Tag Archives: photo shoot

about beards.org

All About BEARDS For Thirty Years

12 Comments

Promoting beards worldwide since January 1996

January 17, 1996: Thirty years ago today, from within the 95123 ZIP Code in San José, California, All About BEARDS was uploaded to make its debut on the worldwide web.

Since then, it’s been all of the following and more:

  • thirty years of advocating for beards
  • thirty years of raising awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of beards
  • thirty years of striving to reduce and eliminate anti-beard bias
  • thirty years of pressing for men to have the freedom to grow their beards as they please
  • thirty years of educating people about beards in general and the best way to grow a beard as well as how to style and groom a beard
  • thirty years of serving as a multi-faceted resource for all things beard-related
  • thirty years of encouraging and inspiring men to grow their beards

We all have made massive progress for the bearded cause during the past thirty years. Today’s prevalence and acceptance of beards could barely have been imagined back in January of 1996. However, more progress is still needed. The mission continues.

Last week I had two water heaters replaced on Wednesday, and three split heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems replaced on Friday. Multiple crews came out to do this big job. In the frenzy of activity, I couldn’t even count how many were here. I would guess that there were easily fifteen or more. And ALL of them had BEARDS of one form or another, with the majority being robust full beards. I would say that this is what winning looks like for the ongoing campaign for beards. There’s no way that this would have been the case back in January 1996.

In today’s post for commemorating the Thirtieth Anniversary of All About BEARDS, I will share a quick look back to a couple of earlier times in the site’s history. Following that, I’ll share several photos along with brief memories about some of the All About BEARDS photo shoots in various locations.

All About BEARDS in earlier days

All About BEARDS: 1998 homepage screenshot.
1998 screen capture of the All About BEARDS home page: This is the earliest screenshot that I currently have. Click on image to view larger.

The screenshot above is the earliest one that I currently have. The “last updated” date shows October 20, 1998. Note that the styling of the site’s name was originally all in lowercase: “all about beards”. The original homepage from the January 1996 launch looked much the same as this, just a little less “polished”. And, yes, the site really was made with IBM’s OS/2 Warp!

The showcased beard selected for the homepage is itself a screen grab of the magnificently bearded actor Ed Harris in the film Alamo Bay. The film serves as a non-stop showcase for this amazing dense, full beard with a high natural cheek line and a low, all-natural neck line. In other words, it is a big, all-natural beard, which is a sight rarely seen still today.

All About BEARDS: homepage screenshot on eleventh anniversary: 2007/01/17.
2007 screen capture of the All About BEARDS home page. Click on image to view larger.

The screenshot above is from January 17, 2007, the site’s eleventh anniversary. It shows the site’s second main design, which made its debut in January of 2005 when the site moved to its new home at the beards.org domain.

Selected beard photo shoot memories

The official beards.org photo shoots have been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences of running All About BEARDS. Here, let’s look back at samples from a handful of the photo shoots along with some associated memories.

Jason

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Jason. Beard image 1.
Jason: subject for the fifth ever official All About BEARDS photo shoot. Click on image to view larger.

The first official All About BEARDS photo shoot was in January 2007 at the south end of San José’s Guadalupe River Park. In May of 2007, an area in the mid-section of the same park was the setting for All About BEARDS’ fifth official photo shoot, featuring Jason. This section of the park is adjacent to the Target store and shopping center on Coleman Avenue.

One day while dining at the Red Brick Pizza location (long gone now) in that same shopping center, I noticed Jason seated at an outdoor table right by the front window of the restaurant. I debated whether or not to approach him about doing a photo shoot for the website. I did not want to interrupt his meal. When I saw him get up to leave, I went outside to catch up with him. I told him about the website, asked him to consider doing a beard photo shoot for the site, and gave him the contact info.

Photo shoot location: Guadalupe River Park, San José, California

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Jason. Beard image 2.
Jason: subject for the fifth ever official All About BEARDS photo shoot. Click on image to view larger.

David

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: David. Beard image 1.
A favorite image from David’s beards.org photo shoot. Click on image to view larger.

David has been a longtime friend of All About BEARDS. When his frequent travels brought him near San José in November, 2007, we met up to do an official photo shoot.

Photo shoot location: Along the bay shore south of San Francisco International Airport in Burlingame, California.

