Denton Hanna is a professional photographer and location manager who currently works primarily in feature films and television. He is a member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 600 in Hollywood, California as a still photographer. Denton uses a sound blimp as part of his on set stills camera package.
Denton Hanna creates original photography to be used for set dressing and props for feature films, television, and commercials. He has worked as a Technical Advisor in film production involving scripted still photography film sequences. He has coached actors Jenny McCarthy and Diana Scarwid on their characters’ use of a Nikon DSLR and a Leica Rangefinder camera in 2 separate films. He created the silver gelatin photographic prints to be used as the actor’s photographs on camera for set dressing and props in a blending of a Diane Arbus look with a Henri Cartier-Bresson street photography style requested by the Production Designer, Set Decorator, and Director. Denton designed and dressed a darkroom set for this same film.
Denton Hanna’s photographic career began in editorial photography and photojournalism. He continues to do editorial, sports, advertising, fine art, and architectural photography assignments.
Denton Hanna is a Location Manager and Location Scout for feature films, television, commercials, and still photo print ads in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Texas. He is a member of the International Teamsters Union Arizona Local 104 as a Location Manager. Denton Hanna scouted locations in Phoenix, AZ for Oscar winning Production Designer Jess Gonchor for the opening Arizona sequence of “Away We Go” directed by Oscar winning Director Sam Mendes. On the feature film “Piranha” filmed around Lake Havasu City, AZ, Denton permitted with 18 Federal, State, County, and local government agencies. Mr. Hanna gained clearance and a permit for Alexander Aja to film scenes on the Colorado River in an area known as “Devil’s Elbow”. U.S. Fish and Wildlife has never allowed filming in this area, until Denton Hanna obtained this permit. He facilitated the building of a 2 million gallon, 30 feet deep tank for underwater filming which still exists today as the largest underwater filming tank in North America. This tank is represented by Denton Hanna and AZ Location Service and is available for filming.
He has worked for Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Disney, Lionsgate, the Weinstein Companies, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Dimension Films, Focus Features, Journeyman Pictures, Big Beach Films, HBO Films, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Television, ESPN, the Sci-Fi Channel, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Spike TV, Sports Illustrated, American Photo, USA Today, Major League Baseball Inc., Topps Baseball Cards, Upper Deck, Fleer, Miller Brewing, Smart Money, eRepublic, Ligne Roset, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, Chicago Cubs, Marriott, Sheraton, Reebok, Nissan, VW, Rolex, and SPDR.
As a photographer, Denton Hanna has been published hundreds of times in National and International publications, baseball cards, commercial and advertising print ads, as well as editorial usage in all visual mediums. He has photographed with a 4X5 View Camera for architectural, advertising, and fine art photography. He has tested, processed, and printed silver gelatin, platinum, palladium, Cibachrome, Type-R, and Type-C photographic prints. Denton worked in a studio that beta tested each new Phase One digital scan back for 4 X 5 view cameras and has been at the digital forefront ever since. He has worked with Photoshop since version 1.0. He now prints exclusively on professional digital inkjet printers. Denton Hanna has studied with Joyce Tenneson at the Santa Fe Workshops. Denton Hanna is a member of ASMP, the American Society of Media Photographers.
Denton Hanna was a Field Producer on the independent film “Sugar” directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck for the Arizona portion of the Dominican baseball film project. Denton worked with the Oakland A’s securing their Spring Training baseball facilities including Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Denton Hanna sits on the board of the AFMC, the Arizona Film and Media Coalition and is an APA member, the Arizona Production Association.
He also is co-owner of AZ Location Service providing nationwide location services focusing on Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Denton has worked and permitted in Northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, the Navajo Bridge, Page, AZ, and Lake Powell. Denton Hanna is the only Location Manager to permit with the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe to film on their tribal land at Lake Havasu.