Promotional design for a book titled "Across the Bay in Tiburon," by Ted McDonnell. The background features a scenic view of the bay, with boats and green hills, and a couple walking along a trail. The design includes images of Tiburon landmarks, such as Belvedere Lagoon, The Railway Palm, Tiburon Main Street, Life on the Bay, and Tiburon Ferry, along with contact information and a quote about Tiburon.
Close-up of a vintage Yashica camera with the labels 'TL-SUPER' and 'Yashica' visible, showing parts of the lens and top dials.

First Camera at 13 and first Photo class

A Nikon DSLR camera with a zoom lens placed on a reflective surface, with a yellow background and a Nikon D810 strap in the foreground.

Photography Course at University

and Dark room

Black Sony mirrorless camera with a lens attached, resting on a dark wooden surface against a black background, with a Sony strap attached.

First Mirrorless Camera in 2010.

Amazingly clear

A close-up of multiple camera lenses arranged together, showing the front elements and branding.
Colorful APA logo with overlapping letters in green, orange, purple, and blue.
A dark blue square background with white text and graphics for the California Journalism Awards. The text says 'California Journalism Awards.' There is stylized imagery, including part of the letters 'C', 'A', and a graphic of a stylized game of roulette in the bottom right corner.
Award plaque with gold laurel leaves, text reading 'WINNER, America's Best Small Community Weekly 2026, General Excellence,' and a circular seal with a person sitting at a desk, surrounded by the words 'National Newspaper Association'.
Vintage Kodak Instamatic 154 camera with flash attachment in front of a pastel pink and blue background.
A SanDisk Extreme microSD card inside a clear plastic case placed on a black background.
Logo for Ted McDonnell Pure Photography featuring a camera illustration with a beige leaf overlaid, and the text 'TED McDONNELL PURE PHOTOGRAPHY CELEBRATE LIFE' beneath.

I’m a Third Culture Kid — now a Third Culture Adult — which is a fancy way of saying I grew up with more than one place to call home.

Born in Boston, I spent my childhood in the UK, Brazil, France, and several parts of the United States. Every move introduced me to new people, cultures, landscapes, colors, and ways of looking at the world. Somewhere along the way, a camera became part of that journey.

After university, I took my first non-photography job in New York City with J.E. Seagram’s. That career opened an even bigger window on the world, taking me to Australia, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Micronesia, the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, and back to the UK for a third time. Question does the 3rd time make it a home?

After 14 years in the Philippines, my family and I eventually made our way to Tiburon, California, in 2010 — and I found myself surrounded by one of the most photogenic places imaginable: San Francisco Bay.

All that moving around taught me something important: slow down, look around, and notice what others might walk past.

That’s still how I approach photography today. Whether I’m photographing a person, a family, an event, a quiet street, or the changing light across the Bay, I’m always looking for the story inside the picture.

I like to tell friends that every stop along the way added another building block to who I am today.

And fortunately, I brought my camera along for the ride.

So, welcome to the Photo Services, Art Shop, and Gallery which showcases a number of Photographs that were Professionally Curated by an outside company with the aim to evoke emotions & tell a visual storytelling

I settled in Tiburon in 2010 after 40 years living in several international countries. Since childhood I always dreamed of living in America and now I am here.

My style of photography that is referred as 'Pure.'

As a photographer, my passion lies in capturing the ‘Real’ experiences through photographs that possess profound depth and vitality. I consciously refrain from using Photoshop because I believe in authentically capturing what is in front of my camera, avoiding the temptation to recreate scenes artificially.

My expertise spans an array Photographic stylings: Journalism, Headshots, Portraits, Sports, Street life, Wildlife, Travel, Events, Lifestyle, Nature, Landscape, Locations, & the Art of Photography.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK 2026

‍ ‍ ‘ACROSS THE BAY IN TIBURON’

May 2026 - Exciting news—my first photography book is printed: Across the Bay in Tiburon

It’s been an incredible journey capturing the essences of Tiburon, Belvedere Island and Corinthian Island.

