Hi, I’m Jude.
I was given my first photo camera at 11 years old during an extended road trip across the country (4 years long, to be precise.) I promise, not a single one of those photos was very good, but I will never forget the magic I felt capturing images of nature and landscapes that I had witnessed firsthand. The experiences were brought back to life every time I leafed through those old film prints. As I have grown older, my passion for photography and filmmaking has been combined with my love of the natural world. My form of documenting my outdoor adventures is with a camera and through YouTube vlogs. My digital photography camera of choice right now is a Sony A7RV, my video camera is the Fujifilm X-H2S, and my film photography cameras (cause I'm a bit "hipster") are the Minolta CLE, the Minolta SRT202, the Canon AE-1, the Pentax 6x7, the Mamiya RZ67 Pro ii, the Polaroid I-2, and the Chamonix 45F-2.
My Story
I have always been what has today been labeled a “creative” (personally, I think the label is stupid.) From my early days in New Jersey, I was constantly drawing pictures of animals and super heroes, playing outside till sunset with the neighborhood kids, and building entire worlds with my buckets of Legos. Imagination and creativity were a part of me from the beginning.
Back in 2001, my parents decided to sell or store nearly everything we owned and move us into a trailer. We traveled the continental US for nearly five years, experiencing enough “adventure” to fill several novels, and eventually landed in the high deserts of Idaho. It was during this extended roadtrip that I discovered my obsession with nature and the outdoors, and how could I not after being exposed to some of our nation’s most incredible natural landscapes at a highly impressionable age?
Along with my love of nature, I had the opportunity to work with an inspired music teacher named Robert whose passion for the art was so contagious that I ravenously consumed it up through high school and into a music program in college. After graduating with a degree in music composition, I taught private lessons for over ten years. I love educating exactly as Robert did, sharing my passion contagiously.
Right after college, I purchased my first DSLR. Up until that point, I was borrowing one from my professional photographer sister to make camping and gear review videos for YouTube. Equipped with my own camera now, I focused even more on this first channel believing I had found my “thing”…
I was wrong.
There was something missing, and I knew exactly what it was - a purpose to my art. While my current videos were fun and creative (and growing in popularity), they did not scratch the itch that I had felt my entire life. I wholeheartedly believe I was put on this earth to create content that worships our Creator while also inspiring its viewers toward Him. The only way I know how is through music, film, and photography centered around the natural world, where even the earth and waters proclaim His glory!
I am currently living in Boise, ID with my wife and daughter. Once a week, I produce a YouTube video and occasionally write a journal entry for my website. Soon, I hope to add a weekly podcast to that list. My personal goal is to build my brand into a business and provide landscape photography training courses, one-on-one coaching, and film independent nature documentaries.
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-Jude