Stories By Dalton

11/10/2026

I'll be judging this year!

Show us your best work in the TAMRON 2026 Photo & Video Contest for a chance to have your creativity recognized

This year’s contest features 7 Categories:
Landscape
Wildlife
Macro
Portrait
Video
LEGACY
New for 2026 Fast Action Category (I am judging this one!)

Prizes:
Win up to $1,000 and a Tamron lens of your choice in each category!

Deadline:
Submit your entries by November 30, 2026.

Visit the Tamron website to check lens eligibility and full contest rules and to enter:

Tamron 2026 User Photo and Video Contest Open to Tamron Users in the United States, Canada and Mexico Win up […]

10/10/2026

"It’s going to be a flop," I thought.

Then, the clouds opened up and let the sunrise glow through.

What a way to start road trip seeking fall colors, am I right?

Photographed using the Tamron 28-75 and Sony a7r4

09/28/2026

Call it a happy accident!

I made a mistake printing this photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge, so I will be giving it away along with the correct print. Cover the cost of shipping and they are yours (roughly five bucks).

To receive prints, comment the name of a person you would share it with, and send me a DM letting me know you want it.

I’ll randomly pick somebody on Oct. 5th, must be US based.

Day 1 of 365: turning photographs into prints

09/24/2026

This peak kick my rear end!

Starting the Sawatch 14ers project with Mount of the Holy Cross might have been a mistake, here's why:
1) the summit is a long day
2) the uphill on the way back to the van is brutal
3) I didn't have my "peak bagging" legs underneath me yet
4) the parking lot was so full we had to park roughly a mile away adding 2 miles overall

Despite all of this, the weather was perfect, the summit push was tough, but we made it!

09/23/2026

This is why social media is cool...

You see a place while scrolling,
think to yourself, "dang, that's a cool spot"
only to realize it's in your backyard.

DUH

So, I hopped in the van and drove for ten minutes, crawled down the muddy cliff, while holding onto the deteriorating rope I figured was going to snap, and made it to the beach. Then, sat for an hour trying to find a composition I liked (this spot had three), and snapped.

While geotagging has it's pros and cons, social media is an incredible tool for discovery.

Has there been a time when you've used social to discover something?

09/21/2026

"I don't know," are some of the most powerful words I've said.

At first, I thought not knowing was a weakness.
Now, I recognize it's an opportunity to be curious, ask questions, and grow.

As proof of this, I dug through my image catalog and pulled out several images from moments I had to admit, "I don't know"

1) will this spec shoot for Blundstone ever sell or open a door ? I don't know
2) can we finish this free solo in Yosemite's high country? I don't know
3) will this cloud coverage clear? I don't know
4) will that lake be frozen over and that 2 hour hike be worthless? i don't know
5) it's a crowded hiking destination, will we find a place that doesn't have people? I don't know
6) has fall already dropped it's leaves in Sedona? I don't know
7) will this look out have a memorable view to photograph? I don't know

PS is this just me, or do you also see "i don't know" as a growth opportunity?

09/19/2026

Rock climbing is a mirror reflecting:

Your preparation.
Your mental state.
Your energy.
Your determination.

That is the beauty of rock climbing.

A no BS mirror that shows you if the effort you've put in was the right effort.

Can you think of anything else similar?

09/16/2026

A blue jacket wasn't the best photographic choice, but it's all I had.

The first few years of my photography career I didn't have the resources to "produce" a photoshoot, but I had time.

Time to get outside.
Time to study locations.
Time to scroll IG for inspiration.

So, I explored the mountains, seeking as many summits as I could manage in a year. Often "forgetting" to pull permits because I was only "day hiking" when I saw rangers (that $15 meant fewer meals a month). All in the name of playing outside instead of building a career.

"Building a career" wasn't something I had interest in, nor did I understand what that meant.

I lived on $500 to $1000 a month and that was enough.

Enough to keep food in my belly.
Enough to put fuel in my van.
Enough to keep climbing and surfing.
Enough to keep taking photos.

I wish I had some grand plan, but there was not. Only a lost 20-something guy who spent two decades swimming in a pool every day that needed a change of scenery (pun intended).

09/14/2026

Soon, very soon.

As pumpkin spice lattes warm our bellies and the leaves change colors, the swell direction shifts.
Surfers are murmuring rumors of "the winter".

From fun summer south swells to hand numbing north swells that pound the California coast, epic wave are on the horizon.