Dalton Johnson is a commercial and documentary photographer/director who specializes in authentic content that tells a story (I call this advertorial work). While most of Dalton's portfolio comes from hard to reach places in the mountains and the ocean, he is no stranger to creating content that connects with the average Joe. Notching over 120 campaigns in his belt for clients like Ford, Men's Journal, B.F. Goodrich, Nike, Patagonia, Tamron Lenses, and many more, he is no stranger to bringing a project to life. In the end, Dalton's vast body of work has one thing in common, authenticity.

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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.