During my time at Paleo Magazine, I often took photographs to accompany my articles. Most notably, I had full-page spreads published of photos I shot while attending a hunting course in western Washington and a movement retreat in the Mexican rainforest. I even took a photo of a plastic steer that was featured on the magazine's cover.
And yet I've always struggled with taking myself seriously as a photographer. Maybe it's because all the aforementioned photos were shot on an iPhone. I realize that the quality of the photo lies with the photographer, not the camera (and that the fact that one can use a smartphone to take magazine-worthy photos is pretty damn amazing), but still, I doubted my legitimacy. I am, by definition, as much a professional photographer as I am a professional writer—I've been published and paid for my work—and yet over the years I've erratically removed "photographer" my professional bio, only to eventually add it back in and then remove it again.
That all changed this last week, though. Savannah Wishart, a spectacularly talented photographer and model friend of mine, was in town—it was actually the first time we'd met in person, even though we've known each other for three years—and during a desert hike, she took out her camera and asked me to take a few photos of her inside a tree trunk that had long ago been split by lightening. She handed me her DSLR and climbed into the tree. And as I began taking photos, I fell in love with the process.
The next day, Savannah, my wife, and I were hiking along Central Oregon's Lava Island trail when we decided that the island at sunset would make for a beautiful figure photography backdrop. The next day, I bought myself a (not too expensive, but also not cheap) DSLR, and that evening we returned to Lava Island for what became my first professional photoshoot. A few more of my favorite shots are below. (I took off my clothes and got in front of Savannah's camera, too, but I haven't seen those photos yet.)
I still have a lot to learn as a photographer (the last time I used a non-phone camera was in high school), but I'm beyond pleased with the results of my first professional attempt.
I write every day. Writing fiction is my greatest passion, my deepest calling as an artist. But I have a feeling photography, too, is going to serve as a powerful creative outlet for me going forward: a complementary lens through which I can interpret and reveal the world.
