Calvin Chiu – Portrait of a Photographer

A Journey Through Light, Film, and Conservation

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By Matt Payne | January 3, 2025

Matt Payne

Matt Payne is a landscape photographer and mountain climber from Durango, Colorado. He’s the host of the weekly landscape photography podcast, “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen,” co-founder of the Nature First Photography Alliance, and co-founder of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. He lives with his wife, Angela, his son Quinn, and his four cats, Juju, Chara, Arrow, and Vestal.

mattpaynephotography.com

This iteration of the Portrait of a Photographer column was inspired by outreach I conducted on Instagram, where I asked people via my stories to recommend photographers who inspire them. One such photographer mentioned is Calvin Chiu.

From his first childhood encounters with film photography to his ambitious projects capturing the Sierra Nevada’s grandeur, his work is as much about documenting landscapes as it is about embracing their fleeting essence.

I was immediately impressed by his approach to making landscape photographs from difficult-to-reach locations using his film camera.

Calvin Chiu’s path as a photographer is deeply rooted in exploration, history, and a passion for the natural world. From his first childhood encounters with film photography to his ambitious projects capturing the Sierra Nevada’s grandeur, his work is as much about documenting landscapes as it is about embracing their fleeting essence. Along the way, Chiu has blended personal growth with artistic ambition, producing photography that inspires awe and also reflects the environment’s fragility.

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