FROM THE ARTIST

It wasn’t long after I picked up my first camera that I knew I would be a photographer for the rest of my life. My college hobby turned into a passion, and eventually transformed into a way to capture all those moments I wanted to hold on to. Whether it’s good friends on a weekend climbing trip, or a multi-day backpacking trip through pristine wilderness, my camera has been a companion to it all. My camera and lens are my journal and pen, with each click I write more into memory than I could pen. I like to think it will always be there for those special moments, but it has truly taught me the value of its absence as well. Now for some quick background information!

I was raised in Southern California, with frequent family vacations and trips to the Eastern Sierra and other nearby wilderness that fed my curiosity about nature. Our house was a nicely concealed in an oak tree-lined canyon, where we had more bears and coyotes than actual neighbors. I definitely did not appreciate the immense impact it had on me at the time, but looking back I can easily see how the environment I was raised in led me to where I am, and what my passions have evolved into. Fortunately, most of them allow me to spend time with my right hand man Nero, a born and raised adventure pup that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

My outdoor career started with regular backpacking trips ranging from weekend overnighters to great multi-day pushes deep into the backcountry. Climbing eventually worked its way into my life and quickly grew deep roots of which I don’t ever know I will be able to shake off. Having started gym climbing back in 2010, I then viewed climbing simply as a fun way to workout, but after I was introduced to roping up outdoors on real rock it became so much more than that. It’s a skill set that can unlock places and scenes so remarkable that even my imagination could not compete, and for me that reward is priceless.

My first trip up a heavily snow covered Mt. Whitney in 2016 was undoubtedly a launching point for my aspirations to take my climbing into the alpine arena. I remember trying to fall asleep the night before our 3am wake up to make the summit attempt, lying in my tent watching the walls of my tent glow dimly with the setting moon falling behind Mt. Muir. All my attempts to visualize what it would be like to work my way up the mountain and stand above all of my surroundings, fell completely short of the mixed feelings of excitement, nervousness, exhaustion, and awe I felt getting to that summit. From there my climbing and photography has led me to so many incredible places around the world. From the jagged limestone of Lebanon, to the towering sandstone jebels of Wadi Rum, and to the breathtaking granite walls of El Chalten my appreciation and love of the sport has successfully transformed my life and my goals.

Ultimately, the draw for me is getting to these far-out places that few have witnessed and not only experience it all first hand, but then being able to bring back those moments as a photograph and reminder more powerful than just a memory.  Capturing those precious seconds from my perspective in a way that can tell a story or provoke emotion is one of the greatest rewards I get from dragging my camera around, and when I throw myself out into those insanely beautiful places, my surroundings pretty much do all of the heavy lifting.