OLNESS STORY
PHOTOGRAPHY. FEATURE FILM. BRAND STORYTELLING. DOCUMENTARIES. EPISODIC. SHORT FILM. ASPIRATIONAL LIFESTYLE VIDEO.
California native Chris Olness grew up in San Francisco and currently lives in Los Angeles. He’s a creator. A skilled collaborative filmmaker, documentary photographer and creative director with a passion for strong images and voyeuristic adventure. His camera has taken him to the shores of Indonesia, rooftops of Paris and deserts of Mexico. His modern eye is drawn to the poetic harmony of form and light. The work is focused on storytelling, relationships and solitude.
Olness captures the stark beauty of the world he roams. Drawn to Eastern philosophy, wabi-sabi flows through his work like the tide over sea glass. Olness believes photography provides us with a unique opportunity to reflect on the world within and around us.
Olness’ exploration with the still image is complimented by his work as a director of cinema. He developed his love for photography and storytelling while working in visual effects editorial for George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). With his production company Venice Air, Olness collaborates with a diverse pool of writers, actors and designers to create thrilling feature, long form and short form stories to captivate the audience and enrich lives.
If words were photos, Olness would shoot like John Steinbeck. In The Log from the Sea of Cortez, Steinbeck and his best friend marine biologist Ed Ricketts journey on the Western Flyer from the dripping fog of Cannery Row, Monterey to the sun drenched Gulf of California to discover and document life -- and along the way gather insight into nature, beauty and humanity.
