My Story 

My photographer journey technically began in elementary school with the disposable cameras you buy in line at the grocery store. My parents would send me with one on school field trips and to church camp in the Summer. Of course the quality was quite poor, and I knew nothing of the technicalities of photography, but at that age it didn't matter. For a few dollars I was able to capture memories (and a lot pictures of the ground, my pocket and my hand). I still have some of these pictures printed and stored to this day. 

Eventually I upgraded to a Kodak easyshare digital camera, sporting a mind blowing 4 megapixel sensor and 3x zoom. This sustained me for another several years. As a teenager we lived on the edge of town and frequently had deer walk behind our house. I starting taking my mother's Canon rebel out with the kit telephoto lens to try and photograph them. One Autumn in particular we had a nice buck roaming the area and I was determined to try and capture it. This began my interest in photographing wildlife.  

My Senior year of high school I took a 2 hour photography class. As much as I would like to say it was because I felt the calling to be a photographer, nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is it was the only way to fulfill my needed art credits to graduate. The class did however plant some seeds that slowly grew.  

After high school I got a job a Best Buy (my first shift was 4am-4pm on Black Friday). Part of my department was selling cameras, therefore I had to learn as much as I could about the different cameras and ideally how to operate them in front of customers. As I learned about them, the desire to have my own semi professional camera grew. Eventually I purchased the Canon 7D and 24-105mm kit lens.  For the following 6 years (2012-2018) I traveled the world as a volunteer with a Christian missionary organization called Youth With A Mission or YWAM. 

My camera became a source of documenting the travels not only for myself, but for others with me and their families back home. I learned what a powerful tool photography can be to capture memories at the least, and inspire change and raise awareness to important issues at best. This led me to take a 3 month, full time, intensive course in photography to take my skills to the next level.  

In 2018 I moved back to Montana with my fiancee and got married. I had purchased a Canon 6D the year before to jump up to a full-frame camera body, and had accumulated several more lenses over the years. My goal was to pursue photography as a career now, but as a newly married man with no money I needed something to pay the bills, so I got a job working retail at an outdoor sporting goods store called Scheels. Over the next 3 years I dropped to part time retail and part time photography, then doing photography for another employer, and finally becoming a full-time self employed photographer. In 2019 I traded all of my Canon equipment and switched to the Sony mirrorless system, which I still use today.  

At the age of 31 I have now been a full time professional photographer for 2 years. In that time I have seen rapid growth and success, working with a long list of incredible people and clients along the way. Today my work primarily consists of mountain landscapes, wildlife, and outdoor adventures such as hunting, fishing, hiking, and ski/snowboard. Much of my time is spent in Yellowstone, Teton, and Glacier National Parks, and the Beartooth Mountain Range. I also continue to partner with several non-profits who are making huge impacts throughout different communities locally and globally.  

I currently reside in Billings, Montana with my wife and two sons. Life priorities include the 3 F's: Faith, Family and Fotography. And yes, Royal is my middle name after my great-grandfather.

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