About

Growing up in Oklahoma, USA – I had a great upbringing, tt was honestly more than anyone could ask for. I grew up with two amazing parents, close extended family, awesome friends and three brothers! I ended up attending college at Oklahoma State University (Go Pokes!) and majored in Finance. I got my “dream job” out of school and had my life figured out (or so I thought) –  but things slowly started to change. 

Long story short: The conventional route just couldn’t satisfy me. 

I bounced from opportunity to opportunity, each greater than the last, but something about the office 9-5 lifestyle and traditional careers just wouldn’t stick. There were some dark times in those first few years out of school,  I honestly thought something was wrong with me. I had everything I could ever want (on paper) so why wasn’t I happy?

You could say travel and photography snuck up on me. After spending Monday through Friday of every week tired and uninspired, I would go out on the weekends to just drive or walk around aimlessly to clear my head. I would go to new and unfamiliar parts of the city to explore. At this point in my life, I was just searching for a distraction.

I was pleasantly shocked about how many unique and rich experiences there are out there. Every place has a story, and I loved trying to uncover it. It added depth to the new experience. These experiences, however big or small, started to have a bigger impact on me than I could have thought.

Eventually, I needed a way to document the experiences. 

Taking a lesson I learned from my upbringing: I did what I could, with what I had. So I simply pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of people, places, and experiences I enjoyed. 

And over the next few years, this is how I spent my time.

Slowly but surely, the trips and experiences got bigger, and I upgraded from the iPhone to a more professional setup. I became more adventurous and a better photographer than I ever thought I could be. But more importantly, I became a better version of myself. 

My passions have taught me patience, how to enjoy the little things, and to not waste our most valuable resource – time. 

I never really considered the possibility that I could ever do travel and photography full-time. It just didn’t seem realistic. While my upbringing was great, it taught me to always be practical and always think things through (sometimes to a fault). It led me to major in Finance and pursue careers in commercial real estate, technology, corporate finance, etc. I wasn’t particularly passionate about these things, but I understood them and they brought a comfortable life.

With all the safety, comfort and stability that my careers brought, I just couldn’t deny my passion for travel and content creation. Exploring a new place and losing track of time for an afternoon, or days at a time, made me more inspired (and addicted) to anything else I had ever done. 

Although I will never be able to fully express how much traveling, taking photos and documenting the adventures means to me.. 

I will give it a shot:

Travel brings out the best in myself and reminds me of how truly connected we are as human beings. Finding those off the beaten path places that are rich in culture and experience (without spending an arm and a leg) is always my goal when I travel.

Making a photograph is stealing a moment in time that will forever serve as a vessel for the memory of that person, place or experience.

They say, “A picture is worth a 1000 words”.

I completely agree – but they have to be the right words.

Writing ties everything together for me. Putting words on the page cements an experience forever in my mind, heart and soul. It is one of the hardest things to do – putting words to grand experiences – but I always find it worth it.

It has been a long journey to get where I am today, but in a weird way I feel like my journey is just beginning.

I appreciate you stopping by, and I hope you get something, even the smallest of things, out of my work.

One Love,

Nathan