A Los Angeles native, Gary West grew up in the cities of Pacific Palisades, Northridge and Encino. Gary’s role model — even to this day — was his father, an eye surgeon based in the Valley for over 30 years. With various celebrities as his patients, Gary’s father arranged for Gary and his brother to visit the set of the TV show, “Batman,” and to attend the premieres of various James Bond films. These experiences stayed with Gary, and today, he remains an avid James Bond fan. (Bond’s latest film, “Casino Royale,” is Gary’s favorite to date.)

It’s only fitting that a gift from his father, who loved all gadgets, especially cameras, would change his life. When Gary was ten years old, he received his first Nikon camera. Gary’s father taught him how to use the camera, and within one year, at age 11, Gary became Pinecrest School’s youngest employee as one of the yearbook photographers, as well as managing the student store and film projection.

Pinecrest Schools would play a major part in Gary West’s life. He has maintained a close relationship with the Dye family, founders of Pinecrest Schools, and considers Edna Mae and Don Dye among the most influential people in his life. He recalls a favorite saying of Edna Mae Dye: “In life, remember three things: look, listen and learn.”

Later, while majoring in Communications at Cal State Northridge, Gary worked in the Camera Department at Fedco, which was famous for having a large stock of camera equipment. His product knowledge and sales skills impressed management so much that, when representatives from Kodak came looking for interns, Gary was one of three employees chosen.

It was off to Kodak’s headquarters in Rochester, New York, where Gary received training. He was subsequently assigned to Kodak’s color lab in Hollywood, where he worked as a color inspector.

It eventually became difficult to juggle work and school, and by this time, Gary was accepting jobs on the weekends under his own company name, Gary West Photographing Specialties. Gary left Kodak and was subsequently hired at OnTV, a pay TV operator in the late 70s and early 80s, selling subscription television services and serving as their company photographer.

In 1984, Gary joined Spectra Color Lab as a Customer Service Manager. Meanwhile, he worked at various studios in the Valley and maintained his own client base. He was even able to open up a custom color lab inside of his home, which was utilized by a number of Gary’s own clients.

It was during this time when Gary developed the idea of “reflections montages,” where stills and video are used together to create custom multimedia presentations for various events.

Gary met the person who would be his favorite subject in the early ‘90s: comedian and actor George Burns. The two would be friends until Burns’ death at age 100 in 1996. In one of the last meetings the two had, Burns provided Gary with some pearls of wisdom: “Stay with what you love.”

Gary met his wife, Neysa, while photographing a wedding. Neysa was the wedding coordinator at the same wedding. They married in 1998, and they have five children between them.

In their spare time, Gary And Neysa love to travel, especially to Hawaii, where Gary made it his vacation destination several times.

In 1990, Gary opened his second location in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Four years later, A new Sherman Oaks studio was opened and Gary West Photography became Gary West Productions, Inc. The major change added video production services all under one roof.

In 1997, in need of a larger space to meet client needs, the Encino location was opened. The staff also doubled in size to 18 employees. With views of the Valley, an impressive photo display of over 150 photographs covers all the walls of the Encino gallery.

In 1998, Gary and his wife Neysa joined forces to create an incomparable photographic team. Due to increased client demand, Gary opened the Westlake Village location in 2002.

In 2001, Nikon’s digital photography technology was advanced enough that Gary West Productions, Inc. made the conversion from film to digital photography. This opened up lots of possibilities — including many new services available to their clients. 

Gary is passionate about photography, and has been since he was ten years old. His passion shows in all of the photographs he and his staff take at every function. He understands that the photos he and his staff takes will be appreciated years from now by future generations. Gary never leaves home without a camera attached to his belt, always looking for great photgraphic moments…

Now in its 33rd year, Gary West Productions, Inc. has serviced over 15,000 clients. Our loyal client base is multi-generational; we now cover the events of the grandchildren of our first clients.

There are very few studios in the Valley that offer the variety of services that Gary West Productions, Inc. includes. Instead of working with separate photographers and videographers, you can have all services under one roof.

Gary West originated the Reflections Montage concept over 20 years ago, and as technology has progressed, so has the demand for this technique. Reflections Montages are multimedia presentations featuring still photography and video. By using photographs from various stages of life and using technologies such as morphing, the presentation can show the development of a person from a baby to an adult in under a minute.

As Gary West Productions enters its 33rd year in the business, we are always testing and adding new innovative services to our product line. Our most exciting addition is the “Live Screen Surprise Show,” consisting of still and video images that were taken at your event, and within minutes we project them — LIVE — on a large movie screen at your event! We continue to re-invent the wheel in photographic entertainment, as well as in making your great memories last forever!