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: David. Beard image 2.
David poses for a photo along the shore of the bay south of San Francisco International Airport in Burlingame, California. Click on image to view larger./

Sean

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Sean. Beard image 1.
Sean and his powerful beard are seen here in his photo shoot at the University of Oklahoma. Click on image to view larger.

Sean has an outstanding beard and he was a fantastic subject for a beard photo shoot. He was all-in on the project with great enthusiasm. This was one of the best photo shoots ever. Sean took care of all the logistics and other details necessary to make this photo shoot possible.

As I recall, one of Sean’s friends had submitted his own beard photos for the Beards of the World Gallery. Then that friend recommended to Sean that he submit photos as well. This led to setting up Sean’s official beards.org photo shoot on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

Photo shoot location: University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Sean. Beard image 2.
Sean wearing an appropriate cap for his beard photo shoot on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. Click on image to view larger.
All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Sean. Beard image 3.
The cool shape of Sean’s strong beard as seen from the side. Click on image to view larger.

Richard

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Richard. Beard image 1.
One of Richard’s photos from his first All About BEARDS photo shoot. Click on image to view larger.

Richard submitted some beard photos for the Beards of the World Gallery which also led to his participation in an official beard photo shoot. We agreed to meet up at Lands End, near the famous Cliff House restaurant (now defunct, but planned to eventually reopen) in San Francisco for the photo shoot. This is a great area for photography. It has been the setting for multiple beards.org photo shoots.

Richard has a great, strong beard. Also,he was great to work with on both this and one other photo shoot. Richard’s second photo shoot took place at the Martinez, California Amtrak Station and waterfront park. That location had the added bonus of trains coming through.

Photo shoot location: Lands End, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Richard. Beard image 2.
Richard poses in front of the Cliff House while it was still open. Click on image to view larger.
All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Richard. Beard image 3.
Richard peers through a hole, caused by a shell hit during WWII, in a war-damaged bridge wing of the USS San Francisco. This is at the USS San Francisco Memorial at Lands End in San Francisco, California. Click on image to view larger.

Barry

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Barry. Beard image 1.
Barry is seen here with the short and compact version of his great full beard during this All About BEARDS photo shoot. Click on image to view larger.

These are from one of three photo shoots with Barry. He has an excellent beard that he keeps in great shape. Barry is another beard photo shoot subject recruited from his Beards of the World Gallery photo submission. His first photo shoot featured his much bigger and longer beard along with long hair! During Christmas season, Barry performs as Santa Claus for numerous gigs. That year, he was going all-out for the natural long beard and long hair for Santa.

In addition to his beard-growing prowess, Barry has a great “radio announcer voice”. He has done a lot of voice-over work and much, much more. He’s also appeared in numerous television commercials, beard included!

Barry is really awesome to work with on photo shoots. This particular photo shoot took place during a casual hike along a popular park trail.

Photo shoot location: Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Barry. Beard image 2.
Barry stands tall along the trail at Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area. Click on image to view larger.
All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Barry. Beard image 3.
Another look at Barry with his fine example of a compact, classic full beard. Click on image to view larger.

A couple of favorite images from past photo shoots

I’ll close this out with two photos that stand out as favorites among those that I’ve taken during the All About BEARDS photo shoots.

Vicente

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Vicente. Beard image 1.
Beard at night: Vicente! Click on image to view larger.

I really like how the night shots with Vicente outside the stadium turned out. Vicente takes on a striking, different appearance. We took a few like this with him in this exact spot. I wish that we had taken more!

Photo shoot location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Scott

All About BEARDS for Thirty Years, memory: Scott. Beard image 1.
Beard and bridge spans: Scott. Click on image to view larger.

I’ve been a lifelong fan of bridges. So, I really like this shot of Scott below the twin spans of the Wabasha Street Bridge in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. It looks kind of inspirational to me.

This bridge crosses the Mississippi River. About mid-span, there is an elaborate set of staircases and walkways providing pedestrian access between the bridge deck and the Raspberry Island Park below. This shot was taken below the bridge level but still above the ground level of the island. The small island is roughly in the middle of the Mississippi River.

