In 1974, Bob brought his Kodak Instamatic camera to a New Riders Of The Purple Sage concert at New York City’s Academy Of Music. He had no idea he was about to embark on a lifetime journey.

A graduate of New York City's School Of Visual Arts, Bob earned his BFA in graphic design and photography. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and currently lives with his family in Marin County, CA. He is a partner in Minkin Design, a full-service web design and graphic studio.

His photographs have appeared internationally on CDs and DVDs, and on the covers and insides of many magazines and books. Clients have included Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Guitar World and Grateful Dead Productions.

As Bob tells it – “When I was 13 years old, I fell in with a clique who turned me on to the music I still love today. By 1974, I was going to concerts by Eric Clapton, Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Mountain, NRPS, and others. Greatly impressed with this new world, I wanted to capture a memory or keepsake for myself. I began taking my camera to almost all the concerts I attended.

Living in NYC afforded me the opportunity to hear plenty of live music. It became a hobby, an obsession and I went to many shows, seeing not only bands that I was familar with, but exploring new bands that were unfamilar to me. The Plasmatics, Todd Rundgren, Ramones, B-52s, Talking Heads.

By 1977 I already amassed a considerable portfolio. At that time through a chance encounter I hooked up with Relix Magazine, then a Grateful Dead fanzine. My photos were published in Relix and I began gaining official access, that is, photo passes to many concerts. I continue to work with Relix to this day.

Bob and his favorite guitarist

As time went on, I expanded my contacts in the music industry. Working with Monarch Entertainment in the Northeast, later Bill Graham Presents when I moved to San Francisco. During the 1980's I began a close relationship with Grateful Dead Productions which continues to this day in the form of my role as their package designer for most of their CD and DVD releases, and photography of course.

When shooting, I like the beauty of natural light and try to be as unobtrusive as possible, allowing my subjects to be their natural selves. Capturing the definitive peak moments of an event is what I strive for.”

Bob’s design studio - Minkin Design - opened shop in 1990, the year Bob and Anne Minkin escaped from New York and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. The two talented designers met at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts, graduating with BFAs in Graphic Design and designs on a future together.

Their entrepreneurial start in California - after stints in the NY corporate world - netted them clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500's. In addition to many long-term client relationships, they developed a full network of support people and services, along with the ability to successfully manage any marketing communications project, no matter the size or complexity.

Their Philosophy

1. Listen and learn