I didn’t find photography in a studio. I found it on the side of a mountain.
Most people think fitness and photography are two different worlds. One is about pushing your body; the other is about looking through glass. For me, they’re the same pulse. I didn't buy a camera to take soft pictures of flowers. I bought it because I was going places that were too powerful to leave undocumented.
Living in Southern California, I’m stuck between the salt of Death Valley and the jagged peaks of Mount Whitney. If you want the shots that carry actual weight, you have to be willing to bleed for them.
IRON AND DUST
For a long time, I was just a gym rat . But, I was only chasing numbers on a barbell. It was when I would get outside of the gym setting and go up into the mountains, I always gained a bit more clarity; and the fog would clear.
When your heart rate is maxing out at 10,000 feet and you have 60 lbs on your back, you see things differently. You don’t see a "pretty landscape." You see a challenge. You see the mountain for what it is and how the light punishes the peaks. You see clearly. You traverse close enough to danger that real beauty begins to sink in... You understand that although it is breath-taking, in both the literal sense of the word and figurative, nature must also be respected.
THE PHYSICALITY OF THE FRAME
This is why I shoot Environmental Portraits.
When I work with a client, I’m not looking for a fake pose. I’m looking for the charisma that only shows up when you’re out in the elements; when you are resilient. I don’t pack up because it’s raining or the wind is high. Fitness taught me that the best rewards aren't handed out, they come to those who push through the elements and those who keep working through the rain.
photography and life are no different... Standing on a summit after hours of work is a humbling thing. It is an unconditional reward.
DOCUMENTING THE STRUGGLE
Photography is how I share the gift of the summit. It’s about more than "taking a picture." It’s about freezing a moment of triumph before it disappears.
I do not care about "polished" or trends. I care about the truth of the journey. Whether I’m shooting a trail run or a remote landscape, I’m looking for the real, the toughness in the individual, the spirit we all have.
IF YOU WANT TO CAPTURE YOUR STORY IN THE PLACES OTHERS ARE AFRAID TO GO, MESSAGE ME FOR DETAILS.
