Louis Robinson von Beckhoff was born, raised and educated in Philadelphia, PA. He earned a B.S. degree at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, later renamed Philadelphia University.
Louis began taking pictures upon receiving his first camera as a graduation gift from his father. Having spent much of his young adult life traveling the globe, his subsequent return to the States was met with a cascade of tragic personal events that virtually halted his active shooting, to be resumed at a later date only intermittently.
Louis' inspiration was drawn from the acclaimed photographs in the Family of Man Exhibition and although unstudied, he has been likened to some of the leading classic photographers of years past, most notably Walker Evans. His photographic collection illustrates his rare ability to capture the very essence of his subject. Black and white available light candid portraiture, his specialty, comprises the bulk of his work.
Louis exhibited portraits in the 2015 Group Exhibition at Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and has had several showings in New York City at Nexus Gallery. He has been invited to exhibit in Tokyo (by Nikon), San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and most recently Arles, France (Les Recontres d'Arles).