The year I stopped // The year I started
2023 was the year I stopped. I stopped forcing myself to chase freelance work outside of my full time job as Gonzaga’s photographer. I stopped telling myself I had to burn the candle at both ends to feel justified in calling myself a professional. I stopped sacrificing my mental health to shoot freelance jobs because I didn’t feel like I deserved to say no.
But that’s not what I think of when I look back at 2023.
Instead, I think of all of the things I started. I started shooting images for myself again. I’d spent these last handful of years shooting for everything and everybody except for myself. I began to break free of my endless pursuit of perfection, replacing it with an appreciation for the simplest aspects of photography: natural light, moments, feeling.
In so many ways 2023 has been a year of growth and healing. I’m thankful I paused and made space. This life is beautiful and gutwrenching and overwhelming. I feel honored to look back at the moments I captured this year - I can’t wait for the moments that 2024 will bring.
- zack
You in, Miami?: FTX Production Stills
I had the pleasure of capturing the creative process of renowned Spokane artist Ben Joyce while he created “Go Forth”, a piece commissioned by Gonzaga University School of Law. Ben is an incredibly talented and humble person. It was great to see this piece come to life, from the first splatter of paint to the finished piece installed in Gonzaga’s Law School building.
You in, Miami?: FTX Production Stills
Shot for Colormatics + FTX US
I spent a jam-packed three days with Colormatics in Miami, Florida shooting production stills for their latest FTX commercial. We shot in so many iconic Miami scenes from beachfront rollerblading and record stores to domino parks and barbershops. We finished the last day with Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem. We shot two different scenes with Udonis. I also set up a white seamless in order to shoot some studio stuff with Udonis. Every time I shoot production stills I’m reminded of how different the needs of motion and stills can be. I always learn so much from these shoots. I learn new ways to approach scenes and sculpt light - being a part of a production leaves me full of excitement and inspiration.
Check out the images from my time in Miami:
Ben Joyce Artist Profile [Day One]
I had the pleasure of capturing the creative process of renowned Spokane artist Ben Joyce while he created “Go Forth”, a piece commissioned by Gonzaga University School of Law. Ben is an incredibly talented and humble person. It was great to see this piece come to life, from the first splatter of paint to the finished piece installed in Gonzaga’s Law School building.
Ben Joyce: Go Forth
Shot for Gonzaga Magazine
I had the pleasure of capturing the creative process of renowned Spokane artist Ben Joyce while he created “Go Forth”, a piece commissioned by Gonzaga University’s School of Law. Ben is an incredibly talented and humble person. It was great to see this piece come to life, from the first splatter of paint to the finished piece installed in Gonzaga’s Law School building.
Check out the images from my first day at the studio with Ben below:
![Ben Joyce Artist Profile [Day Two]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/584220f6f7e0ab54ad7b8145/1590949966576-7CWGS3YADRWUN8JQBIDG/2019-0920+Ben+Joyce-52.jpg)
Ben Joyce Artist Profile [Day Two]
I had the pleasure of capturing the creative process of renowned Spokane artist Ben Joyce while he created “Go Forth”, a piece commissioned by Gonzaga University School of Law. Ben is an incredibly talented and humble person. It was great to see this piece come to life, from the first splatter of paint to the finished piece installed in Gonzaga’s Law School building.
Ben Joyce: Go Forth
Shot for Gonzaga Magazine
I had the pleasure of capturing the creative process of renowned Spokane artist Ben Joyce while he created “Go Forth”, a piece commissioned by Gonzaga University School of Law. Ben is an incredibly talented and humble person. It was great to see this piece come to life, from the first splatter of paint to the finished piece installed in Gonzaga’s Law School building.
Check out the images from my second studio visit below:
Heroes of the Kennel
I’ve had this idea in my head for a year or so. Gonzaga’s student section at basketball games is among the craziest in the nation and it keeps getting wilder. Each year there are more and more outlandish costumes, outfits, and signs. I wanted to capture the energy of this experience away from the game environment so I set up a roll of red paper and some lights outside the arena before a big game.
America’s Rowdiest Student Section
Shot for Gonzaga Magazine
I’ve had this idea in my head for a year or so. Gonzaga’s student section at basketball games is among the craziest in the nation and it keeps getting wilder. Each year there are more and more outlandish costumes, outfits, and signs. I wanted to capture the energy of this experience away from the game environment so I set up a roll of red paper and some lights outside the arena before a big game.
This was a surprisingly difficult shoot to coordinate. I ended up shooting outside because it allowed us to set up right next to the line of students waiting to get in the arena. Because it was an overcast day, I decided to keep things simple and only use one light. I used the soft ambient light as my “fill” light and the 36” octabox as my keylight. Ideally, I would have liked to shoot these indoors with a more refined lighting setup, but this struck the balance we needed to get a wide array of students in front of the camera.
