—  About

Joe Pulliam is a photographer based out of Beaverton, Oregon in the spectacular Pacific Northwest.

Welcome to my portfolio! My first love is portraiture; capturing the emotions of people through the dance of light and shadow on their faces.

Black & White is my zen. In my opinion, very few images look as good in color as in monochrome. Back in the days of film, I often shot on litho film - true black and white with no grey what-so-ever. Of course I do shoot color too: some images demand color to see their true beauty and the stories they contain.

Whether it is the wrap-around, flattering beauty of glamour lighting, rugged and imposing male imagery, brilliant high-key or dramatic low-key shots, or gel-painted fantasy stills, the human face is the most amazing canvas to paint with light.

I love fashion, especially the classic style of the Pacific Northwest: women's boots/jeans/sweaters and men's flannel/jeans. 

Tattoos are a favorite of mine, and I find their beauty as fascinating as the stories behind them. Capturing the emotions of the person as they relate to the artwork on their skin is my inspiration for tattoo photography.

What's more fun and dynamic than cosplay? One person can be so many different people, and characters of fiction can become real with emotions, wants, desires, and fears. 

Still life photography is amazing. The models, such as they are, are infinitely patient, never complain, never get bored, and can hold a pose indefinitely! There is no more relaxing time for me than when painting objects with light. 

NOTE: The below images of cameras were shamelessly pulled from the internet via Google. Maybe one day I’ll honor my old camera bodies with some still lifes and/or montages.

I started in about 1975 at a young age with a $6 Kodak Brownie Hawkeye - a medium format film camera made between 1949 and 1961. It was with this no-frills box camera and an artichoke plant that I “discovered light.” I have that artichoke to thank for a lifetime of loving photography.

And thanks to ebay, I do indeed have one of these old beauties!

Through my young years, I had various brands and film formats, mostly 110, before falling in love with Nikon. My first 35mm camera was an N2000 - which I still have to this day - along with an even older Konica that had belonged to my grandfather. It was with that N2000 that I learned of ISO (which at the time was more commonly known as ASA), shutter speed, aperture, and how they all work together. I found a deep passion for the darkroom where I spent countless hours processing film and printing everything from small 3x5s to poster-size prints.

To this day I still love the smell of those chemicals and the meager glow of a single, dim red lightbulb.

I spent a few years with two very beautiful medium format Mamiya cameras. Many hours were spent in the darkroom developing and printing portraits of US Marines from Okinawa, Japan, and El Toro & Camp Pendleton in Southern California. From weddings to landscapes to beachscapes to wildlife, I tried to spend more time behind the camera than any other part of my life.

Of course, I still have both bodies and every lens I ever bought with the paltry pay of a US Marine. You just don’t give up things that gave you such joy for so long.

I fought the good fight against digital for quite a few years, professing my love for the unbeatable color saturation and grain-free images you could only get from films such as Kodak ISO 64 slides and Agfa ISO 25 black & white. Eventually I gave in and tried a Nikon D80, thoroughly convinced it would be a play toy that I would use when not behind a “real” camera.

My how times change! I still love my film cameras, but the advantages of digital are too numerous to discount and the quality is undeniable.

I still shoot Nikon, and always will. My D80 is retired and handed down, and I now shoot a D850 - with a D750 as a backup body - and the best glass Nikon makes. If they ever go out of business, the bodies and lenses I have at that time will be what I stay with.

Nothing against the other camera brands, they make excellent picture boxes, but Nikon is my jam.

—  Follow on social media

OK, I’ve gotta be honest here: I’m not very active on social media. Life is too busy to spend the hours necessary to keep up those accounts.

I keep up on Model Mayhem better than the other Social Media sites. Feel free to check out my Mayhem page if you’re interested in working with me (click the graphic below), or jump straight to the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Instagram… I haven’t posted to it since early 2018. It’s hard to find the value in it ever since Facebook bought them and started putting their advertisements in, every 4 posts. Below are my 2 accounts, such as they are.

I actually have Flickr and 500px accounts too - they are in more dismal shape than even Instagram, and I don’t think I have links to them anymore LOL!

Booking + Press

—  Representation

General Inquiries

—  I'd love to hear from you on photo shoot requests, portfolio-building, or client requests. Comments on my site and its contents are welcome as long as they are civil: my SPAM filter is aggressive!