Page 28 - AVN April 2013

Who's Who.04.13 3/19/13 2:49 PM Page 28
IN MEMORIAM
J. Stephen Hicks photographs courtesy DigitalDesire.com
As a photographer he had no
equal and took every step to
artistically and creatively make
every girl we shot look her
absolute best. I am very lucky to
have known and learned from
the best and I am at least
comforted by knowing that
J. Stephen Hicks
1954-2013
his legacy will live on and
his amazing body of work
will always be
here for us to enjoy
—Jay Allan
The news spread quickly among fans of glamour
photography when legendary shooter J. Stephen Hicks passed
away on February 6. Known to fans of erotic photography,
Hicks had a long history in the adult industry that included
stints as a photographer for Penthouse, Hustler, Club, High
Society and Gallery.
Photographer Jay Allan, who was Hicks’ longtime studio
assistant and later his associate, described him as “my mentor,
my friend,” and asserted that he “was a true pioneer in the
adult industry.”
Allan said, “At a time when there were only about a dozen
photographers worldwide shooting for the adult magazine
market J. Stephen Hicks’ work stood out as exceptional. It
at war with the sun, Stephen manipulated and seduced it to a point where it seemed to bend to his will. There were
many times I’d look at his photos and think, ‘How on earth did he light it like that?’ And then I’d see a BTS photo
of the setup and I’d think, ‘How on earth did he light it with what appears to be such a simple set-up?’ It was
obvious that Stephen was a master of his craft.”
Randall called Hicks her biggest competitor and a true erotic artist.
“When people ask me who my biggest competitor is, without hesitation it has always been Stephen Hicks,” she
said. “There’s no denying that we competed over models, over magazine layouts, over jobs and over website
members. But I say that with the utmost respect—and I’m not ashamed to say that Hicks beat me at the game
many, many times. He had a knack for discovering unknown beauties first, and his work is extremely marketable.”
Photographer Ken Marcus also shared his memories of Hicks online in a post on ModelMayhem.com. “I first
met Steven back in the late ’70s when he was our assistant at Playboy, where he showed great drive and
determination to become a top published photographer. His career went on from there to include shooting for
Penthouse, Hustler, Club and Gallery magazines. He was one of the early pioneer of glamour photography on the
ADUL T WHO’S WHO
still does today.” One could always pick out Hicks’ work, he
said, because of “the beautiful natural light and calculated
composition that his images always contained.”
“Stephen taught his team to always put 100 percent of
their creative energy into every image and video and try to
make everything as artistic and beautiful as possible,” Allan
said. To see some of his work, go to DigitalDesire.com.
“As a photographer he had no equal and took every step to
artistically and creatively make every girl we shot look her
absolute best. I am very lucky to have known and learned
from the best and I am at least comforted by knowing that
his legacy will live on and his amazing body of work will
always be here for us to enjoy,” Allan said. “I was lucky to
have worked with him over the past 20 years. I will miss him
dearly.”
Erotic photographer Holly Randall remembers what made
Hicks’ work stand out among his competitors.
“You could always pick a Hicks photo out from the
crowd—he was a master at harnessing natural light,” Randall
wrote on her Tumblr page. “While I sometimes feel like I’m
28 | AVN.com | 4.13
internet with his outstandingly successful website DigitalDesire.com.”
In an obituary released to the press, Hicks’ family described him as “a force of life—adventurous, inquisitive,
passionate, inexhaustible, kind, loving, empathetic, and most importantly, a true and lifelong companion to all
those lucky enough to cross his path. His wit, insight, compassion, and boundless love will never be forgotten.”
They describe the longtime Point Dume resident as “an acclaimed photographer, an avid traveler, surfer and
mountain biker, who called his beloved Malibu home for 19 years. He was a loving husband and a committed
father, whose happiest, most contented moments were spent with his family, wife Lani, son Ryder, 18, and
daughter Kailee, 15, who survive him.”
A native of Denver, Hicks was born on Aug. 24, 1954. He attended the University of Colorado before heading
to Santa Barbara in the late 1970s to attend the Brooks Institute, where he received a degree in photography.
“Stephen had a restless soul and an ever-growing curiosity about the world,” his family wrote. “From Bhutan to
Africa, South America to Asia, Europe to Mexico, he sought new cultures, new experiences, new canvases for his
unequaled nature photography.”
“Digital Desire will continue to operate business as usual under the guidance of Lani Hicks and the watchful
lens of Mr. Hicks’ protégés extraordinaire and photographers Mark Lit and Charles Lightfoot,” according to a post
on the site. “Mrs. Hicks has been involved in all phases of the company since the beginning while Mark has been
Digital Desire’s lead photographer and production point man since 2005. All the key components are firmly in
place to keep J. Stephen’s vision alive and well moving into the future.”
A celebration of Hicks’ life took place February 23 at the Sunset Restaurant in Malibu. Donations in his
memory can be made to the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay or The John Wayne Cancer Foundation.
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