Hi there! My name is Zach and I am a 22-year-old professional landscape photographer from British Columbia, Canada. Photography has been my greatest passion ever since I was 15 years old. I first got into photography due to my childhood curiosity of the universe. I was intrigued by the idea of photographing the stars and I knew at the time that I wouldn't be able to do it with my cellphone. So I asked my parents if we had a digital camera laying around that I could use and fortunately; we did. It was a 10-year-old Canon Rebel XT with a kit lens. It certainly wasn't the greatest piece of photographic tech at the time, but it was good enough for what I needed.
Soon after I learned how to photograph the stars with that camera, I began to try other forms of photography such as macro, portraiture, and eventually landscape photography. In time, my passion and obsession with photography began to grow. I became more and more appreciative of the world around me. I began to notice how light can change a scene and make the ordinary into something extraordinary. I loved how photography pushed me to go outside and explore nature. I could do it anytime and anyplace. Not only that, but photography was something that helped me to get through any difficult experiences that I was going through at the time. It was a creative outlet that seemed to have never-ending possibilities, something that I had never quite experienced in any of my hobbies prior.
About a year later, I began to really delve into post-processing. I started editing my photos with Adobe Lightroom. I began experimenting with different looks and color palettes. Post-processing was a way that I could not only express myself but also create a unique look for my work. This addition to my creative workflow grew my passion for photography even further. After a year of spending hundreds of hours editing within Lightroom and Photoshop, I slowly began to create a style with a focus on dreamy light and punchy colors. Overtime, this focus helped me to develop a unique look that could distinguish my images from some of the more common styles today.
At the beginning of 2019, I quit my job as a plumbing apprentice and decided to pursue landscape photography full-time. It was a difficult decision to make at the time, but it's one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Quitting a job that I really didn't enjoy and focusing my secular energies on my photography has been a dream. And I wouldn't trade photography for any other job. It has also allowed my schedule to be more flexible and give me more time for non-secular pursuits that hold high priority in my life.
I enjoy helping others in their journeys through photography and post-processing. I've put together multi-hour courses that go into detail about how exactly I process my images. Every technique that I use in my work can be found in my courses, I want to give my students the best value for their money. In addition to courses, I receive many direct messages over Instagram every day from people who would like to know more about photography, and I do my best to try and get back to every person that I can. My main advice for anyone that would like to get into photography as a hobby and possibly one day as a career: Practice. Don't overthink it. Just take your smartphone and go outside. Focus on your composition. Notice how the light changes a scene. Notice how perspective can alter a photograph. Experiment not only in the way you capture your images but also in the way you process them. And most importantly, have fun.
Tap here to read an interview that I did with Vocal Media.
In this article I talk about my writing, creative process, inspirations, and more!