wildlife photography lifestyle


Wild Stories, Campfire Conversations, and the People Who Get It

There’s something magical that happens when you get a bunch of wildlife people in the same place. Doesn’t matter if it’s at a bar, on a boat between dives, or sitting on folding chairs next to a camp fire — the stories start flowing.

We talk about animals, always.

The ones we’ve seen. The ones that got away. The ones we dream of seeing.

Someone brings up narwhals. Someone else chimes in about jaguars in the Pantanal. Suddenly we’re deep in a conversation about baitball dives in Baja, snow leopards in Mongolia, or the best way to photograph a crocodile without getting bit.

These are my favorite moments.

It’s not just about the animals — it’s about the people who love them.

People who think nothing of hiking for days, diving into cold water, or sitting still for hours just for the chance to be near wildlife. These are my people. And when we trade stories, ideas, and plans — it lights something up in me.

Then the camera talk starts.
What lens did you use for that shot?
Regular wide angle or fisheye?
“Do you go all-in for that curved look — or keep it classic and clean"

We geek out, no shame. Settings, sensors, shutters, sun angles. This is our language.

We swap gear tips. Locations. Talk about permits, timing, behavior, ethics, and instinct.
But more than anything, we remind each other why we do this.

It’s about connection. Not just to the animals, but to each other.

So here’s to the campfire chats.
The late-night idea swaps.
The “what if we went here?” and the “you’ve gotta see this place.”

If you’ve ever shared stories like that with me — thank you.
And if you haven’t yet… I hope we get to sit around and talk about wild things someday soon.

Where the Magic Lives

Tonight, I was in Baja having dinner with my guests. We were walking into the restaurant when I overheard Mike—one of our guests—talking about how he hurt his knee while falling at an active volcano.

What made me laugh wasn’t the story… it was how normal the conversation sounded.

In our world, talking about photographing an active volcano, diving with crocodiles, or photographing polar bears is just part of life.

These aren’t once-in-a-lifetime experiences—they’re Tuesday night conversation over dinner.

The people in this little circle we move through... they’re all the same, yet so incredibly different.

We come from completely different walks of life—different countries, careers, cultures—but here, in this space we share, we’re all kindred spirits.

And it shows.

We talk about the animals we want to see next, the places we’ve been, and the ones still calling to us. We laugh about cold-water dives, close passes, gear failures, and surprise encounters with wild things.

It doesn’t sound exotic. It doesn’t sound special. It just sounds like us—going through the motions of being who we are... or maybe who we were born to be.

It’s in those little moments—over beers, under stars, or walking into a Baja restaurant—that I realize just how rare this tribe is.

We don’t all look the same.

We don’t all talk the same.

But we all know where the magic is.

And we all want to stay there as long as we possibly can.