William Sessoyeff

William Sessoyeff was born in Iran of Russian immigrant parents who had escaped Stalin-era persecutions. His family immigrated to the United States in 1951 and William grew up in southern and central California. Shortly after his U.S. Army service in Vietnam, he began working as a medical photographer in the office of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and supplemented his income by doing art photography, including serving as the photographer when his employer took him on a safari to east Africa. Eventually, William owned a custom lighting store in Los Angeles which he operated in the West Hollywood design district for over thirty years, creating one-of-a-kind lamps, shades, chandeliers, and other fixtures. He is now retired, lives in Reno, Nevada, and has returned to photography, featuring works he created in the mid-20th century using 35mm film and darkroom techniques as well as new digital photographs. William Sessoyeff passed away on April 16, 2023 and his artwork is no longer available on this website.

William Sessoyeff is completely self-taught. When he was hired as a medical photographer, he was supposed to be mentored by an experienced medical photographer but his "mentor" quickly moved across country, leaving William to learn "by the seat of his pants." After he mastered the skills needed for his employer's plastic surgery practice, he grew bored and expanded his photographic experience by creating images of nature while traveling and on weekends. He looked for objects, scenes, and situations that others might overlook. He credits his unique style to his hours of experimentation in the darkroom.

William Sessoyeff has sold his photography in juried shows in Beverly Hills, Westwood, and Palm Springs, California. He has had several works recognized by international competitions. For several decades he focused on creating custom lighting for designers and clients around the world. During that time, his photographic work was off the market but he returned in 2021 to selling his photography.