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!
Read MoreI am super excited to announce that I will be co-hosting season three of the Occupation Wild Podcast with Courtney Condy. The season has already kicked off with a question and answer session around photography, van life, how to make money while living on the road, and so much more! Below is the link to the first episode.
Read MoreLooking for travel ideas in Baja, Mexico? Well, you are in the correct place. I have traveled through Baja, Mexico over 30 times in search of adventures. Throughout the experiences, there have been many take aways, but the most important is to be open. Traveling in Baja is much slower than the US, the people are friendlier, and the landscape is uninhabited in comparison. While you do not need to know Spanish, if you know the basics, you’ll be happier. Below you will find a bucket list of adventure travel ideas for your travels to Baja, Mexico.
Read MoreSucking it up, I put my big boy pants on— mainly to avoid being left behind by Kristin—and head to the hot spring. It was my first time here, I didn’t know what to expect and I was blown away. The landscape was cloaked in a orange glow as the light danced down the mountains and across the fields in the distance. Staring out from the warmths of the hot spring, I was proud that we persevered.
Read MoreThe time has come to pack your backpack, hit the trail, and sleep in the dirt. Backpacking is an adventure combining hiking with backcountry camping, so be ready for a deep thigh burn and dirt under your fingernails. Living out of a backpack combined with the lack of conveniences makes backpacking an enjoyable type two activity. In the moment, as you labor up a steep grade, you might question your decision to go on this trip, but as you roast a marshmallow for s’mores and stare out at the Milky Way you’ll cherish those steep grades like a badge of honor. If this is your first backpacking trip, or your 10,000th trip, I promise there will be a nugget of goodness in this article.
Read MoreGrowing up in a small town outside the city limits on the north shore of the lake, my family spent every opportunity skiing, hiking, swimming, and mountain biking around the blue waters. However, my parents were never keen on sleeping in tents, so backpacking was an activity I fell in love with during my time in college. When I returned home the summer after graduating and told my parents that I was going to thru-hike the 165 mile Tahoe Rim Trail, alone—to collect my thoughts before diving into a career—they rolled their eyes.
Read MoreHaving fun while living in a van can be simple, but the distractions of life are ever-present. Keep that in mind and prioritize the fun things. Make a list, check it twice, and fill your bucket with the experiences that help you grow.
Read MoreWe were hesitant, at first, as we got a lay of the land and understood how packed the sand was. Smashing corners felt a bit risky, as did putting the pedal to the metal, but we wanted to kick up some dust for the shots. In the back of our minds, we couldn’t shake the reality that breaking breaking down here had consequences. Running out of gas in Cataviña had smaller consequences, but it would not be ideal. Regardless, we were committed to fun and creating stellar images.
Read MoreI’ve lived on the road for seven years now, five of which have been in a van. While my first vanlife set up was not ideal— I couldn’t stand, it broke down a few times, and it was often referred to as a “creeper van”—my set up for the last two years has been great!… I missed out on showing you all several things, as this was an impromptu to van tour along the California coast. To address and answer other vanlife questions, check out the blog below:
Read More“Heyy Dalton, this is EPIC BILL BRADLEY here, um, give me a call. I am looking for a camera guy who is a bad ass. Can you climb mountains with camera gear?” Bill teases me with this voicemail back in February. Now, it is May and we have three more weeks until gear check in Talkeetna, Alaska. Bill and I had not met until this point, but I was intrigued to shake is hand, see if his height matched his energy, and get on a mountain with him.
Read MoreThe 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 MoreTwo days later, I pedaled away from the hostel the man at the airport had suggested. Winding through the city streets of Christchurch, I was eager to make it to the main road that circles New Zealand’s South Island. Upon arriving at the T, I asked myself, “clockwise or counterclockwise?” For the first time, I had a hunch that I knew what I was doing. Feeling confident, I recall thinking, it’s the second half of summer, I should go south now, so I am in the north for the fall. So, I went right and pedaled along the coast, embracing a freedom that I had never known before.
Read MoreHighway 395, the scenic road which gives you access to the Eastern Sierra, stretches from Palm Springs to Mount Shasta. This old trade route has now become the land of adventure for many reasons. The famous black and white photographer, Ansel Adams, main body of work is based throughout the Eastern Sierra. Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental US can be gawked at from the highway.
Read MorePhotography 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.
Read MoreA micro-adventure is a mindset and physical outing directed to exploring. Since these are small, most micro-adventures will happen in your backyard, wherever that be. Now, some people will be luckier than others because of where they live, but even a city-dweller can have micro-adventures. The goal is to change your perspective on your current life situation and push yourself to go. Most of the time a micro-adventure will leave you asking yourself, “why would I ever do that?” The answer is “because it sounds like fun… kind of.”
Read MoreWhile six pack abs and bikini season are always around the corner, van life might prevent you from getting to those goals. Yes, you are closer to access the outdoors if you plan your van trips correctly, however you aren’t going to have much space for working out, especially if the weather does not agree with your routine. If you plan on being a weekend warrior in a van, fitness won’t be a point of topic you’ll stress much about. However, if you decide to commit full time and have aspirations of maintaining your gym-centric body, guess again! With that said, below are five tips to maintain your fitness level while crammed in your tiny home on wheels.
Read MoreIn 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.
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