Antelope Flat at early morning blue hour

Photography has been part of my life, on and off, for more than two decades. I first picked up a film SLR camera while I was in college and later transitioned to digital. During years spent working through undergraduate and graduate school, photography became a creative outlet and a source of joy.

Like many people, life eventually got busy. For one reason or another, the camera was set aside and remained there for quite a while.

In March of 2021, I moved to Dutch John full-time. In many ways, it felt like starting over. I had left behind the familiar world of Wasatch hiking and suddenly found myself surrounded by vast expanses of public land with few established trails and an entirely different landscape to explore.

The scenery here is undeniably beautiful, but it took time to adjust. The towering peaks and well-traveled trails I had grown accustomed to were gone. In their place was an immense, wild landscape that often felt unfamiliar and, if I'm being honest, a little intimidating. Mountain lions certainly played a role in that. While I've never actually seen one, I know they're out there, and I would very much prefer not to be eaten.

For several years, I largely avoided venturing too far off trail.

Then, in 2023, something changed. Two years after moving here, I felt a strong desire to pick up a camera again. Even though I was still hesitant to fully embrace off-trail exploration, I knew I was living somewhere special.

Nearly three years later, photography has brought me back to a life of adventure and time outdoors that I didn't realize I so desperately needed. It has taken me to places I likely never would have explored otherwise and allowed me to witness wildlife and moments that many people only ever read about.

Most importantly, photography has helped me rediscover a sense of connection to the outdoors and to this place that I now call home.

Over the past year, my photography journey has taken some unexpected turns.

I've been fortunate to begin sharing my work throughout the Flaming Gorge region, including collaborations with the local Intermountain Natural History Association, where my images are now featured on postcards available in visitor centers throughout the area, as well as at a local fly shop, Trout Creek Flies. I'm also beginning to explore opportunities to share my work through local galleries and other community spaces.

For the last couple of years, much of my photography has centered around wildlife. Like many wildlife photographers, I found myself constantly chasing the next encounter, the next species, or the next adventure.

But while selecting images for postcards and prints this year, I realized something surprising.

Despite living in Dutch John and spending countless hours outdoors, I had very few landscape photographs of my own home—the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam, the surrounding canyon country, and the landscapes I experience almost daily—that I truly felt proud of.

I knew that if I didn't intentionally begin photographing these places, it was something I would eventually regret.

Life has a way of shaping our priorities. Between a full-time job, life in an RV, and raising a very energetic nine-month-old Labrador, time has become one of my most limited resources. Early mornings outside have become a necessity rather than a luxury, and staying close to home simply makes sense.

But I've come to realize that what initially felt like a limitation may actually be a gift.

Many people travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to experience Flaming Gorge and the Green River. I have the privilege of calling this place home.

By slowing down and returning to the same places again and again, I've started noticing things I might have otherwise missed: subtle changes in light, seasonal transitions, wildlife patterns, and the quiet rhythms of the landscape.

Rather than always searching for something new, this year I'm focusing on learning the places closest to home more deeply.

I hope you'll join me as I continue exploring and sharing the wildlife, landscapes, and stories of Flaming Gorge and the surrounding wild places that inspire me every day.

Flaming Gorge: Learning to Photograph the Place I Call Home