[3] Barris had a lifelong interest in photography, and as a young man he worked for the U.S. Army's Office of Public Relations.
After the war, he became a freelance photographer and found work in Hollywood.
He photographed many stars of the 1950s and 1960s, including Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cleopatra, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, Clark Gable and Steve McQueen.
Barris is perhaps best known for his work with Marilyn Monroe, whom he photographed in 1954 on the set of The Seven Year Itch, and in 1962 at Santa Monica beach, and in the Hollywood Hills in a series that became known as "The Last Photos."
Barris was collaborating on a book titled Marilyn: Her Life In Her Own Words at the time of her death.