Biography

Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Steve Olson spent his youth on Hollywood By The Sea, California.

The Pacific Ocean and its ever-changing moods, was his first inspiration to start his photographic journey at 16 years old.

Images of big surf and wave riders was his first great photographic zeal. Steve attended Ventura College in 1977, and as a freshman he won first place in the annual student photo contest.

His professors took notice, and encouraged him to enroll at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in cinematography in 1981.

While still attending college, Steve landed his first job in Hollywood on an ABC TV show, "Those Amazing Animals" as a 16mm cameraman in 1979.

The people that he met, and the experiences of  that first job, opened up many opportunities in the entertainment industry for Steve.

He went on to work for 45 years in "the biz", with all of its' feasts and famines.

Over the decades, Steve's job titles included: cinematographer, commercial portrait wedding photographer, photo darkroom printer, motion picture studio carpenter & prop maker where he was a union member of IATSE Hollywood for 31 years. 

Steve worked on hundreds of movies & TV shows including:  Pirates Of The Caribbean, Fight Club,

Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Hangover 2, True Blood, and The Voice. 

While still in college, Steve began extensively traveling abroad, for the adventure to photograph the streets of the world, and the allure of foreign lands, its cultures and its people...to capture decisive moments on film.  

In October 2024, Steve retired from his career as an artisan in the motion picture film industry, and is now  pursuing his personal fine art photography work- the limited edition archival printing, matting and framing, of the countless images from the many international travels, over the last 50 years of his  photography work. And the zest for life continues! 

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