This Is Me ✌️

And yes, it is true that I am making my 8-year-old self smile by telling stories for a living. Hey, my name is Dalton Johnson and I have spent the last decade chasing, creating, curating, and telling stories from around the globe.

I do this for brands, athletes, ambassadors, scientist, and, well, anyone that will sit down with me and share their story.

Over the years, I have specializing in adventure travel, mostly focusing on experiential travel brands (think hotels with experiences, automotive, expedition cruise ships, outdoor brands, etc.).

My work has taken me on assignment to every continent and I have delivered over 160 campaigns and published hundred’s of articles in my 10+ years in the industry.

Business, licensing, and production inquires: dj@dalton-johnson.com
All other inquires: dalton@dalton-johnson.com

Contact Dalton

Testimonials:

“I would highly recommend Dalton for his exceptional talent as a wilderness and nature photographer/videographer. His ability to capture the beauty of the natural world is awe-inspiring. Dalton consistently produces images that captivate the imagination and engage audiences with stunning visual narratives. In our work together at Outward Bound, Dalton has also demonstrated remarkable adaptability and professionalism, consistently delivering high-quality work even in challenging environments.” -Ginger Naylor; CEO at Outward Bound

“Dalton has been a pleasure to work with and his photos have been chosen for the cover of our annual catalog 2 years running. His thorough pre-production meetings ensure that we get the best end product every time. His photography consistently reflects a knowledge and understanding of our brand.” -Maddy Morton; Marketing Director at Chums

“Dalton Johnson is your ideal contractor. He is autonomous, gets the work done, and you can count on him to do the job right the first time. Just ask and he delivers.” -Mark Pattison; SVP Business Development at The Area Group

“Dalton Johnson has become a go to for the Big Agnes Brand when it comes to needed content. He is great to work with and his attention to the details of what a brand needs from their content is always on point. Especially coming from a brand that may have a different eye than the rest of the industry.” -Rob Peterson; Marketing Specialist at Big Agnes

“Dalton Johnson is a talented visual storyteller. I had the pleasure of working with him on an image and video project at Klean Kanteen. He brought a wealth of creative ideas to the table and flexibility to adapt to brand needs and timelines. The final deliverables were of highest quality and drove substantial engagement across channels. Dalton has a unique mix of creativity and understanding of brand side needs. I highly recommend his services to anyone looking for a visual content partner.” -Ian McWilliams; Director of Brand & Marketing at Klean Kanteen

“Dalton is truly my go-to photographer for anything adventure or outdoors-related. He was always open and great at collaborating on projects, and I trusted that any project we worked on together would deliver incredible results. He has a knack for finding the perfect location, models and angles and knows the great outdoors like the back of his hand. I highly recommend Dalton and look forward to the next time we are able to work together again!” -Madaline Spinks; Art Director at Swiftwick Socks

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In my “spare time” I like to suffer like this 👇

Dalton’s Start With a Camera

Getting into photography was a fluke. It was my last quarter at Santa Clara University when I told my best mate to pick a class for us to take together. “A joke class,” were my exact words. Turns out a joke to him was picking an upper division photo class which involved a civil engagement project where I had to beg the professor to let me in with zero experience. Then, I had to find a camera I could borrow for the next three months. Throughout that class, every time I touched this camera I was afraid I was going to break it. As a matter of fact, I did! From landscapes to portraits, I learned the fundamentals of telling a story with images in that class. Once finished, I gave back the camera I borrowed, graduated university early, and began cycle-touring.

Living in one place no longer than a few months, my world continually expanded as I saw new places and met countless people from all walks of life. Some of my favorite stories come from random conversations in coffee shops. I couldn’t pinpoint a place to call home or head down one path, so I kept exploring. At some point between New Zealand and The High Sierra I picked up a camera again. From then on I couldn’t escape the desire to tell a story from behind the lens.

Fast forward 10 years, I have established myself as a go-to creative for outdoor lifestyle shoots, for both the motion and photo, to tell authentic brand narrative pieces. Most of my work includes video, photo, and writing pieces, working closely with a developed team to deliver 360 campaigns that will resonate with your audiences.

Dalton taking in the view as he bikepacked around the South Island of New Zealand

Dalton’s Approach To Telling Stories

Real Adventures. Real People. Real Stories.

Hey there ✌️ I am Dalton Johnson and I tell stories for brands and editorial outlets through photos and words.

At least that is my 10 second elevator pitch.

Whether the story is a brand narrative, a photo essay, a 5,000 word feature, or a 150 character post, each project begins with two simple questions:

1) What is the story?

2) What is the best way to tell this story?

The latter question is often answered in many forms, so I have been working towards mastery in the art of storytelling through photo and words professionally since 2016. Honing my craft has taken time and I've luckily been able to be on more than 1,000 assignments. However, my storytelling journey began when I was much younger and cuter.

How I Got Started: My first written short story was a Father's Day gift inked on a hand-me-down typewriter (trust me I'm not that old, just grew up with humble roots), about an ideal day spent with my Dad at a lake, and bound with a blue, plastic slide-in binding with a clear cover you find at Staples. The full story was four pages long, there were eight characters at the start, yet, only my Dad and I at the end. I was younger than 10, and I couldn't have been more proud to see my Dad open that present.

Today, my stories are rooted in the adventure travel space. Ranging from the effects of Avian Flu on the Antarctica cruise ship market, to campaigns highlighting a stay at adventure lodges, to human profile pieces on athletes climbing Denali or surfing big waves, to poetic works about the intertwined connection of humanity and nature (that's a mouthful), to brand narratives that encourage consumers to get outside in a foldable kayak. That's wide ranging, I get it, but I've been around for a while.

Regardless of the assignment, there are two things in common with all of my work; authenticity and rawness. I strive to narrate stories of real humans doing real things - especially when they’re outside exploring and enjoying nature. Meanwhile, creating work that makes people think. Often forcing the audience to ask the questions, "Who am I and what do I plan on doing with this one precious life?"

When producing a story, I've found working as a team creates the best work, but that team should be small and intimate. When writing, I can be there solo.