Place you live: Manitou Springs, Colorado

Occupation: Freelance Filmmaker and Photographer

Preoccupation: Game of Thrones

Place your Instagram were taken? I have shots from all over town, but Garden of the Gods, Gold Camp Road, Pikes Peak and Old Stage Road are some of my favorite places.

Can you sum up Manitou Springs? Mountains, hippies, and outdoor enthusiasts all coming together to create a vibrant, creative community.

What is a perfect day in Manitou Springs? Sunrise in Garden of the Gods, breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts, then head up into the mountains to shoot all day. Finish the day editing by the fire.

If Manitou Springs was a person or character who would it be and why? Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar. Just the right portions of weird, cool and exciting.

Do you shoot with your phone or other cameras or both? I usually shoot with my Sony A7s. But if I don’t have that my iPhone 6 takes great pictures as well. For aerials I use a Mavic Pro and a GoPro Hero 5 for underwater stuff.

What is your editing process? I edit using Adobe Lightroom. Usually I will go through the photos one by one, deleting the ones I don’t like and editing the ones I do. Lately I’ve been going for a more bright, saturated look. One thing that cuts down on my editing process is using presets.

Can you give a couple tips to aspiring Instagram photographers? Be social! Send emails to brands that you like and creators that you like asking to collaborate. It gives you extra exposure and allows you to make connections with people in the industry. Some of my best friends in the world were met through Instagram.

Who are your three favorite photographers? @kylormelton is an insanely inspiring dude, as well as @chrisburkard. @maxrivephotography is another legend but never shows his face. He’s kinda like the batman of Instagram.

What is the most amazing travel experience you’ve ever had? I had the opportunity to travel to Komodo National Park on my most recent trip to Indonesia. That was a place that I had been waiting to travel to ever since I can remember and to finally get there was just the realization of that dream. It’s an insane mix of small volcanic islands, gorgeous coral reefs, and giant killer lizards.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Micronesia

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