Earth Day: celebrating a picture perfect planet
Photography to me has always been about getting out of my comfort zone, living life to the fullest, and being comfortable with change. The lessons in my journey to become a landscape photographer have been no exception.
After learning the ins and outs of photography in major cities, domestic and international, I flew to Yellowstone National Park to meet a friend moving out west. I vividly remember arriving at the park, surrounded by sweeping vistas of mountains, colorful geysers, and majestic wildlife. We barely made it into Yellowstone and found ourselves stopping at every corner.
That trip left me with a high that lasted until I culled and processed each and every photo I brought into Lightroom. The weeks after left me with an instagram feed filled with national park content - and I couldn’t wait to visit my next one.
Fast forward a year, I’m living in Phoenix with 6 national and countless state parks in road trip distance to put in the spotlight.
Earth Day is the perfect time to share a personal testament of my time exploring nature through my lens.
Whether I’m spending a sunrise at the base of the Grand Tetons or completing a seven mile hike through Sedona in fresh snow, I have one word to describe every shoot: humbling.
Moments in the wild make me feel insignificant in the most beautiful type of way. I’m reminded that features like the Colorado Plateau or Rocky Mountains took far longer to form than humans can even begin to comprehend. They’re powerful structures that put anxiety and stress at ease, while re-energizing my spirit.
With a lens and sensor in hand, I’ve been inspired to see parts of the world I normally wouldn’t have.
Landscape photography opens my mind to seeing new places, putting in extra effort to see them at their most stunning. For example, this past January I set my alarm extra early to drive with a friend and see a blanket of snow over the Grand Canyon. I drove to the Mammoth Lakes outside of Yosemite in California during their off season to catch the alpine leaves changing. I’ve even hiked 7 miles in ice and snow to see my favorite cave in Sedona covered in snow, and had to slide down the slick rock like a waterfall after. My point is that I would have done none of these things if it weren’t for the goal of giving my portfolio a boost.
Not only did my camera encourage me to get out of my comfort zone, it encourages me to notice the details.
Horseshoe Bend is no stranger to many of our instagram feeds. With the honor of being considered the “beginning of the Grand Canyon”, it’s a staple to Arizona and any landscape photographer would say it’s a bucket list location for them. I was no exception.
I finally made it the bend a couple weeks back and even after the countless photos of Horseshoe Bend I’ve seen, I somehow never noticed how there is a full patch of bold green grass on one side, and nothing but canyon rock on the other.
Maybe it's always been there, or maybe it's unique to spring given all the rain we had over winter. Regardless, this is why it's a great idea to photograph viewpoints that aren't exactly rare to see on instagram.
Landscape Photography is about forming a connection between a viewer and all the tiny details you notice in the natural world. For me, it was the slight bit of grass adding a touch of life to contrast the rest of the canyon. There are a million more things about Horseshoe Bend I probably missed that another photographer would catch. While this landscape is all over instagram, stock agencies, art galleries, etc, no two expressions of it are the same.
And no - a location can not be “over photographed”, “over published” or “over shared”.
Why do we need another photo of Delicate Arch? Well first, we don’t “need” a photo of anything. That being said, Delicate Arch won’t be around forever and all parks will look different over time. Most of these changes won’t be noticeable over a human lifetime (or several), but they are still worth capturing for generations to come. Every photographer has a different eye, and different details of a location they want to emphasize.
Respect for nature and conservation should be our number one priority.
On this Earth Day, I am reminded once again of the importance of protecting and preserving these natural landscapes. My hope is that my photography not only inspires others to explore the beauty of the natural world, but also helps to promote the importance of respecting and preserving these landscapes for future generations. As I reflect on my journey as a photographer and the role that nature has played in my life, I am grateful for the opportunity to use my art to encourage others to connect with the natural world, step out of their comfort zones, and experience the beauty of our planet for themselves.
