About

Steven Chavez is a Los Angeles–based landscape architect and photographer. He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Ulster University.

Born and raised in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, Steven began his creative career in the automotive industry, working as an automotive customizer for legendary custom car designer Gene Winfield. In his late twenties, he moved to Seattle to study landscape architecture at the University of Washington while also working as an artist assistant to encaustic painter Betsy Eby. Following graduation, he trained as a landscape architect with the Seattle-based firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol before establishing his own practice in 2009. He is the founding principal of Topogram, a landscape architecture studio based in Los Angeles.

Steven's photography reflects his longstanding interest in the art, architecture and design of the built environment. In recent years, his work has focused on documenting the everyday landscapes of the San Fernando Valley, exploring the intersection of place, memory, and the art of the ordinary through a contemporary photographic lens.