Returning to Los Angeles, Dan’s photographic work consisted of human-interest stories for numerous national publications as well as advertising campaigns.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2008 that Dan discovered, upon a trip to Palm Springs, the wealth of mid-century modern architecture that exists in the same desert city he had visited numerous times as a child. Inspired by the architecture and its relation to the desert landscape, Dan shifted his photography to architecture and subsequently began photography most of the mid-century modern architecture in Palm Springs and throughout Coachella Valley. Since then, Dan has received critical acclaim for his architectural work from several the modern preservation organizations, magazine publications and modernist homeowners alike.
This work lead to his book published in 2016 titled, ‘Unseen Midcentury Desert Modern’. It is a celebration of Modernist architecture in the desert. In this volume Dan focused his lens on previously unknown, or rarely seen buildings that were overlooked.
In 2014, Dan co-authored a book on the husband and wife midcentury modern designers Jerome & Evelyn Ackerman. Dan’s newly released book, Unseen Midcentury Desert Modern is a photographic survey of hidden and often overlooked desert modern residences, buildings and houses of worship throughout the Coachella Valley.
Dan Chavkin lives and works in Palm Springs, California.