Photo shoot location: Wabasha Street Bridge, Saint Paul, Minnesota

All About BEARDS gratitude

On this Thirtieth Anniversary of All About BEARDS, I’d like to thank:

  • all the beard growers around the world for growing your beards
  • all the beard growers, beard fans, and everyone else who has been a friend to the site

Extra special thanks go to all who have contributed their photos, their thoughts, their knowledge, and their friendship over the years. I cannot name everyone here in this already-too-long post. But know that you are remembered and are appreciated. Stay tuned for more Thirtieth Anniversary content to come. May God bless you all.

I’ll turn the mike over to Scott for nine seconds of final words to conclude this post:

Steven
2026/01/17

about beards.org

All About BEARDS For Twenty-seven Years

4 Comments

Why advocate for beards? I’ve been making the case in favor of beards online since launching All About BEARDS on January 17, 1996. It might be considered an unusual cause to support. But it’s a worthy cause, an important cause. That’s because beards mean a great deal to men who grow them. Beards also mean a lot to men who are unable to grow a beard and wish with all their might that they could grow a beard.

What about the beardless and broken hearted?

Beards mean a lot more than people realize. One’s feelings about beards can run inexplicably deep. Beards are an important part of being a man. Yet, not every man is physically capable of growing a beard. It doesn’t seem to make sense. Beards are an important part of being a man, but not every man is included. Seems unfair!

A man incapable of growing a beard is no less a man than one who sprouts an abundance of hair from his face. The man who desperately yearns to be able to grow his own beard and experience this aspect of manhood for himself often suffers in silence. Pain and frustration can run deep. Many feel sadness and depression with nowhere to turn for support. They may believe that others would view their fervent desire to be able to grow a beard as frivolous or silly. So they keep it to themselves, suffering in silence.

From the start, All About BEARDS has respected and empathized with those men who physically are unable to grow a beard. I wish I had an easy solution for them. Many long for a special cream or pill that would bring beard growth to their faces. At this time, there’s nothing quite like that available. I always recommend that you consult with your doctor if you feel that you might have a medical condition that inhibits your potential beard growth. Apart from that, you might look into methods for stimulating beard growth, keeping in mind that there are no sure “cures” for the lack of beard growth. Proceed with caution.

My best advice to all is that you make the best with what you have. Your beard growth pattern is yours and yours alone. Emphasize the strengths you have and make the most of them.

Grow your beard for those who can’t

All About BEARDS for twenty-seven years; beard image: Chris
Beard superstar Chris’ fierce beard.

Those can grow their beards should. Those who cannot grow a beard will appreciate it. Does this sound stupid? There is a lot of truth to it.

If you’re blessed with good beard genes, why not grow that glorious beard for all to see and admire? In a way, not growing that great beard is something of an insult to those who would give anything to have your beard-growing ability. I’ve not come across anyone who can’t grow his own beard being against beard-capable men growing their beards. I’ve only heard them express respect and admiration for those who can grow their beards. Those bearded guys even provide inspiration for those who cannot grow beards.

Be a source of inspiration. Grow your beard for those who can’t.

All About BEARDS: still on a mission

After twenty-seven years, beards have come a long way. I’m happy to see greater acceptance of beards and a greater prevalence of beards in the world. However, much work remains to be done. All About BEARDS will always continue its mission to advocate for beards:

  • Promote acceptance of and appreciation for beards.
  • Provide solid, helpful information on how to grow and care for your beard.
  • Work to reduce anti-beard bias.
  • Encourage and inspire men to grow their beards as they like.

All About BEARDS: selected beard photo shoot memories

On this twenty-seventh anniversary I’d like to share a look back at a sample of memories from the beards.org official photo shoots. Documenting beards through photography is an important component of the site. Scroll down for a photographic trip down memory lane. Click on any image to view larger.

The first: Paulie

First All About BEARDS photo shoot: Paulie at Guadalupe River Park at the Interstate 280 and California State Route 87 interchange, San José, California.
First All About BEARDS photo shoot: Paulie at Guadalupe River Park below the Interstate 280 and California State Route 87 interchange, San José, California.

Salvatore

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Salvatore with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Photographed at the summit of Mount Caroline Livermore, Angel Island State Park, California.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Salvatore with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Photographed at the summit of Mount Caroline Livermore, Angel Island State Park, California.

Brian

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Brian at the Embarcadero, San Francisco, California.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Brian at the Embarcadero, San Francisco, California.

