Many of the most deeply moving experiences I’ve had have been while alone in remote wilderness with a camera. I approach my photography as a devotional act, going to great lengths to familiarize myself with and then transmit the essence of the places that inspire me. I've written more about this here, here, here, and here.
I have a background in neuroscience and philosophy. I studied both at Claremont McKenna College and conducted research in neuroscience labs at Stanford and UCSF. Displeased with certain aspects of the track I was on, I left my job at Stanford in early 2022 to try my best to actually embody what matters most to me. I've lived in my car in the wilderness ever since, spending much of my time in the Eastern Sierra mountains of California in between big adventures elsewhere. These two essays — Meaning, Purpose, & Joy and Tick Tock... — tie together many of my interests and ways of thinking.
photos by Ty Lekki
Features & Press
• Natural Landscape Photography Awards 2026 Photograph of the Year
• The Daily Edit - Interview with Patagonia's Director of Photography Heidi Volpe
• The Daily Edit - Interview with Patagonia's Director of Photography Heidi Volpe
• Brews n' Views Podcast - Image Feature
My work has been used commercially by Patagonia, Scarpa, Peak Design, Universal Music Group, Dakota Grizzly, Denali Air, Icefield Discovery, Trans North Helicopters, Sierra Nevada Alliance...
Other inspirations that have touched my life and informed how I approach photography (in approximate reverse chronological order):
• Água Viva (book) - Clarice Lispector
• Letters to a Young Poet (book) - Rainer Maria Rilke
• Água Viva (book) - Clarice Lispector
• Letters to a Young Poet (book) - Rainer Maria Rilke
• The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality (book) - Belden Lane
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (book) - Stephen King
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (book) - Stephen King
• The Heart of the World (book) - Ian Baker
• The Summer Day (poem) - Mary Oliver
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being (book) - Rick Rubin
• Be Extraordinary (book) and other writing by Guy Tal
• Summit (book) - Vittorio Sella (including the preface written by Ansel Adams about Sella)
• Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom (book) - Rick Sammon
• Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom (book) - Rick Sammon
• The Lion Hunter's Guide to Life (book) - Boyd Varty
• Watching my friend Drew Simms live in his Jeep and produce exceptional cinematography
• Clearing (poem) - Martha Postlethwaite
• Research on neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation, especially Bruce Ecker's translational work
• No Bad Parts (book) - Richard Schwartz
• The Book of Joy (book) - The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams
• Can't Hurt Me (book) - David Goggins
• One: Being an Investigation into the Unity of Reality and of its Parts, including the Singular Object which is Nothingness (book) - Graham Priest
• Hegel and Spinoza (book) - James Kreines (and ongoing conversations with him since taking his classes in college)
• David Chalmers and other philosophers+neuroscientists on the hard problem of consciousness
• Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why (book) - Laurence Gonzales
• Brain Slave NO MORE! (I think most of this YouTube channel is deeply problematic, but I’m nonetheless linking to the video because of how strongly it stirred something in me as a teenager)
• Brain Slave NO MORE! (I think most of this YouTube channel is deeply problematic, but I’m nonetheless linking to the video because of how strongly it stirred something in me as a teenager)
Please don't hesitate to get in touch!
Submitted - Thank you!