Dennis Anderson is a fine art photographer who has made a living in photography for over 50 years shooting a wide range of subjects including theater and ballet; outlaw bikers and rock ’n' roll; tribal art and sculpture; hotels and resorts; ships and underwater marine life.
A native of New Jersey, Dennis Anderson received his art degree from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then came to California to study under Imogene Cunningham at the San Francisco Art Institute during its heyday in the 1970s.
After running a photo studio in San Francisco’s Dogpatch for 20 years, Anderson moved onto his wooden boat, a 47 ft. Sardine Lighter that was built in the SF Bay area in 1926. He then moved his studio into the Loch Lomond Marina, running it right by his slip in San Rafael for many years. In 2010, Anderson moved to central Oregon to work on a photo project called High Deserts Great Basins.
Anderson’s work has given him the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the US, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. He was named one of the 10 great hospitality photographers by Hospitality Design Magazine and presented his seminar on architectural photography in 30 locations around the country.
His writing and photographs have appeared on the cover and inside such different magazines as Oceans, Islands, Wooden Boat, Tribal Art, Maritime Life and Traditions, Hospitality Design, Camera, Photo District News, Popular and Modern Photography, Creem, Rolling Stone, Architectural Digest and Resorts and Great Hotels.
He has compiled several photo essays into books on a variety of subjects including Hidden Treasures of San Francisco Bay (Heyday Books, 2004). The back cover of which features a blurb by Senator Diane Feinstein.
“As a native San Franciscan, I have enjoyed the San Francisco Bay all my life. Yet Dennis Anderson’s striking photography reveals a world I have seen only in glimpses—the Bay at night, underwater, and from above…This is a truly remarkable work.”
Several of Dennis Anderson's photographs are held in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also exhibited his work at the California Academy of Science and the San Francisco Airport Museums along with a number of galleries.
“The thing I like about photography the most is that often when I pick up a camera and look through the lens, the universe gives me a gift. For a few moments, my mind clears and I can see directly—without thoughts and preconceptions hiding the way. It seems that wonder surrounds us always if we just take the time to look.” — Dennis Anderson
Today he is back in the Bay Area, still exploring the world with his camera as his mentor Imogene Cunningham encouraged him to do.