Michael and John

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Musicians and friends Michael, left, and John, right, showed up in freezing weather for joint and separate beard photo shoots along the Riverfront Heritage Trail, Kansas City, Missouri.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Musicians and friends Michael, left, and John, right, showed up in freezing weather for joint and separate beard photo shoots along the Riverfront Heritage Trail, Kansas City, Missouri.

Nate

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: From SA to SF, longtime friend and correspondent from South Africa, Nate Maingard did a photo and video shoot for the site during a visit to the USA. Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco, CA
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: From SA to SF, longtime friend and correspondent from South Africa, Nate Maingard did a photo and video shoot for the site during a visit to the USA. Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco, CA

Conner

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Conner did a mid-winter beard photo shoot at Lake Fayetteville Park, Fayetteville, AR.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Conner did a mid-winter beard photo shoot at Lake Fayetteville Park, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Vicente

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Big beard in the big state of Texas: Vicente.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Big beard in the big state of Texas: Vicente.

Scott

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Scott at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Scott at the Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Virgil

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Amazing bearded barber Virgil. Tulsa Arts District, Tulsa, OK
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Amazing bearded barber Virgil. Tulsa Arts District, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Wade

All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Wade met up for a great photo shoot with his fantastic beard. Boomer Lake Park, Stillwater, Oklahoma
All About BEARDS photo shoot memory: Wade did a photo shoot with his fantastic beard at Boomer Lake Park, Stillwater, Oklahoma.

It’s been twenty-seven years. Grow your beard!

I wish to thank all of the friends, fans, and site contributors that I’ve met over the years. You have been a blessing. Thank you.

Grow your beard!

beard photo shoots, beards

Chris: beard thick and strong

Gallery 2 Comments

Chris is a great guy with a really great beard. Chris’ beard is one that some would rightfully call a heavy beard. His beard is exceptionally thick and the area it covers is broad. With beard growth so dense, Chris prefers to keep it trimmed short during the months of hot weather. Even with his beard trimmed short, it’s always impressive. His beard growth is so strong that after just a couple of days without shaving, it looks like he’s grown a proper beard already.

Last month, I saw Chris by chance at the Tulsa Tough cycling event. An avid cyclist, Chris has participated in the Tulsa Tough race in the past. This year he just came to watch. He kindly offered to do some more photos for beards.org that afternoon as well as the following day. The weather on both days was bright sunshine and brutal heat. But Chris cheerfully braved the heat so that we could get some new photos. Some sample shots from both days appear in the gallery below.

It had been quite a while since I’d last seen Chris. This time his beard had just been freshly trimmed down short for the summer heat. Along with the trim, his beard had been shaped down a bit with the neck line a little higher and the cheek line lower, presenting a crisp, well-defined short beard. During the photo shoot, he showed me a photo from last winter in which he had he had let his beard all grow, substantially. The difference was amazingly impressive. One of these days, we finally need to do a photo shoot with Chris’ full-on winter beard! Meanwhile, the summer version of Chris’ beard, thick and strong, is pretty impressive, too.

Click on any of the images below to view a larger version.

Chris at Tulsa Tough Riverparks Criterium
Chris at Tulsa Tough Riverparks Criterium Crybaby Hill

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Bearded at night: Chris

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year

Beard update: Chris

beard photo shoots

Virgil, bearded barber at work

Gallery Leave a comment

Award-winning barber Virgil is seen here cutting hair at Tapered Barber Shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stay tuned for more on Virgil and his story in an upcoming feature. Thanks go to Virgil and Tapered Barber Shop for this photo opportunity.

beard photo shoots

Virgil, great bearded barber!

Gallery 10 Comments

Virgil is an award-winning barber.  He sports a majestic full beard and does great things for the community. Yesterday Virgil was kind enough to participate in a photo shoot for beards.org. Some sample photos from yesterday are below. Click on any of the images to view a larger version. Stay tuned for more on Virgil, his beard, and his story.

beard photo shoots

Wade’s beard: Wow!

11 Comments

Published: September 16, 2016.
Last updated: May 3, 2024.

Wade kindly participated in a beards.org photo shoot yesterday.  Here are some sample photos from the session.  Click on any image below to view larger. (Click “X”, the back button, or press the ESC key to return.) Stay tuned for more!

