Welcome to the digital home for all things from Dalton Johnson.
All tagged Recent Work
Last October, I received a phone call from Andrew Muse to be the Director of Photography for the fourth season of Tiny Home Adventures. I’ll be honest, I had never watched an episode of the series, but my interest was peaked by the location, potential adventures, and the client list we would intertwine throughout the series. So, after we chatted on the phone, I watched a few episodes and gave him a call back, “I’m in, it looks like fun.”
While on our road trip through, Baja creating content for the release of the Ford Bronco, we messed up. In San Juanico (aka Scorpion Bay) we took the Bronco onto the beach in hopes of snapping a shot of spraying water at sunset, we swamped it, but it was an adventure. The video and story below is the result.
I have been wanting to expand my lifestyle work to expand beyond the outdoor action sports field, so, I took a little bit of time and came up with a concept to shoot a speculation project for Blundstone Boots. This project was a good challenge for me as I had never photographed a shoe before. I have captured socks, but never shoes.
With 72 hours of “free-time”, so we headed out on a kayaking adventure. Starting our kayaking outing at Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, CA for sunrise, it ended in a breathtaking sunset over the Emerald Range. As the road trip continued, our bodies grew tired, the milky way was overhead, and we cuddled in the van.
Thank you Big Agnes for the opportunity to create with you all. I have enjoyed the process of learning your style and doing my best to contribute to you all!
After a three day digital detox in Joshua Tree National Park, void of vibrations and pings, penning a note felt like the perfect way to continue the slowed down lifestyle and show some gratitude for time well spent with good friends. Pulling a pen from the drawer, tearing out a blank sheet from his notebook, and sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee, Dalton Johnson shares the story of a weekend adventure.
From the outside looking in, travel photography is a dream. As a travel photographer, you get to hang out in cool places, do all the adventurous things, and see the world… for free. Right? Well, not exactly. The reality is, if something is happening, you have your camera to your face photographing. If nothing is happening, you are jocking for position to get the next shot, or, you are importing content, cleaning gear, etc. Yes, you get to be in the places, but you rarely have the opportunity to do the activities. For example, this was a 40(ish) day shoot. In the end, I got to play (surf, rock climb, snorkel, etc.) for six of them. That is less than if I worked a 9-5 job!
Rewinding one calendar year, to September 2020, I was slouched and red-eyed, staring at google earth dreaming up ideas, such as climbing notable peaks in a single season in three different mountain ranges like the High Sierra, the Tetons, and the Cascades. All of these ranges have a lifetime of climbing within them, so I knew I would be a guest, cherry-picking the classics, but I still wanted to give this a try. So, I started training. As the plans for the trip developed and I connected with past climbing partners, like Luan, Beau, and Kristin. I started to get psyched, but felt a void.
Upon finishing the week long VLOG challenge, I am very excited to say that I completed the challenge and have been continuing with videos. They are fun to make and share with you all. Providing a glimpse into vanlife, a career of photography, and the long term value of living an engaging life.
Quite honestly, I would not have guessed when I made my business official (aka got a business license and started paying taxes under the business name "Dalton Johnson Media") roughly three years ago, that I would be photographing a campaign for @fordbronco or @outwardboundusa anytime soon. Realistically, I just wanted to pay my way by shooting odd jobs here and there to fuel my adventures. I really never had a list of dream clients, nor did I care to reach out to clients. While some of that has changed, my focus remains the same. I am here to live my life in accordance to my own view of success.
This poem was written with the intention of encouraging others to step outside of thier comfort zone and start engaging with their dreams. I use the motif of watching your dreams go by, season after season, from a window. This idea is pulled from a quote I learned while I was working as an outdoor educator (teaching backpacking, rock climbing, etc.) for Outward Bound that goes like this: “A ship in harbor is safe, but that isn’t what a ship is for.”
