Flatlays are a photography genre of their own. In my last post, I shared a little about the props I use when I shoot flatlays. I also shared a little about the genre itself. Today I’m going to jump into the technicals of how I go about shooting flatlays.

I absolutely love shooting flatlays. I think it’s a great, unique way to showcase products. The cool thing about flatlays is that they will be styled and accessorized according to the personality of the person shooting them.

I’ve been really uninspired for a while, now. In fact, I’m probably in one of my longest seasons of personal drought. I’m aware of the things that are hampering my creativity, which is honestly one of the hardest things to identify.

Amanda & I have a long history of traveling together. In the years before having children, we did roadtrips constantly. We saw many National Parks for the first time together during these years - from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone and many others.

Happy Halloween! I thought today I’d keep it simple and share three photoshoots that are on-theme for Halloween. As an adventure and travel photographer, not much out there in nature scares me. Well, at least landscapes.

Winter is coming! That means it’s time for snowy shoots. Last winter, I hit up Lamar Valley in Yellowstone and had an incredible experience photographing the bison in winter, and overall exploring this amazing location in its off-season. Very few people were in the park in early February, which made our experience even better.

A few months ago I dropped a preset that I often use called Astoria A1. It’s actually one of my presets, not something I threw together to sell you. See it in action!

I recently posted about how I shoot in harsh light. Think of this blog as a part-two to that post. I’m going to show you how I go about editing photos that are taken in that intense mid-day sun.

Photographers have a special relationship with natural lighting. At times it’s gentle and soft, and other times it’s screaming with intensity. I was just in Wyoming for a few projects, and I had many shoots take place in harsh lighting. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have known how to make the most of this and would have tried to squeeze everything into the small window of golden hour every morning and evening.

Straight up, I have a bag problem. Sometimes I hop on Youtube and find other guys with way worse bag problems than me. But still, I have cycled through many bags in an attempt to hike, carry gear, and not be overburdened by adventuring.

For a creative, we often use the word gear. Gear doesn’t make you a better creative, but in the right hands, the right tools enable and empower you to create your best. This is why I love gear.

Last fall, I was packing my bag for a week in the Canadian Rockies. This is one of my favorite places on earth. It was just me going. My friends who were suppose to travel with me had something major come up and had to back out at the last minute, so rather than cancelling everything, I went ahead as planned.

If I was recommending a setup to someone who wanted to get into travel photography, I’d recommend a wide lens, a tight lens, and a high-megapixel camera.

Let’s start with the obvious. There are many film simulations out there, especially on your smart phone. If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to snap some film pics, I’d recommend going that route. But if you want to dive deeper into your editing style, some tricks for a bit of that nostalgic or filmic look, and grow as an artist, then these thoughts are for you.

The Goonies is one of my all time favorite movies. It made me (a country kid from North Carolina) fall in love with the Pacific Northwest at a young age. I used to think the coastline from the movie was straight up magical.

The following blog was one I wrote a few years ago, but I wanted to bring it home to this website rather than where it was first published. Before I jump into it, some context may be needed.

The year is 2005. I’m on a road-trip with two other guys from Virginia to Alabama. We’re driving down there in 10hrs, staying two days, and then driving back.

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot. There seems to be this mindset that your success comes at the expense of others. There certainly is truth to this mindset in some industries and some circumstances in life.

Traveling can be incredibly exciting and life giving. You get to see new things, expand your experiences, and if done well, rest and recharge. That said, travel can be pretty stressful as well.

Late last summer, I bought a Vanagon from a guy in Santa Cruz. I had been looking for one for several years, but hadn’t found anything that was a good fit. I was looking for something mostly mechanically sound (as I’m no mechanic), and something that was ready to be renovated.