Lost Foto

Welcome To Lost Foto’s Web Page!

Don’t be shy, have a look around. The navigation bar should be rather intuitive, but my lovely home page should bring you up to date on all the most recent info in case you’ve missed anything. Make sure you come back every so often, though, because who knows when I’m gonna take off to go capture more beautiful moments?!

Where Do We Start? This Won’t Be Easy, I’ll Tell You That Much.

Well let’s see here. I remember a quote I either read or heard once, “Where to start? Well I guess the best place to start is from the beginning I suppose.” We’ll just roll with that. By the way, if you know where that quote’s from please tell me! Shoot me an email if you get the chance.

Anyways. From the beginning I suppose… I had just finalized the 3 piece canvas print that’s now available and I was days away from boarding my flight to Norway. I’m just going to spit this out and get it out there - I’m the most lost I’ve ever been in my life.

So Norway. Well… I didn’t know what to do. My neurosurgeon wouldn’t allow me to go back to work no matter what I did (or even didn’t do), I was running out of money, it didn’t make sense to pay rent just to sit around at home on the couch or lay in bed all day, and overall I was just starting to feel a little bit hopeless. And lost. So I did what I do best - I bought a one way ticket and packed a backpack.

Let’s try and keep this to the point, shall we? I arrived in Norway and within the first night there I was instantly reminded why it worth fighting to get my life back. Because I loved to travel and, well, you need money to travel! Lol. But I was already in Scandinavia. So before I bought a plane ticket back to the states I had friends to visit. Friends I hadn’t seen in 10 years.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Anna, but I did make it down to Italy to visit my good friend Veronica! I had the most amazing afternoon. Hanging out together again felt like not even a single day had gone by since the last time we saw each other. It was so good to just BE. To just be us again. And just like that, I was ready. Ready to head home and take my life back.

Alright let’s try and get through this…

So I flew back to the states and I did what needed to be done and I got it all back. The room, the job, everything. I was able to pick back up where I left off. Finally! And then I kept having seizures. It wasn’t safe to continue doing what I did for work and I had no more money left to give to the healthcare industry. And I couldn’t go back to work without another doctors note. On top of all that - I was beginning to realize I just wasn’t happy in Bozeman anymore. It’s not the same Bozeman I had fallen in love with years before. City people were bringing their city mentality to Bozeman with them. It was time to move on. To where? I have no idea. But if I couldn’t afford to go back to work with my previous employer, I didn’t want to stay in Bozeman I knew that much.

So I packed everything away into storage, tossed my bed into the back of my truck, and left. Just like that. A duffle bag full of clothes, some winter gear just in case, and my camera bag. For some strange odd reason California was calling my name.

I thought about going to Michigan to be close to family. I thought about going to North Carolina to help however I could and start over with everyone else that was trying to start over. But ultimately I decided the safest option for me was to head to California where it didn’t get that cold during the winter. I knew places I could sleep in my truck, I had friends nearby, and surely I had multiple employment options from previous employers.

Let’s fast forward.

The places I used to know where I could sleep had been taken over by countless other homeless people. Seeing friends was nice but costing money. Everyone kept saying they’d love to hire me but I still wasn’t employed. And I was just getting more and more… sad. Things weren’t working out. And I was beginning to spiral downward mentally. I knew I had to change something.

3 Piece Panorama Now Available!

It’s taken a while to get it just right, but I’m proud to offer my first ever multi piece panorama! This photo is available on a professional lustre paper and on canvas as well.

I fell in love with multi piece artwork from the second I first saw an abstract painting on three separate canvases while walking through Bayside in Miami. I’m very excited to now offer a multi canvas piece of art of my own!

But just because it’s meant to be displayed together as a panorama, of course, doesn’t mean that is has to be. Each individual piece has a sense of beauty all in its own and each piece is available for purchase separately. So head on over to the “Purchase A Print” section and feel free to mix and match to your hearts content!

Print Sales Are Live!

And just like that, you can purchase a print directly off the website. I’ve tried very hard to keep everything as simple as possible for you. However, if there’s a photo you want printed that’s not currently available on the “Purchase A Print” page, or if you want a different size then what’s available, just shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do! The whole point of having created this webpage and to make prints available is so that YOU can appreciate the beautiful moments this world has to offer just as much as I get to. I’m stoked to finally help create that opportunity for you! So get on over there and check it out.

We’re Back Baby!

Let me start with saying, it was about 3 and a half weeks out of brain surgery that I really wanted to start getting back outside and get back to being myself. I tried. I really tried. I felt good, I was having a good day. I grabbed my photo bag and I set out to get some photos at a local spot not far away. And I failed. My balance was off, I was still extremely lightheaded, and my brain just wasn’t capable of setting up a tripod and dialing in camera settings. I didn’t even try because I didn’t even feel like I could. So instead I took in my surroundings, appreciated the moment, and when I had my fill I hopped back in my truck, admitted defeat, and drove home. It was okay, though, because I tried. I knew I’d be back. It was just a matter of time.

I’d been itching to try out my camper shell since I bought it. The weather was actually REALLY nice the day I bought it too! But the temps went right back down and the clouds came back and never left. And then there was a window in the weather forecast! Perfect for camping AND photography!

