Zack Stanton – Portrait of a Photographer

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

I’ve realized one irrefutable fact about photographers: their work reflects who they are as human beings. All of their life experiences, the things that motivate them, the things that captivate and excite them, and the things that bring them joy and sadness are wrapped up in their photographs. Minor White coined the term that all photographs are self-portraits, and the subject of today’s essay, Zack Stanton, is a perfect example of that concept. Zack is a carpenter by trade and one of the most humble photographers I’ve ever met. His passion and excitement for his little corner of our planet - notably Humbolt County, California, is reflected in spades through his beautiful photographs. Zack is one of those photographers who has chosen to go deep instead of broad, with all his work being done in and from his home area.

Born and raised amidst the stunning natural landscapes of Humboldt County, California, his life has been shaped by the rugged beauty of the coastline, the towering redwood forests, and the ever-changing skies of this northwest corner of the state. His journey has been one of exploration—both outward, into the wild terrains of this extraordinary region, and inward, through personal battles with addiction and hard life as a commercial fisherman and later a carpenter. Photography, a passion discovered later in life, has become the lens through which he views, connects, and reflects with the world, allowing him to capture moments of awe and share his deep respect for nature’s beauty with others.