I’m Joel – telling stories from around the Pacific North West

There is something enchanting about an abandoned building, standing in its history, unbothered by the world. A magic in each sunset, where the clouds, the sun, and the landscape float together effortlessly to offer mere mortals the ability to experience perfection each day. Capturing the majesty of my surroundings is another kind of magic. Photography allows me to both suspend and transcend time…ideally, the moment I have experienced, whether it be on a river bend in Oregon or in a small town in Idaho, breathes itself to life in my photos so that the person whose eyes next come across it feels just what I felt in the moment it was taken.

I was born in Spokane, WA, and grew up in a charming little lake town called Harrison, Idaho, and while I’m still able to spend time in North Idaho, I have come to settle into a life in Oregon. Those who have explored this region at all are invariably moved by all that it offers. While I was never formally trained in photography, I've drawn inspiration from other photographers such as Jack Bell and Bend King of Out West Photography. I have traveled with a camera in hand for roughly 15 years learning to hone my craft of turning seconds into still shots.

Idahoans and Oregonians are incredibly fortunate to have all of this in our backyards. It’s my hope that I do justice to the authenticity of each moment. I strive to maintain fidelity to what it was my eye saw before me so that the sense of wonder, vastness, and inherent beauty can elicit emotions of its own accord. I hope you enjoy my work as you have a look around.