These days we all consume a lot of screen time, too much time, but that is the nature of the world we live in. I’ve been on Instagram for well over a decade now and it isn’t often that someone stops me in my tracks with their storytelling and their work. Taylor Dalton (@tdcameraman) stopped me with his work. His visuals and narratives of the American west evoke a more rugged and often times more authentic life. His focus on cowboy culture lured me in as much as his images of the national parks. There is an inescapable quietness to his work that feels void of modernity and embraces a world without markers of the modern frenetic world.

A few days ago I asked Taylor if he’d be up for answering a few questions as we explore his work.

Please introduce yourself: My name is Taylor, but most people know me as TD. I grew up in a little town in Arizona called Prescott Valley. I feel like I grew up outside, always camping, backpacking, or hiking with my family in our free time. I definitely inherited that great love of the outdoors from my parents.

Why and when did you first pick up a camera? What inspired the love of photography? and who has inspired you? The summer after I graduated from high school, my older brother took me on a ten day trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, the Tetons and ended with a backpacking trip in the Uintas. My older brother had previously been interested in photography so he knew how to edit photos, even just phone photos. He shared a little bit of that knowledge with me and I became obsessed with editing my phone pictures and trying to be more purposeful when taking photos. That’s what initially peaked my interest.

I didn’t make the jump to buying a camera until a few months later when I went camping with a friend of mine. He took a photo of the stars with his GoPro and I thought that was the coolest thing of all time. I didn’t even realize taking a photo of the stars was attainable for the average Joe.

Immediately after that trip I did some research to find out how I could take a photo of the stars. Google told me I needed to use a DSLR camera, so that Black Friday I bought my first camera. The Nikon D3400. I started taking that with me on all the outdoor adventures I was already doing. Mistake after mistake, I slowly taught myself how to use a camera. I never had any formal education on photography or videography, I just learned by doing. I started to love capturing the beauty I get to see with my own eyes and sharing that with the people I care about. Initially I started to follow all these big name instagram photographers. I quickly realized that negatively affected my creative headspace. I was always catching myself comparing myself to these people that had been doing photography for years or even decades. It was then I made a rule to not follow people I didn’t know and wasn’t connected with in some way. Over the years I have loosely followed that. My inspiration and best creativity comes from pushing myself to try and capture iconic locations or genres in a unique way. When I see everyone shooting one shot, it makes me really want to shoot it differently.

What is your goal with being a photographer/videographer? My goal is to tell stories about people or lifestyles that inspire me and hopefully through me inspire others.

What has being a photographer taught you about this world and humanity? It’s taught me that chasing something you’re passionate about is the most powerful contribution you can make. I believe when we are doing something we care deeply about, our calling if you will, we are the most authentic version of ourselves. If you aren’t doing that, you are robbing the world of a drop of authenticity.

Where is your favorite place/your favorite subject? It’s probably pretty obvious from my work, but I LOVE capturing western lifestyle in the western US. Something about rustic and raw living in the unbelievable landscapes of the west just really pulls me.

In many ways you are a story teller…what stories do you aspire to share? I aspire to share the untold stories of those living traditional lives that believe in hard work to provide for themselves and their families. And maybe I just like to capture stories that look damn epic from time to time.

Is photography your full time? Yes it is my full time job, in more ways than one. I am employed by a company called Canvas Cutter. I oversee all and create most of our visuals whether that be short films, YouTube vlogs, lifestyle photos, short format reels or product photography for our website. It’s a small team of us so I get to wear many hats and learn a lot. It’s great to feel integral to the company’s growth and success. On the side, I take on a pretty large load of personal projects and freelance creative jobs that keep me busy as well.

Where is your favorite place to photograph? I love Wyoming a lot. The Tetons specifically hold a special place in my heart. They are the birthplace of most of the “turning points” in my life. I went on my first ever backpacking trip in the Tetons when I was six years old and that inspired my love of the outdoors. The Tetons are where I really started to like taking photos on that trip with my brother I mentioned previously. It was the place I got my first real photography job, taking photos of whitewater rafting on the Snake River for a summer. Wyoming and the Tetons are the birthplace of everything I am passionate about. In the last couple of years I’ve explored much more of Wyoming and I just love the untamed nature of its landscape and ruggedness of its people.

You’ve created a huge volume of work with cowboy culture, why? The most simple reason is because it just looks damn cool and I love awe inspiring imagery. On a deeper level, I think as a kid I always romanticized the idea of being a cowboy. Cowboys are hardworking, self-reliant, good with their hands and humble. Qualities I strive for. I tell those stories because I want to be a part of them, be in them. The biggest thing I’ve learned from documenting that world and immersing myself in it, is that nothing truly good comes easy or free, everything worthwhile is earned. In one way or another.

What camera do you currently use? I shoot on a Sony a7iv mainly, but also use the Sony a7iii too.

Do you have any advice to offer? As far as a creative career is concerned, the best piece of advice I can give is to join or create a community, get to know people and have something to offer them for their time. Networking is a powerful tool, but it can only get you as far as the effort you put in.

What is your number one place to visit in Utah? Arizona? Elsewhere? In Utah, I’d say Zion Canyon. More specifically a slot canyon in Zion. The Narrows are amazing, but if you get a guide and do a technical slot canyon…that’s Utah for ya. It’s one of the most incredible experiences fairly unique to this state. In Arizona, I’d recommend Sedona for sure. The West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon in the fall (typically early November) is one of the most fantastic displays of fall foliage you will see in Arizona paired with the red rock canyon walls—an incredible place to witness.

Do you have a personal preference over creating photo or video? I absolutely love both and I think both are very powerful storytelling mediums. For me, photography has always come easiest and I feel that I excel at it. I love telling stories in the form of a photo set. It gives a little imaginative freedom to the viewer to think about what the experience was like outside of those few frozen moments.

What is a piece of life advice you’d offer? Be gracious. Gratitude, kindness and humility have a way of coming full circle in my experience. It attracts the right people into your life that will help you elevate yourself and those around you.

— taylordaltonphoto.com