A specialist in fine wall art photography
Hey there! I’m Gary Felton, a passionate photographer and a creative enthusiast. I graduated at the top of my class and earned my photography degree from Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California back in 1973. With over 40 years of experience as a specialist in advertising and commercial photography, I’ve had the incredible journey of opening my own advertising photography studio in Los Angeles in 1974. Throughout that time, I’ve had the privilege of being recognized for my advertising and architectural photography work, while also diving into one of my favorite pastimes – underwater photography. I’m thrilled to have won 14 major awards for my underwater shots.
I started my digital journey in 1997. I bought a computer, copy of Photoshop and hand coded my first website. Some of my first digital photos were scanned from film. Later I purchase my first digital camera. It was a Canon with 3mpix. Even now I enjoy shooting casual photos with a 12mpix phone camera.
As my love for the sea grew stronger, it led me to the Caribbean in 1986. There, I combined my passion for photography with operating charter sailing yachts. But that wasn’t enough for me – I wanted to dive even deeper into the world of photography. So, in 1999, I decided to open another studio on the stunning island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to win several gold medals from the Virgin Islands Ad Club, not just for my photography but also for my design work. And now, I’ve set up an online gallery to showcase my Caribbean adventures and other travels like Yellowstone National Park.
My photography journey has been marked by some incredible milestones:
– I proudly represented Brooks Institute of Photography for a Traveling National exhibition.
– I bagged 2 Golden Orange awards for my advertising photography in Orange County, CA.
– 5 of my photographs were selected for the permanent loan collection by the Professional Photographers of America.
– Between 2000 and 2009, I earned a “Best of Show” Addy Award, along with 8 gold medals and 6 silver medals for photography and design.
– I also photographed “Early Morning Squalls” the best selling photo of the Virgin Islands in history.
My work has also been featured in various publications such as Destination Weddings, US News and World Report, Destinations Magazine, Sailing, Cruising World, Power and Motor yacht, Yachting, Sport Diver, Art Navale (Italy), and Men’s Health. Plus many calendars and books.
When I’m not capturing stunning shots, I’m sailing on my very own sailboat, a Bristol Channel Cutter. Currently, I’m exploring the eastern Caribbean with my wife and two dogs, while continually adding photos to my online gallery. If you’re interested, I also keep a blog about my experiences on Angelsea. Thanks for stopping by and joining me on my photography journey!
Follow me on Instagram @gary.felton or look up Gary Felton Photography on Facebook.
Update from the Caribbean during hurricane season.
Hi everyone. I am updating my bio page here to let you know what I am up to now. I sorta retired last year. At present I am sailing my boat Angelsea around the Caribbean collecting new images for my wall art collection. And also doing some documentation of areas that are getting over developed, before they get over developed.
My crew consists of my wife Deb, @Jack the sailing dog and Captain Kidd. Just so you know my wife use to breed award winning poodles. She will be writing articles on pets for people on boats. So if you’re interested go on over to https://livinwithdogs.com and take a look.
We spent last year working in Yellowstone National Park which gave me an opportunity to shoot some more wall art in the wilds of Wyoming.
If you sign up for our newsletter you will receive periodic updates and discounts to my online gallery. I hope you join us. Having friends is a good thing.