It was with a Kodak Hawkeye camera that Rick successfully exposed his first film whilst on a family vacation. Rick’s dad was suitably impressed with his son’s efforts and encouraged him to learn more about photography. So at the early age of eleven, Rick Bolen had found his calling.
Working hard and graduating from art school, he continued his education by assisting talented professional photographers in San Francisco and Manhattan on the "Earn While You Learn Program." He opened his own studio in 1981, and has been working with a diverse group of clients - ad agencies such as McCann Erickson, graphic designers, Chronicle Books, Newsweek and other publishers, Silicon Valley clients - most notably Intel, and Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Hanna, Rochioli amongst a number of Northern California wineries.
In addition to working in his studio, Rick frequently travels on assignment to Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Canada, Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bali, Burma, and Macau. Some of Rick’s favorite locations to shoot are right outside his back door in the vineyards south of Sonoma, California.
His home and studio are located 45 minutes north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in the heart of wine country. The live/work space includes the Bolen family home, photo studio/office, pinot noir vineyard and a guest cottage on three and a half acres of land
We invite you to visit us in Sonoma to enjoy the experience of creative collaboration with Rick Bolen in a uniquely beautiful environment.
For directions, click here.