I grew up in the Pacific Northwest starting in Bellevue Washington and in 2007 moved to Beaverton Oregon where my love for photography really kicked off. Grabbing my camera and finding a new destination was a good way to explore my new state. About 11 years ago while at Smith Rock I started the Adrenaline Project to help me focus my work and what I wanted to photograph. I was always motivated to photograph people doing what they loved to do, even if the paycheck was bragging rights or a small sum of money. These are the people that work 9-5 and when they punch out for the day or weekend, their car is packed and they are headed to the mountains, rivers or slopes.
Early on I started my adventure photography by photographing kayakers on the local rivers. Eventually scaling up to photographing them going over waterfalls, some as high as 70ft. What I loved about photographing kayakers is it put me on the river and combining that with bright colored boats really had some appeal. I soon discovered you never saw an unhappy kayaker on the river, they were always smiling and they were always being safe, but pushing their limits bit by bit.
The rodeo hasn’t always been something I chased. After my first trip to the St. Paul rodeo in Oregon I became drawn to the way of life of a cowboy or cowgirl. Salt of the earth hardworking people that make a small living and travel from show to show to put some money in their pocket. All the time doing something that I feel is the apex of adrenaline sports.
Put all of this together plus some other sports, it makes for a great way to meet new people and have new experiences. The PNW is rich with lakes, rivers, rodeos and the adrenaline spirit and I love capturing it.