STEPHEN J. HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

There are many individuals named Steve Hill, Steven Hill, or Stephen Hill, working as photographers around the globe, with two residing in New York City alone.
 
So how can one stand out in the crowded Hill photography market dominated by Steves, Stevens, and Stephens? I could change my name to Stephen Octavius Hill as a tribute to the renowned Scottish photographer, David Octavius Hill. Alternatively, I could become Stevia Hill and advertise myself as “The sweetest name in photography.”
 
Well, what’s in a name? One would hope that the work speaks for itself. Therefore, I present to you the work of Stephen J. Hill Photography. You can be the judge.
 
A little background: This Stephen Hill (Steve) is originally from Columbus, Ohio, and trained as a graphic designer. I began my photography career shooting freelance assignments for Ohio Magazine and The Cleveland Plain Dealer Magazine under the esteemed art director, Greg Paul. I traveled extensively across the state in a dodgy Karmann Ghia, shooting environmental portraits to illustrate the magazine’s articles.
 
A move to New York City followed, where I worked as an art director for the CBS network's Entertainment Promotions Department. Later, I moved to ABC and its Advertising and Affiliate Relations group.

After experiencing a layoff, I returned to photography and began working steadily for numerous business magazines, including Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, and most notably Manhattan Inc., the award-winning publication that featured the movers and shakers of the financial world during the “greed is good” era of the late eighties.

 

This led to assignments from various design firms to photograph annual reports and corporate publications.

My career then expanded to include location and studio portrait assignments in the entertainment industry for magazines like Premier, Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide, to name a few.  This led to an interest in theater, which prompted me to help establish The Spiral Theatre Studio with my partner, Paula J. Riley.

I also started a graphic design and marketing communications practice called Hill House Design while continuing to work on photography assignments and personal projects, such as Black Streets, White Steam, and
Masked—In the Year of the Plague.
 
Magazine Assignments:
Avenue, Business/London, BusinessWeek, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Computer World, Discover, Disney World, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Fortune, GQ, Live Strong Magazine, Macworld, Manhattan Inc., Mirabella,
New Age, Ohio Magazine, Newsweek, New York Magazine, Premier, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Spy,
The Tattler, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, The Village Voice, Whittle Communications, Worth, Your Company.
 
Awards:
I have earned over 25 awards in juried competitions, including those from the American Photography Annual, Photographis, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Society of Publication Designers, Broadcast Designers Association, Type Directors Club, Communication Arts Design Annual, Print Regional Annual, Art Direction Creativity, Print Casebook/Covers, Blurb Photography Book Competition, and Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Artist Grants.
 
Articles:
My work has been featured in Camera 35, Today’s Photographer, 35 MM Photography, Photo District News, Columbus Monthly, and Ohio Magazine.
 
Exhibitions:
I have participated in over 20 group juried photography and art exhibitions, including solo shows at Leica Gallery in New York City and at Style Meets People in Tokyo, Japan.
 
Photography Books:
My contributions include The Dicebox Family Album, published by the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts, Legends of the Village: People Who Have Contributed to the Culture of Greenwich Village by Village Care of New York, and an Honorable Mention photobook for the Blurb Photography Book Competition.