Hello, my name is Ira. Thanks for visiting.
I have a plaque sitting on my piano that says, “We don’t remember days, we remember moments.” It describes my life’s work.
I’m a photographer and documentary filmmaker. I think I was born into it. I’m the fifth generation Ira in my family and my father was a photographer, camera repair technician, and a beloved high school photography teacher. I took apart my first camera when I was five. I spent my early childhood in Los Angeles and I go back there to visit and work as often as possible.
I love adventures. My favorite trip recently was a 3500 mile road trip in an old convertible. Listening to Miles Davis’s sketches in Spain in the middle of Oregon late at night with the Milky Way visible over my head was profound. Sharing a sunset on Pismo beach with hundreds of people who just stopped what they were doing to look westward was sacred. I love the way these moments help to create an awareness of how connected we all are.
I live in a rural area that’s less than 10 minutes away from downtown Spokane. Our little acre sits on the inflection point between urban and industrial and is part of a narrow green zone that provides a migratory path for Moose moving down from the mountains towards the wetlands southwest of here. Last year we counted 26 species of birds hanging out in my yard. I live there with my life partner Sarah and our border collie named Murdoch. I am blessed.
I spend a lot of time traveling and I routinely work for clients in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma. I also teach classes at a local community college and private workshops at my studio and online.
My latest adventure has been joining an artist collective and setting up a new studio in a historic hotel building next to a live music venue and bar. It is a very bohemian environment with a variety of painters, photographers, and sculptors. I think it will be a good place to collaborate and create. I will keep you posted. In the meantime if you want to collaborate to make an amazingly artistic portrait of you and/or your loved ones… call me or click on the CONTACT US button. Let’s make this unforgettable!