When you’re building a quote for a client, one of the most important pieces to define is your creative fee. This number represents far more than just the time you spend taking photos—it’s the heart of your value as a professional. Understanding what goes into a creative fee not only helps you communicate with clients but also ensures you’re compensated fairly for the work you bring to the table.

When you’re starting out as a professional photographer, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to price your work. You know you should be paid for your time, talent, and vision — but there are also hard costs that make a project happen. To simplify this, I’ve found one tool that makes pricing far more straightforward: breaking a quote into two clear parts.

When you start the conversation with a potential client, your first goal is to get a feel for their budget. This helps you understand how big of a production you can realistically create. Just as important, you need to know whether you are acting as a photographer or as a solo-agency. That distinction has a major impact on pricing.

If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to pitch sponsored projects, here it is: you can start today. You don’t need to be a world-famous photographer or have a massive following. What you do need is a strong idea, the ability to communicate that idea, and the willingness to do the work of putting yourself out there.

Sponsored projects have become one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of my career as an adventure photographer. They are a way to fund personal stories I care deeply about while also building my body of work and, in many cases, earning real money.

The short answer is yes and no. As an adventure photographer, I’ve landed over $20,000 for a single project from one sponsor, which was a fantastic win. But more often than not, sponsorships mostly help offset the cost of producing the project rather than making a big profit upfront.

In my years as an adventure photographer, one thing is clear: your clients know what they know, and sometimes that knowledge can be more than yours. But often, especially after you have been in the industry for a while, you find that the person hiring you knows less about the creative or technical side than you do. That means you have to recognize this, educate them, and keep moving forward.

In this industry, your clients usually know what they want — but not always what they need. And after you’ve spent some time in adventure photography, you start to realize that sometimes you actually know more than the people hiring you. That’s where the tricky part begins: educating your clients without coming across as a know-it-all.

If you want to make it as an adventure photographer, you have to play the long game. I wish there was a faster route. But after nearly a decade in this industry, I can say this with confidence: every meaningful success I’ve had has been built slowly, layer by layer.

An influencer told BFGoodrich to hire me and they listened.

Have you ever watched somebody scroll their feed? People move quick and don't give you a second chance if you're a brand putting out sterile content that is staged.

"Making it" just as a photographer doesn't really happen in today's landscape, but it's still possible with some creativity. Take a second and think about the biggest photographer's you know, I bet none of them are "just a photographer":

We all sat around a campfire in Alabama Hills, CA. I lived in a van, Andrew lived in the Museroamer, and Leah lived out of a car while on a road trip. Shooting the shit about photo and video ideas, Leah had an idea:

"I've always wanted to do a photo shoot hula hooping in an abandoned building!"

New work now live with BUFF® , The Surfrider Foundation , and artist Ian Ross. While, as you can see, the weather didn’t cooperate with us, this has been by far one of my favorite pieces to work on this year.

A little behind the scenes for all the photographers and videographers out there wondering how to make a tight deadline for a last minute project. In the end, the client, Buff, was very excited with the end result of this photo and video project. So, here’s how we delivered a project in five working days:

When I first started in 2016, I genuinely believed that becoming a great photographer meant mastering camera settings, nailing composition, and building a big social following. Maybe you feel the same—that technical skills, a signature editing style, or the ability to capture perfect lighting is what lands the biggest jobs.

Rising like a stone spire from the desert floor, the Totem Pole is one of the most iconic formations in Monument Valley—and one of the trickiest to photograph up close. Whether you're chasing sunrise light or dreaming of a long-lens shot that captures the scale of the Southwest, here’s how to see and photograph the Totem Pole respectfully and effectively.

Adventure photography can feel like a dream career because who doesn’t want to capture epic landscapes, document extreme sports, or share their passion for the outdoors with the world? Yet, turning that passion into a sustainable livelihood requires more than just snapping stunning images. In today’s ever-shifting creative marketplace, successful adventure photographers embrace multiple revenue streams, understanding that each avenue reinforces the others and builds long-term stability.

I paired up with Tamron Americas to bring to life a 1500 word guide, filled with images, about photographing historical monuments in Egypt. This story is focused on sailing/cruising the Nile, visiting the ancient sites of Luxor, visiting museums, and, of course, photographing the pyramids.

Personally, this project was one in a lifetime, as I achieved a childhood goal of visiting every continent. Finishing with Egypt, a childhood fascination, I couldn't be more in shock. Before I write any more of a sob story about achieving childhood dreams, here is a taste of the article:

Every successful adventure photographer—from the earliest pioneers scaling granite walls to today’s social-media storytellers—follows a simple yet powerful creative cycle. It’s a repeating loop of creation, exposure, monetization, and reinvestment. When you understand each stage and learn how to navigate it intentionally, your craft improves, your earnings grow, and your professional network expands.