Stephen Joseph is a distinguished San Francisco Bay Area photographer known for his signature landscape panoramas that capture California's distinctive geographic regions and rich, natural beauty in large and dramatic imagery. Esteemed for his ability to influence people through his photographs, Joseph works regularly with land trusts and open space agencies whose mission is to preserve and protect private/public lands.
Celebrated for his wide-ranging body of work, Joseph's extensive knowledge of photography and his skill in the craft of creating images elevate his photographs to the level of art. Joseph's panoramas and portraits have been widely presented and collected in California and across the country, and have been featured in books, exhibits, and multi-media shows for more than thirty years. Four books showcase his art: Mount Diablo: The Extraordinary Life and Landscapes of a California Treasure, written by Linda Rimac Colberg, published by Mount Diablo Interpretive Association; Nature's Beloved Son: John Muir's Botanical Legacy, written by Bonnie Gisel, published by Heyday Books; Muir Woods Meditations, published by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy; and Oneonta 360, a celebratory homage to his hometown, published by Argian Press.
Joseph's intimate images of John Muir's plant specimens and large format panoramas of Yosemite were exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California (August 2011-January 2012), part of the multi-media, interactive exhibit A Walk in the Wild: Continuing John Muir's Journey. And a traveling exhibit, Nature's Beloved Son, curated by the Beford Gallery (Walnut Creek, CA) and based on Stephen's book of the same title, is currently on tour around the country. Additionally, his landscape work has been exhibited at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco Legion of Honor. In 2007, Stephen Joseph was named the Muir Woods National Monument Centennial Photographer.
In December 2012, Joseph's exhibit Broadway Revealed: Behind the Theater Curtain debuted at the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. Showcasing some of Broadway's most critically acclaimed productions, this exhibition features large format 360-degree photographs, offering a compelling and magical behind-the-scenes look at New York's iconic theater district and the complex support network of design, lighting, directing, and staging that comes together to create live theater. After opening at the Bedford, Broadway Revealed will travel to galleries and cultural centers across the United States, including The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City; Scottsdale, Arizona; Lynchburg, Virginia; and San Francisco; California.
His incomparable photographic essays also include his California Artists Series and Green Day's American Idiot on stage, both composed of 360-degree imagery, and his commissioned theatrical work for the Blue Man Group (Las Vegas).
