Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dewey Nicks studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Immediately after graduation, he launched into a professional career as a fashion and commercial photographer—now-spanning three decades—with work appearing in such magazines as Vogue, the New York Times Magazine, and GQ among many others. Nicks has also created classic advertising images for such clients as Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Levis, and Ralph Lauren.