I loaded up my camping gear, tossed my photo bag into the back seat, picked up some firewood and a gallon of water from the gas station, and I started driving. I wasn’t even going to get my hopes up. I refused to get excited. My expectations were realistic. But I have to admit, it was nice to be heading out to get in a night of camping at the very least. It felt good.

I drove up the canyon and I pulled into a first come first serve campground to check out some sites and scope the vibe. I took a mental note of a couple different sites that would fit the bill and I carried on. I was starting to get excited to recreate a photo that I had previously taken. Was there still a lot of snow? Was it green yet? Was it even green AT ALL? After an extremely mellow snowpack we’ve sure had a pretty mellow spring if you could even call it a spring. Either way, I was excited to check out a familiar area and enjoy the view.

There it was. I knew this spot. 2 years later, here we are again. I pulled off to the side of the road, dropped the tailgate, grabbed my photo bag and started pulling out what I needed. My tripod, camera body, hmm… the 15-30 lens might be what I’m after, and the remote shutter. That should do it.

I walked around and checked out my surroundings. Noted the clouds and direction of wind. I said hi to some local cattle and a horse nearby. I walked across the road to get a better idea of the composition I was looking for, but more importantly, I just enjoyed the view. I took it all in. The cold air, the BITTER COLD wind (holy crap it was freaking COLD. Dang. Maybe I should have brought my face mask and winter gloves.), the smell of cattle, and the peaceful sound of… nothing. And that’s when I realized I had the biggest, stupidest smile on my face! I felt GOOD! I felt SO happy to be back outside again. It all just felt so right!

So I made my way back over to my truck to finish assembling my photography equipment. I looked both ways and crossed the road again… as if there were even any cars to be worried about.

Tripod leveled. Zoom optimal. Composition dialed. Aperture set appropriately. Shutter, oh we’re good. NO FREAKING WAY. I’m doing it!!! I’m really doing it! Without even thinking about it. Well, without having to think about it hard. It all feels so natural, it’s like riding a bicycle. I’M FREAKING BACK BABY! No doubt about it! I am back! This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. It only took 3 months hahaha but we’re here, we’re finally here. We’re back to where we left off and it feels GOOD.

I soaked in the moment. I enjoyed the view. I got the shot. I went back to camp and ate dinner and smoked a cigar by the fire. And when it got late, I crawled into the back of my truck, slid into my sleeping bag, and went to sleep with a smile on my face. I felt like myself again. And that was a long missed feeling. It’s good to be back. Now bring on the future!

We Have Our First Official Print!

Now THIS is something I can be proud of! Sometimes you just need to pull the trigger and see what happens. After being extremely disappointed from the entire process of my first attempt at printing, I decided to go as simple as possible. What the heck, why not?

I ordered a print from CVS and a frame from Target. After I placed the photo into the frame and held it out to look at, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face! Now THIS was everything I was expecting from my first print!

Sure, it wasn’t fine art quality, but it looked GOOD. It was shiny. It was glossy. It had spectacular detail. It looked like the photo I had taken and edited. IT WAS IN MY HANDS!!! I was holding a moment I had experienced and I could share it with the world! Needless to say, it was at this exact moment I fell in love with photography all over again in an entirely new way.

Printing, framing, and being satisfied with a photo that I captured has inspired me to start getting back out there and shooting again. It’s time to start focusing and pick back up where I left off. I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future has in store.

Game On

I bought a camper shell for the adventure rig! Well, it’s still a work truck, but now when I take it out on the weekends to go take photos I can sleep in the back if I need to. Rest is key to driving safe. Whether it’s a long haul multiple states away, or an early morning that started off as a late night, I can throw my camping mattress in the back and catch some z’s whenever I need to to make sure I don’t fall asleep at the wheel! Plus now we can save money on that hotel bill, too!

Man Down

So brain surgery was a thing. It’s a long story and I won’t bother you with all the details. If you’re interested, though, I had and AVM rupture which caused internal bleeding in my head. Feel free to look it up. It’s been a truly humbling experience and I’m extremely grateful for all of the amazing people I have in my life. It just goes to show you, things can change in the blink of an eye when you least expect it. It’s been a very long and slow recovery, but I feel better every day. Slowly but surely. I will be back.

Rained Out In Idaho

Winter just didn’t want to happen this ‘23/’24 season. I booked a snowboarding trip and what was snow in the forecast turned into rain. It’s a good thing I brought my camera along with me, though! I ended up with one of my favorite photos to date.

When things weren’t panning out how I had hoped they would, I went back to the airbnb I was staying at, stripped out of my snowboard gear and changed into some warm casual winter clothes. I grabbed my photo bag, hopped in the car, and set out up the canyon.

I guess when you travel as much as I do, there aren’t many places you haven’t been, because about 10 minutes into the drive everything started looking really familiar and I realized I’d been here before. I’ve camped out on the West side of the river before! As the saying goes, though, “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” So I kept driving in search of a view that spoke out to me.

Another 20 minutes or so into the drive, I came around a bend and I couldn’t help but shout out to myself, “Oh wow! Look at that!” I threw on my rain gear, setup the tripod, and clicked away. Just when I was about to call it, the fog set in onto the hills just beautifully. And that’s when I knew I had the shot.

I packed up my camera gear, took off my rain gear, hopped in the car and warmed up. With a smile on my face I turned around and made my way back into town to celebrate with a hot steak and a cold beer. Not a bad weekend after all!