Ken Pagliaro
Artist. Photographer. Storyteller.

Ken Pagliaro is an internationally-recognized commercial, adventure, travel and surf photographer based in southern California.

After receiving his first SLR Camera in 1996, Ken, who also has a background in art, realized he had found a new medium for expressing his creativity.   Ken went on to fine-tune his skills at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 2002.  

His work has taken him around the world to places in Central America, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Europe, and across the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii.

Many of those assignments have tapped right into Ken’s adventurous nature.  He’s captured images while on extreme sets like ice caves and calving glaciers in Alaska.  He and his camera have been in close encounters with grizzly bears in Los Angeles.  He climbed to the top of Mount Rainer taking photos and joined the Coast Guard from the air and in the water during training missions.

Ken’s commercial images can be seen on national tv, print ads and on billboards for clients like Chevrolet, Patagonia, Target, Coors, Nikon, Vans, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and many more.  His portfolio extends to published images in magazines, news journals and books, including Guy Fieri’s, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

When he’s not shooting for commercial clients, Ken has established a strong client-base in the entertainment world as well.  He’s a veteran on the red carpet for the Academy Awards and music events like iHeart Radio Awards, Kid’s Choice Awards, BET and Soul Train Awards.

His most recent artistic project was showcased at the prestigious Art1307 gallery in Naples, Italy; a collaborative installation from artists featured in the film, MANA.  Ken, who stars in the film with 9 other artists, was the only photographer featured in the art documentary profiling his influence of southern California’s surf culture.

Ken's great respect and love of nature inspires him to capture landscapes in their many facets: dramatic and undisturbed.  He especially loves shooting the ocean, and as an experienced surfer, Ken has no problem diving right in to capture this unique and dynamic perspective.  

In his portrait work, Ken’s authentic and kind approach puts people at ease, creating moments for powerful storytelling within his images.