Stephen Green-Armytage

Stephen had cameras during his childhood in England, along with a black and white darkroom. Today, not only is he a complete professional, but also a complete amateur, always photographing on vacations and weekends.

Half way through his university years, he could see that photography was the career he wanted, but being realistic he then spent a year as a humble assistant at a London studio. Working for three advertising specialists, he came to know what it took to be a professional. “You don’t always know what there is to learn until you learn it. And then forever you continue to learn, continue to develop the skills that permit you to make correct choices quickly, to work fluently and with confidence.”

As a young freelance photographer in Britain, Stephen did some major advertising campaigns, but then gradually transitioned to magazine work. He found the assignments stimulating. “If magazines did boring stories, they would soon be out of business, so almost by definition, the work was interesting.”

At the time, the United States clearly had the best magazines, and when Stephen moved to New York, he immediately starting working for Sports Illustrated, which was his best client for three decades. “It’s a weekly, so there is always plenty happening – good editors and a great photo department. And I liked that they were receptive to promising ideas from photographers and writers.”

In addition Stephen did assignments for Fortune, Travel & Leisure, the Smithsonian, some European magazines, and Good Housekeeping – mostly celebrities and celebrity homes for this last one. During the 1980s he worked for Life Magazine when it was published as a monthly – some sports, some portraits, but mostly animals, both wild and domestic, birds, mammals and reptiles.

Advertising work in the United States has included assignments for agencies in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some favorite ad clients have been hotels and resorts. “It could be a bit tantalizing to see gorgeous pools and beaches, great golf courses etc., and be too busy to take advantage of it all. However, I don’t complain, I ‘m there to take pictures and my American Express card stays in my wallet.”