Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hayden Lynch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hayden, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

– Of course, there have been challenges for me when I quit my corporate job and sought a career as a photogarpher.. Mostly in the form of self-doubt. Was this really the right choice for me? Was it smart to quit my stable job and leave behind a 6-figure salary for a job that had me losing money daily? Was I good enough? I always had these questions floating in the back of my mind, but through everything, I knew that if I just continued to work hard it would be inevitable that I would find success. I knew I may not be the best photographer out there, but that I would be able to live comfortably off my work and that was good enough for me. – I think the most challenging part though was learning the business side of the industry. How to make money, how to correctly price your work, etc. It took time and failure to learn. I consistently lowered my rates to get work, not realizing that I was hurting myself by doing this. But that is all part of the journey. Overtime I’ve found mentors in the industry that have helped teach me about how to run my own business. I am forever grateful to them.

Hayden, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

– My story of becoming an artist starts with quitting my job in 2018. I worked as a Data Analyst for an advertising agency in Boston for three years. I felt my curiosity for life slowly fade as the monotony of my routine controlled my life. I knew I needed a change; so I quit. I took my savings and backpacked around the world for over a year. The experience changed me: it showed me that there was so much more out there to learn and, if I wanted to grow, I would have to take risks. – When I returned home from my travels I was driven to find a career that allowed me to continue to travel and have experiences around the world. I started to write down my stories and sell articles to magazines. After six months of writing, an editor asked me if I had any high-resolution photos to go with my article. I said no. She recommended I pick up a camera and learn photography, emphasizing it would make me more valuable as a creator if I could write and capture photos. I bought my first camera the next day.
– I immediately fell in love with photography. I realized I could tell a story with one click of a button. Photography was more engaging and interactive than writing. I found myself surrounded by people, taking their photos, and sharing their memories; I soon realized this was a career I wanted to pursue.
– In 2020, I moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was drawn by the mountains and stayed for the community. That year, the same year I first picked up a camera, I decided the only way to learn photography was to practice; so I went out for every sunrise and sunset for the first six months I lived in Jackson – and I mean every sunrise and sunset. I made mistakes and missed hundreds of shots, but slowly, I learned. I remember that summer of 2020 when I sold my first print. I remember in the fall of 2020 when I received my first commercial client. I remember that winter when I first had my work featured in a major magazine. Those little moments proved possible through the daily work to improve, to be ok failing, and patient with the process.
– Now, almost 3 years into this new chapter of my life, I’ve been able to work with dream clients, had my work featured by Outside Magazine, and have worked with companies from around the world. My dream of finding a way to travel turned into my passion. I’m so happy to be here now, writing this, knowing that the work I’ve put in every day has led me to realize my dreams. And though those dreams have grown and changed, I know that me three years ago saw this moment right now as the dream; I try not to forget that.

The work I provide for clients includes commercial photography and videography, licensing photos for marketing use, product photography, and social media promotion. The work I do is primarily focused on the outdoors. One thing that sets me apart from competitors is my ability to get to places in the remote outdoors that most people don’t venture to. For example, climbing mountains in Peru and Ecuador, multi-day backpacking trips to reach remote alpine lakes. I am able to bring products into these remote environments and capture unique photos for clients.

I am proud of the fact that I am self-taught, have built a community of people within my industry that I now call friends, and have had my work shown across the world by companies such as Canon, Outside Magazine, Jackson Hole Resorts, and more. It is a incredible feeling to build something yourself, fail numerous times and decide to keep working at it, and then reach a point where you can survive monetarily off your own work and enjoy it as well. I feel lucky to be in the place I am now knowing how difficult the past three years were to get here.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to tell stories – stories from people who otherwise might not have a voice and platform to share. I am so interested in people, how similar we are in so many ways yet how different our backgrounds are. Where we are born changes everything about who we become and how we live.

There are many people I’ve met along my travels that have fascinating stories to tell. I want to be the one to help them share their stories.

One thing that traveling has taught me is that I don’t need a lot of things to find happiness. Some of the most peaceful months I’ve had in my life were when I lived in Nepal in the rural village of Rapcha. A village that had no hot water, no toilets, and very few comforts that I am used to as someone who grew up in the USA; yet, I found so much joy in my time there. I was able to spend a lot of time with the people from this village and really get to know them. I realized that they all lead such interesting lives and had some of the most unique stories I’ve heard. I found their stories so fascinating and impactful that I felt the urge to share them with as many people as I could. We have so much to learn from each other and I’ve realized that photography can be such a powerful tool to share stories through.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that all art is subjective. Though there can be guidelines to art, such as photography, like the rule of thirds, etc. in its final form, art is subjective to the creator. This allows me to create what I want, capture moments that give me joy and not worry about any constraints on my creative process.

Then, when I share my work, I am able to connect with others who see the beauty that I saw when I captured a certain moment. This process frees my mind and creates infinite possibilities for capturing art. The entire world of an artist is then free. That, to me, is a beautiful thing and the reason I love being a photographer.     x   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.haydenlynch.com
• Instagram: @haydlynch
• Facebook: @haydlynch
• Twitter: @haydlynch
• Youtube: @haydlynch
• Print store: https://haydenlynch.darkroom.com/

Image Credits
Hayden Lynch