Wade's beard
Wade's beard
Wade's beard
Wade's beard
Wade's beard
Wade's beard

Thanks, Wade!

beard photo shoots

beard update: Chris

Gallery 16 Comments

I recently saw Chris riding his bicycle.  He agreed to pause for some quick photos.  We then planned to meet again the next day to take more.  Here are some shots from the first quick photo session.

Click on any image below to view a larger version.

Chris on his bike
Cyclist with a thick beard: Chris on his bicycle

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Bearded at night: Chris

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year

Chris: beard thick and strong

about beards.org, beard photo shoots

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year.

2 Comments

all about beards' twentieth anniversary
Today is the site’s twentieth anniversary!

It began with the heartfelt desire to communicate to the world that beards should not only be accepted, they should be appreciated and encouraged.  This also included the objective of providing would-be beard growers with useful beard-growing information, inspiration, and support.

Building strength through numbers, the idea was to get as many men as possible to grow their beards.  The more beards there are, the more common a sight they become.  Over time, this leads to greater acceptance of beards as “normal”.  And the more acceptance beards gain, pervasive anti-beard bias begins to subside more and more.

Chris' amazing beard progress

It is deeply gratifying to know that all about beards has encouraged thousands of men all around the world to grow their beards.  Even though not all have kept their beards, each one counts as a victory because at least they all got to experience what it is like to grow your beard and be a bearded man.  It is also gratifying to hear from these newly-bearded men how proud they are of their beards and how great they feel about themselves with their beards.

Just as important as encouraging men to grow their beards has been providing them with the information needed to grow their beards properly and to avoid common beard-ruining mistakes.  Whenever I see a man in the beginning phase of growing a beard who has already badly misshapen the nascent beard, I am reminded that the site’s information on how to properly grow a beard still needs to spread further.

Chris' amazing beard progress

All about beards launched on the worldwide web twenty years ago today on January 17, 1996.  It started out on AOL member web space where it began to grow and thrive.  The original URL, now-defunct, was http://members.aol.com/beardguy .  All about beards moved to its new permanent home at beards.org on January 20, 2005.  To this day, all about beards continues to use the original beardguy@aol.com email address for regular correspondence.

Heartfelt thanks go out to all of the site’s loyal friends, supporters, and contributors.  Thanks for bearing with me as the site is going through some more growing pains.  The plan is for all about beards to keep growing and get better and better.

Chris' amazing beard progress

If after twenty years of all about beards you have not yet grown your beard, what are you waiting for?  all about beards guide to growing a beard!  Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year.

This post is illustrated with sample photos from another beard growth progress photo shoot with Chris a few days ago.  Chris’ amazing beard growth is just getting started and is making fast progress.   Click on any photo to see a larger version.  Use your browser’s back button to return to this page.

Chris' amazing beard progress

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Bearded at night: Chris

Beard update: Chris

Chris: beard thick and strong

beard photo shoots

Bearded at night: Chris

Gallery 7 Comments

Chris recently raised his beard’s cheek line that had been fairly low.  The new beard growth for the higher cheek line is now perfectly even with the previously-existing beard growth.  So Chris is now ready to let it all grow out together.  His beard is very powerful.  So, watch out!

Last night, Chris braved cold temperatures, wind, rain, and the dark of night to get some new photos of his beard’s progress.  Above are some sample shots.  Click on an image above to view a larger version.

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year

Beard update: Chris

Chris: beard thick and strong

beard photo shoots

Chris’ awesome, industrial-strength beard

Gallery 6 Comments

Chris has some of the strongest beard growth you’ll ever see.  His beard has exceptional density, thickness, and coverage.  At the moment he is transitioning his beard from a low cheek line to a much higher cheek line.  To help blend the established growth with the new, he recently trimmed back his overall beard.  Soon, both growth phases will blend seamlessly into one solid, powerful beard.  Chris kindly agreed to participate in a beards.org photo shoot today.  Below are some sample images from today’s photo shoot.  Thanks, Chris!

Click on any of the images below to see a larger version.

See more of Chris

View more photos of Chris with his incredible beard here:

Bearded at night: Chris

Maybe a great beard is just what you need this year

Beard update: Chris

Chris: beard thick and strong