About Us!
Figge Photography spans three generations. And since it began in 1945, it has defied all the odds, having succeeded and prospered at an enterprise that many consider today a relic of a bygone era, and an oxymoron as well - a family business.
But family is what sets Figge Photography apart from other photographers. Never mind the five decades of experience handed down from parent to child; forget the technical expertise, the creative excellence, and artful imagery developed and honed for over fifty years; disregard that what the Figges do and how they do it is by now second nature. What makes Figge Photography so popular and beloved is the sense of family, the sense that when a client turns to Figge Photography, be it for a wedding or a portrait, for personal or business reasons, that client becomes a part of the family Figge. Not only is that the secret to the Figges' success in business,it is the secret to the Figges' success in art - the fine art of photography. So, when your image counts, count on family, count on Figge Photography!
A Love Story...
An honest to goodness love story that's how Figge Photography really began. It was a classic WWII-era love story between two genuine characters -- Melba Locayo, a Nicaraguan émigré, and William Vassar Figge, an accomplished short story writer. From a chance meeting while both attended USC, a forbidden romance blossomed; but, a war intervened, followed by separation, sacrifice, and other romantic entanglements; and eventually a post war reunion, marriage and family -- all of the ingredients for a romance novel, but true! Want the whole story? Stop by the studio sometime and ask Melba!The War Years
Bill, a cinematography student at USC, enlisted and went to war as a combat photographer. Of his many exploits, Bill photographed a German artillery position, saving the lives of untold Allied soldiers in so doing. For that, he was awarded the Bronze Star. In May of 1945, Bill crossed the Rhine with American troops of the 30th Division, Ninth Army, a forward element of the storied blitz to Berlin. Bill was the first American photographer to witness Russian troops as they rampaged through Berlin, exacting revenge on the German people and soldiers. Bill was also the first American photographer to enter Adolph Hitler's bunker in Berlin. Throughout the war, Bill captured incredible images of combat soldiers who risked their lives for freedom; Europeans ravaged by the war; and at the war's end, the final days of the Third Reich as it crumbled into ruin.
Post War Years
Upon his return from Europe, Bill and Melba reunited, and soon were married. Along with two of Bill's army buddies, they began a business, Cine-Candid, doing photography for sororities at USC and UCLA. From that, several weddings followed.
Photographing weddings in 1947 was largely a freelance affair, somewhat akin to the paparazzi of today, but without the negative associations. Melba and Bill would scan the newspapers for wedding announcements, and then just show up at the wedding. They photographed the ceremony and the celebrations, then left a calling card. The married couples would call, meet with the Figges, review the photographs, and select from among the images Bill and Melba had captured. Such was their skill at capturing the precious moments of a wedding that soon the calls began rolling in, as did legitimate bookings. Within five years, Bill, Melba, and a growing team of photographers were shooting up to 500 weddings a year!
As the Figge reputation grew, so grew the Figge family, adding three sons, and a daughter -- Greg, Stephan, Leslie and Eric. Throughout the early years, Figge Photography remained a home-based business for the sake of the children. Once their youngest, Eric entered school, Bill and Melba built a studio in Glendale, close enough that the children could walk to the studio after school. And that was how the family business was passed down, not formally, not forced, but simply as a wealth of days spent by the Figge children at their parents' side, learning every nuance of the photography business, engaged by it and growing to love it.
In 1976, Bill died suddenly of cancer. It had been his dream to someday move the studio to Newport Beach. Melba and her children realized that dream for him, opening a studio in Fashion Island, where it remains today. And to the Figge's credit, many of their clients from Pasadena, Glendale and the greater Los Angeles area followed along, remain their clients today, and continue to travel from far and wide year after year to the studio in Newport Beach.
Today, Greg and Leslie remain the lead photography team in the new studio. Micheal Fletcher, a fine photographer in his own right, is chief operating officer along with his daughter and son-in-law, Steve and Celia Lerum, who also are a photography team and specialize in web and graphic design. Cousin Cathy Bramnick is in charge of sales, photo finishing and bookkeeping. Melba is a daily visitor and constant inspiration to the Figge team.
Working and playing together, the Figges remain a family that you can count on to capture those wonderful memories of familial life that are so important to all of us.