Adventure Photography
On a cloudy day along the Northern California coast, I went for a walk to try out my new lens; the Tamron 50-400mm. Now, I don't know much about the lens other than I like the range, so I clicked it onto my Sony camera body and went for a walk to see what I could find.
Read MoreThank 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!
Read MoreWaking up early is a novelty. Crawling out from under your covers is difficult, but worth it. Throughout a year, at least one of my highlights comes from waking up early to catch a sunrise. Often my motivation is a photo idea, but sometimes it is a climbing mission, or an outing with a friend. Regardless, do something hard and wake up early a few times a year! It’ll be worth it.
Read MoreIn this photo essay Dalton Johnson documents Ryan Lynch hand shaping a surfboard from a blank. Documenting the process of how to make a surfboard from start to finish, this photo essay shows the beauty of the hand made process. If you are curious on how to make a surfboard, this photo essay will give you a look behind the curtain at how to make a surfboard.
Read MoreThe message is clear, distractions happen, learn how to handle them. In the end, I wrote the above as a stress relief exercise and to spew out an idea that I had been festering away in my brain for the last few days. In many ways, it was pestering me so much, I just wanted to get it down on paper so I could forget about it.
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Telling a story of a hiker staying at a cabin in the woods for a commercial photography lifestyle campaign. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
At the end of the day, my job as a commercial photographer is to sell a product. While photographing a campaign, a thought constantly repeats in the back of my mind and kinda goes like, “You are shooting a (insert product), that is the focus.” This mantra helps balance the struggle between creativity and capturing an image that will sell the product. Overall, the limitation in creating commercial photography is not an art director or creative freedom, the constraint is usually time and money.
Read MoreAfter 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.
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Blue Bells, a wildflower, dancing in the wind. Photo by Dalton Johnson
When I sat down to write this poem, I imagined an older women living alone, off the grind, in a cabin. The cabin I had stayed at. This nature poem was an attempt at showcasing the mental battle of being alone in the woods, mixed with the reality of curiousity. I wanted the poem to have a sense of fun, yet be serious. Attempt a small commentary about living off the land and a slower pace life.
Read MoreThe second episode of the podcast has dropped! In this episode, we dive into the world of dirtbag living with the Manager and Community Lead at Arc’teryx, Krista Coole. Personally, I met Krista through Beau Martino, about a year ago. Throughout that time, Krista has focused on building out the ambassador program for Arc’teryx Norcal.
Read MoreFrom 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!
Read MoreEnjoying a glass of milk with a few cookies on a pull-off along the Pacific Coast Highway in California. Photo by Dalton Johnson
The childhood delight of oven baked cookies, warm, and aromatic. As if you could taste the melted sugar in the air that would soon be dipped in milk. Breath in those cookies and taste them, imagine your childhood home, and close your eyes. Now imagine…
Read MoreRewinding 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.
Read MoreA Ford Bronco spraying dirt with BF Goodrich tires, created for BF Goodrich. Photograph by Dalton Johnson.
Photography is one of those passions with a low barrier to entry with today’s phones. However, turning that afternoon photograph, while on a hike with friends, into a part-time, or full-time job, is another story. If you are here, reading this article, you already have taken the most important step, becoming aware of the fact that you want to make money from taking photographs. The steps laid out below are building blocks for you to see and understand how to become a professional, but what is not there are the thousands of hours of work that this will take. Becoming a photographer is the second hardest job to maintain, just below becoming a rock star! So, what does this mean? Well, once you read this article, start getting to work. If you are persistent, in a few years, you will switching over from your current job to being photographer.
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In 2016 I took a leap of faith, bought a plane ticket to New Zealand as a graduation gift to myself for finishing college, and cycled around the South Island of NZ. Without a plan of action, all I knew was that I needed some time to sit with my thoughts and process as much as I could during that time. Sixty-two days is a long time without music, internet, social media, etc. but I can say, 62 days went quickly and wasn’t enough time to unpack the 24 years of living I had experienced. Getting caught up in the social conditioning of America is a road map to safety. Well, being safe isn’t living, and I wanted to live. While pedaling through rainstorms, almost sliding off roads, and sharing cookies and tea with strangers, I started to feel alive.
Read MoreTaking photographs in the water sounds impossible, right? I mean, a camera isn’t water proof! While the list of questions begins to trickle in, I wanted to put a quick pin here and note what you will learn in this article:
-Story behind one of my favorite images to date
-Logistics of photographing in the water
-Some gear recommendations
-Important safety checks
Read MoreThroughout this article, I would like to look at a couple of examples of black and white photos I’ve taken over this past year and dive deep into if they are “good enough” for social media. Understandable, this is my opinion, these are my images, and social media is only a testing ground for me. For an added layer, I will also toss in other possible uses for the images, like this blog.
Read MoreGregory Packs and I had been talking for a few months about creating some content together. They were looking for some fun, light-hearted content that matched their campaign, "Make Time". Throughout the months we were chatting, we settled on the location of Lake Tahoe, for its versatility of activities, and the set deliverables of one blog and 8 images.
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Imagine, it's a Friday night and you want to go hang with your buddies for an afternoon surf, but can't get in the water. This doesn't mean you can't have a good time. Heck, you might even be able to have more fun. Well, this is kinda the situation that I was in, but still wanted to hang out, so what did I do? Well, I grabbed my camera and headed to the beach.
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