Meet The Artist
Josh McNair
Josh McNair californiathroughmylens.comBy Melissa Wynn
California is a state of stunning beauty, especially when you get a close up look through the lens of Josh McNair of CaliforniaThroughMyLens.com. We sat down for a short Q&A about where it all started. Join Us!
What inspired you to do photography?
For me I am a constant creative. For my entire life I have always been inspired to pursue different artistic adventures, be it playing music in high school, videography in college and now making the move into photography. I have a love for nature and the beauty that it provides on a daily basis so it is constantly inspiring me to better capture what I see so that hopefully others can experience it the same way I do.
You photography shows your love of the outdoors, have you always been an adventurer?
Honestly, I have really fallen in love with the outdoors in the last 5 years. A friend and I took up hiking around that time and when I got out in the forest, saw my first local waterfall and realized how much I missed by not heading out more often then I knew I could not afford to stay inside when there was so much to experience. Since then my hiking has shown me some of the most beautiful places in California, be that the summit of Mt Whitney (the tallest mountain in the lower 48), the cables of Half Dome or the sheer power and beauty of McArthur-Burner Falls. I am a constant adventurer as my wife can attest to. Every weekend I am looking for a new place to experience.
Did you go to school for photography?
Nope I never went to school for photography, I just got a camera, started to shoot with it and read all of the blogs and online information I could. I am constantly learning and just last week I was talking with another photographer I met online that helped me tweak a few more things. This is the unique thing about the time we live in, there are so many ways to interact and dialogue with people online.
As far as photography goes, currently I just do it for myself. I am toying with the idea of setting up an online store where I can at least sell my images, but in terms of what I do on my site it is just for my own enjoyment and to inspire others to go outdoors. If anyone wants to contact me for photos or permissions just email me, josh@californiathroughmylens.com.
I love the Mountain Valley Living area and have hiked Lassen Peak and Bumpass Hell and spent time in McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, which is probably one of my favorite places in all of California. You can see all of my write ups and photographs of these places on my site californiathroughmylens.com as well.
Thank you for this opportunity and I would love to hear from your readers if they have ideas for me. Check out these great shots of McCloud Falls.
[/media-credit] Photo by Josh McNair
[/media-credit] Photo by Josh McNair