person. He looked fantastic, with a striking and energetic presence, and a great shirt picked out to boot. The guy had unstoppable energy, and a passion for life that is contagious. But as we started doing the photography, I recognized that he’d be hard to pin down. He was game to try most anything, but only for a minute or two, and then he would throw that off and move on.
I kept up with him the best I could, and certainly got a lot of pictures. Luckily, by the time that I was seeing the potential for powerful images, we were tuned into each other‘s energy. He would tell me that I was too slow and mock that I shot on manual settings and used a tripod. I explained to him that I’m part of the “slow photography movement,“ the camera-eccentric version of the Slow Food Movement. He also became more patient as I requested for him to hold his poses. As we were getting closer to something meaningful, I implored him to give me a minute or two, and to “hold still!”
We did a dozen set ups, shooting on his property, and then on an excursion to McDonald’s. I was worried that I would end up with a bunch of “good pictures,” but no outstanding portraits, but there are a couple of choice ones that popped out at me in the end.
Bill invited me to meet him again while I was in the Bay Area, and I took him up on it. We’ve met for breakfast at the same vintage diner, this time sans camera. It was great to just hang together as people, and taking in the glow of a master living his best life.
Top & Second Images: My favorite portraits from the day with Bill Owens. Hayward, CA, January 14, 2026.
Third Image: Side by side shots of taken at the same time, photographers photographing photographers.
Bottom Image: “Hey, can you help move a couple of boxes please.” Holy shit - iconic!