Photo by Matt Repplier
Photo by Matt Repplier
Here are some of the portraits I came away with on this shoot:
And here are some of them in the latest issue of Gonzaga Magazine:
Travel // ITALY
There was something so special to be on a trip with the sole purpose of taking pictures. I damn near had my camera on me every waking second. I’m usually with Meg when I’m traveling and while she is a great sport when it comes to me and my camera, I always try to balance picture-taking with other aspects of the trip. Not so with my Italian adventure. There was absolutely no balance and it was refreshing
ITALY
When I tell people that I’m the photographer at Gonzaga University I almost always follow up by saying something like “yeah, it’s a unicorn of a job”. Let’s be honest, the number of opportunities there are to be a full-time with benefits photographer in this world are few and far between (and they’re not exactly growing). I feel incredibly fortunate to get to do what I love for a living.
Sometimes, though, my job really rocks. Like when I get to photograph the NCAA Basketball Championship. Or when I get to fly to FLORENCE, FREAKING ITALY to photograph Gonzaga-in-Florence for two weeks. I spent 15 days in Italy working nearly 190 hours and came back with just over 14,000 images. It was exhausting, rewarding, challenging, exciting, unbel- - - you get the idea.
There was something so special to be on a trip with the sole purpose of taking pictures. I damn near had my camera on me every waking second. I’m usually with Meg when I’m traveling and while she is a great sport when it comes to me and my camera, I always try to balance picture-taking with other aspects of the trip. Not so with my Italian adventure. There was absolutely no balance and it was refreshing.
Anyway, without further ado, here are some pictures I took in all those little gaps during and in between assignments. Warning, it’s like 200 photos. Sorry.
But not really:
Linc Malt [pt. 2]
After a few beers and a few hundred photos with Bill, we hopped in the car and drove deeper into the Palouse, down into a canyon where acres and acres of Scots Bere Barley was growing. Don Scheuerman greeted us and was kind enough to keep the beer flowing during the shoot. He even invited us into his home to relax and talk about what makes their grains so special.
LINC MALT [pt.2]
A day spent photographing two grain growers in Southeastern Washington’s Palouse.
After a few beers and a few hundred photos with Bill, we hopped in the car and drove deeper into the Palouse, down into a canyon where acres and acres of Scots Bere Barley was growing. Don Scheuerman greeted us and was kind enough to keep the beer flowing during the shoot. He even invited us into his home to relax and talk about what makes their grains so special.
“...malt with distinct, high-quality flavor profiles reflective of the skill of Inland Northwest farmers and the unique geography of the region’s farmlands.”
Here are some of the photos we came away with from our time spent with Don:
![Linc Malt [pt. 1]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/584220f6f7e0ab54ad7b8145/1564547301736-1URA0LQDETEKXRDFXBPZ/2019-0708+Linc+Malt-5.jpg)
Linc Malt [pt. 1]
For those of you who know me, it’s no mystery that two of my favorite things are portraits and beer. I was excited, then, to be contacted by Brian at Linc Malt to talk about exactly that. We exchanged ideas and thoughts about why this movement toward single-farm, varietal-selective craft malting is so exciting. At the end of our conversation, Brian and I both agreed that their visuals need to accomplish a few things. First, the images need to reflect both the company culture at Linc Malt and the culture of the beer industry, both of which place a high value on relationships, personal connection, and having a damn good time.
LINC MALT [pt.1]
A day spent photographing two grain growers in Southeastern Washington’s Palouse.
For those of you who know me, it’s no mystery that two of my favorite things are portraits and beer. I was excited, then, to be contacted by Brian at Linc Malt to talk about exactly that. We exchanged ideas and thoughts about why this movement toward single-farm, varietal-selective craft malting is so exciting. At the end of our conversation, Brian and I both agreed that their visuals need to accomplish a few things. First, the images need to reflect both the company culture at Linc Malt and the culture of the beer industry, both of which place a high value on relationships, personal connection, and having a damn good time.
“Every batch of malt produced at LINC Malthouse has a farmer, a field, and a growing season at the center of its story.”
We photographed two grain growers in the Palouse, the first of whom is Bill Myers with Joseph’s Grainery:
Travel: New Zealand
While the thought of flying across the planet for our honeymoon two weeks after moving sounded stressful, it was the road trip adventure of a lifetime. I will never forget places like Lake Tekapo or morning coffee amidst what sounded like thousands of birds singing. New Zealand was colorful, spectacular, breathtaking, and shaky….yeah, our itinerary was altered due to a very substantial earthquake.
Four days after our wedding Meg and I packed our things and moved from Denver to Spokane. 11 days after our wedding, I started my new job as photographer for Gonzaga University. While the thought of flying across the planet for our honeymoon two weeks after moving sounded stressful, it was the road trip adventure of a lifetime. I will never forget places like Lake Tekapo or morning coffee amidst what sounded like thousands of birds singing. New Zealand was colorful, spectacular, breathtaking, and shaky….yeah, our itinerary was altered due to a very substantial earthquake. Check out our videos below:
Travel: Norway
Meg and I travelled to Norway. We spent a few incredible days in Oslo before meeting our friends Stu & Dara at the train station.
Meg and I travelled to Norway. We spent a few incredible days in Oslo before meeting our friends Stu & Dara at the train station. From Oslo, the four of us took the train to Bergen where we hiked all day and drank beer at night. We returned to Oslo, where Stu and Dara flew home to Seattle and Meg and I flew to Bodø. From Bodø, we took an extremely choppy ferry to Reine, in the Lofoten Islands. Reine is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I asked Meg to marry me at the top of Reinebringen. Check out our first ever travel video below: