MY "WHY"

All that I do is in the benefit of making positive impact upon the environment, and in the hopes that I help people discover a life changing connection to nature.

I am a photographer and filmmaker based in San Diego, CA. My professional background is in the education, and outdoors sector. My work approach is interdisciplinary, utilizing my personal experiences from both an academic, and non-traditional background.

Education -- three years of experience in tutoring students in English and soft skills subjects from grade school, high school, and community college, as well as in instructing non-traditional subjects for outdoor skills merit badge training, bike skills training, and rock climbing training. 

Outdoors -- six years of working in the outdoor industry by way of rock climbing, with three of those years pivoting to freelance media where I have worked as documentarian and photojournliast for natural history, and adventure subjects.

BRANDS AND CLIENTS I HAVE WORKED WITH

Rocknasium, Grotto Climbing and Yoga, Cliffhanger Guides, Static Climbing, HOKA, Bandit Running, REI, Pas Normal, City of Davis, Tuleyome, Yolo Basin Foundation, Nature Conservancy, CA Rice Commission, and various independent production companies/individuals.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2024 - City of Davis Urban Forest Management Plan Photo Contest, Multiple Photos Selected

• 2023 - Wild & Scenic Official Selection, "Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area"

• 2023 - Wild & Scenic Education Panelist, "Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area"

• 2014 - US Bank for Creativity award at the Palm Springs Art Museum's annual Fine Arts Creativity Awards, "Give Me a Second"

• 2012 - SkillsUSA State Competition, San Diego, Digital Cinema Production Bronze Medalist "Data Skills USA"

EDUCATION

• 2022 - Certified California Naturalist

• 2021 - UC Berkeley Graduate for English Literature

• 2019 - Santa Monica College for General AA and English AA

GROUP AFFILIATIONS

• University of California Agricultural Naturalist Resource Naturalists

EXTRA LORE

The first camera I owned was a Sony NEX-5. I was in high school, and at the forefront of my (teenage) angsty artist phase. Though my camera at the time kept me from a being a troubled child, I certainly caused a bit of trouble every now and then. Eventually I got a Canon T3i, made a bunch of videos on my YouTube channel, earned enough money from very random gigs to save up for community college, and moved out to Los Angeles. There, I went to community college at Santa Monica College for 5 years (I had absolutely no idea what I was doing until my 3rd year), and bought a Canon 5D Mark II to shoot luxury vacation rentals, music videos, short films, and document my discovery of nature.

I put down the camera once I transferred to university to focus on becoming a professor (I had 2 years of tutoring at the college level, and I was stoked on academia). I studied English Literature at UC Berkeley. COVID derailed me from my academic fervor, and I ended up picking the camera back to help me move on. What really helped me get back into it was selling my Canon 5D Mark II, picking up a Sony AX700 camcorder, then selling it for a Fujifilm X-T20 to get into the Fujifilm system (I am a huge camera geek).

Thankfully, I still stayed on track to graduate. Once I did, following a newly sparked interest in science communication thanks to my academic emphasis in ecoliterature, I became a certified California Naturalist, and took up freelance videography work by making natural history documentaries that benefits environmental non-profit organizations. Since starting, I have ventured in to other areas of work that includes documenting adventure stories, live performances, and photographing events, and portraiture. At times, I enjoy partaking in photojournalism, and sharing my own stories on my YouTube channel.

For those of you that know, I created an impossible list in 2022, and shared it on my old website host. I will be sharing an updated version of it on this website soon enough!