Ted’s ‘Pure’ Photo Websites

‍ ‍Photographic Library‍ ‍

‍ ‍Vintage Photography 1970s - 1990s

Photo Services, Art Shop & Gallery‍ ‍

A Study in Photographs

PHOTO MARKETING SITES

‍*Pexels

‍ Flickr

‍ Instagram‍ ‍

‍ BlueSky‍ / Threads / X ‍

Photographic Memberships

‍ ‍2021 - Present

American Photographic Artists (APA)

California Journalism Association

Marin Photography Club

Tiburon Chamber of Commerce

‍

‍

‍ ‍2021 - 26 Photographic Honors/Achievement

  • 2024: California Journalism Association First Place, for Feature & Photojournalism (2024-25) for weekly newspaper at 5,000 circulation

  • 2024 California Journalism Associationawarded for Forth Place for Public Service Journalism & a Fifth place for Photo Story-Essay

(NNAF) 2024 National Newspaper Association Foundationawarded Ted McDonnell First Place for Photo Essay among all national weekly newspapers

July 2025 California Journalism Association Second place for Photojournalism

2026 The Ark Newspaper Award The Best Small Community Weekly Newspaper in the USA

*** Top Professionals of America Awarded: 2024-2025 Marquis Who’s Who in America

**Top International Professional 2005-06 International Who’s Who Historical Society

********************‍

‍3/21 - 8/26 German based: Pexels.com (Image Bank) Tracking 10.5 Million+ viewer and Thirty thousand (+) downloads.

* 2020 - Present: Photographs published in over 2000 Publications, Journals, Websites, Museums, Tourism Guides, Album Cover, Egyptian Video’s, Travel Sites, Animal Conservation, & Sports.

April 2024 - Present: Employed as a Freelance Photographer for Tiburon’s, The Ark Newspaper

2025-26: Forbes, Peek.com, Wallpaper.com, Get your Guide-Egypt, Free Dictionary, medium.com, Hindustan Times, Yahoo Sports, MSN.com and others

2024 - 25: Published in / New York Post / Indian Times‍ / the Hindu Times / and others

‍ ‍11/2023: Associated Press: A critically Endangered Sumatran      White Rhino named Delilah successfully gives birth in Indonesia

4/2022: United Nations Earth Day 2022 selected two wildlife photos of the top 100 set.

12/2022: The Federalist (Online/Mag)  Top 10 Wins in 2022, the Rodeo Queen Photograph

6/2022: New Zealand Greek Museum Acropolis’s . 6 Goddess Photograph

2025-26: Re-Launched the Photography Services in Ameri. A Website covering an array of new photographic projects.

2020: Album Cover by Cheree D, Photo; Face in the Clouds

********************************************************

Early Days Assignments

*1988 Corporate Magazine: J. E Seagram & Sons Inaugural World Rugby Cup - Australia

*1988-89 Freelance - Australian Pro-Basketball Sydney Kings One-on-One Magazine.

* 1986 Jack Nicklaus Designer for Melrose Company, Dafuskie Island, South Carolina - Freelance Photographer/Videographer

* 1979 Minneapolis Star Tribune: Students Photographer Award

‍

‍ ‍ Since childhood, I always dreamed of making America Home

&

now I am here in Tiburon

Ted Bio

Classic Minnesota Vikings versus Dallas Cowboys mage of a football game, in Black and white i with players tackling and running on the field, with spectators in the stands in the background.
A vintage Kodak Instamatic 100 camera placed on a surface with a small brush and cardboard box nearby. The background is blurred.

Every child wanted a Kodak Instamatic

A picturesque view of the San Francisco skyline across the Bay, with hilly green landscapes and residential houses in the foreground, and a bridge visible on the horizon.

First Published Book, I see many more down the road coming…

Close-up of a camera strap with the logo 'α7' on it, placed on a dark surface, with a camera in the foreground.

First Sony Camera and began professional career in Australia.

Close-up of a camera lens with red and blue lighting on a dark background
Close-up of a black Pentax camera with a zoom lens, showing focus and zoom rings, against a dark background.

Pentax FE2 at 16 and first time in Darkroom

A camera on a tripod capturing a sunset over a body of water, with rocks in the foreground.
A black backpack with brown accents, branded 'VINTA,' resting on a rock outdoors surrounded by greenery.
Illustration of the Golden Gate Bridge with green hills in the background and a yellow sky, featuring a black banner with orange text that reads 'Marin Photography Club.'
Logo of the Tiburon Peninsula Chamber of Commerce with a snowflake symbol and ZIP code 94920 on a dark blue background.
Photograph of a strip of 35mm film negatives showing images of Berlin landmarks, including the Brandenburg Gate and a building with a spire, viewed through a lightbox or light table.
A person takes a photo of a Ferris wheel at an amusement park using a smartphone, with the Ferris wheel illuminated against a twilight sky in the background.
Logo for Ted McDonnell Photographer with a person holding a camera next to a globe.