Award winning photographer,photo journalist, filmmaker,and teacher.
“Looking back at my 30 years in photogrpahy, I can see how lucky I am to say it's always been a huge part of my life. I got hooked at 6 years old when my older brother showed me how to develop film in our homemade darkroom. It all seemed like magic then and it still does. I once read that we should all do what we love. I'm lucky to say that I've had that opportunity.” -Ray Hocker
Ray Hocker began his passion and career in photography at the age of 6. His early films, made on his father's 8mm movie camera, documented his life growing up on airports in the high desert of Southern California and later in rural Washington State. He continued to pursue his passion for documentary photography through high school and college serving as the photography editor on both his high school's newspaper and yearbook. While attending the University of California at Los Angeles, he was the photography editor for the University yearbook and a contributing photographer for the Daily Bruin newspaper.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree after attending Brooks Institute of Photography and the University of Redlands and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Digital Cinema. He has owned and operated Sierra Photography Studios since 1979.
Ray has been an adjunct facility member at Cerro Coso College since 1980 where he teaches Digital Video Production, Photography, Digital Cinematography, Mobile Media, and Podcasting courses. He has designed and developed curriculums for Video, Cinematography, and Website Development. Ray is an Apple Certified Trainer for Final Cut Pro video editing software and he conducts workshops and courses on all aspects of photography and cinematography.
His film and video production credits include many hours of original programs broadcast both nationally and internationally on networks including, FOX Sports, ESPN, OLN, and HDnet. His 2002 production of an off-road rally race in the Grand Canyon was the first automobile race in the world to be broadcast in high definition TV. He has also contributed footage to a wide range of automotive television programs including Monster Garage and RPM. His credits include many documentary, narrative, and commercial programs for both regional and national organizations. His unique skills include using specialized ultra-high-speed video cameras to capture ballistic and explosive events on aircraft under simulated flight conditions.
A true “master of photography”, he has received many awards, national magazine covers, gallery showings, and publication credits. He's had the privilege to photograph three generations of families in our community. Many of the brides he's photographing today are the children of people who's senior portraits and weddings he photographed during his long career.
