Self-portrait of Dan Winters in his studio.Photograph by Dan Winters
“It inspires my creativity to walk around and just look at all the beautiful objects around me,” says celebrated photographer Dan Winters of the former general store, about 25 miles outside Austin, that for almost nineteen years has served as his studio. The 115-year-old building is where Winters, known for his moody and evocative images, has edited portraits of A-listers such as Barack Obama, Ryan Gosling, Sandra Bullock, and Gael García Bernal (he’s shot some there, too). He has also shot covers and features for Texas Monthly over the last few decades. Eclectic collections—cameras, books, and hats—and cabinets of curiosities fill much of the space. The studio “speaks to me when I need inspiration and has truly become an extension of me as well as a piece of my art.”
This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Texas Monthly. Subscribe today.
Among some of Winters’s World War II paraphernalia is a 1943 Cushman Airborne scooter.
Photograph by Dan Winters
Among the photographer’s collections is a cabinet of—what else?—vintage cameras, flashes, and other related objects.
Photograph by Dan Winters
Items related to aerospace blend in with Winters’s collection of vintage darkroom equipment.
Photograph by Dan Winters
The darkroom, off of the main studio space.
Photograph by Dan Winters
More of Winters’s vintage camera collection in his studio.
Photograph by Dan Winters
The photographer’s desk.
Photograph by Dan Winters
Some of his many curiosities make for an artful display.
Photograph by Dan Winters
Winters keeps beehives in the backyard of the studio. He got his first beehive at the age of nine. He once wrote for Texas Monthly: “I have a deep admiration and respect for honeybees, as well as insects in general. In fact, had my love of photography not won out, I would have pursued a career in entomology.”
