UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State architecture alumnus and acclaimed photographer Gary Bernstein will present a free public lecture, “A Light on Life: The Art of Photography,” at noon Friday, Dec. 6, in the Palmer Lipcon Auditorium, Palmer Museum of Art. His clients have ranged from celebrities such as Jay Leno and Elizabeth Taylor, to Fortune 500 companies, including Revlon, American Express, Cartier and Ford. Bernstein’s visit is sponsored by the Penn State School of Visual Arts and is the culmination of an online workshop series with photography students, conducted in November.

“The opportunity to have Gary present his work to our photography students and to review responses they made to a photo assignment he posed, has given them a distinctive learning experience with one of the most prominent photographers working today,” said Graeme Sullivan, director, Penn State School of Visual Arts.

Bernstein’s still photographs have appeared on the covers or pages of most major magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Hello, Black Elegance, GQ and Architectural Digest. He has published seven books, with more than a half-million copies in the worldwide market. His iconic coffee table book "Burning Cold," a compendium of Bernstein’s photographs featuring the prose of Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin and the photographs of Kay Sutton York, was launched at the Nikon Gallery in New York City and is sought after by collectors worldwide.

Bernstein received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Penn State, a master’s degree in film from Brooks Institute and a master’s degree in contemporary art from The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He also received the Photographic Craftsman Degree from the Professional Photographers of America, and won the Gold Award from the Advertising Festival of New York City.

For more information, visit garybernsteinstudio.com.