We were lucky to catch up with Manuela Durson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Manuela, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of the most meaningful parts of my work has been creating landscape photography and cinematic drone videos that capture the feeling of a place, not just what it looks like. I spend a lot of time exploring the Oregon Coast, the American West, and remote natural areas, often chasing weather, light, fog, storms, or quiet moments that only exist for a few minutes. While I currently make my full-time living through real estate photography and videography, my deeper passion has always been storytelling through travel and landscapes. Drone photography especially changed the way I see the world because it reveals abstract patterns, textures, and perspectives most people never notice from the ground. My long-term goal is to continue building a life around travel photography and filmmaking, creating work that inspires people to feel connected to nature and experience places in a more emotional and cinematic way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m a photographer and videographer based on the Oregon Coast, specializing in landscape photography, drone work, and real estate media. While I currently make my full-time living through real estate photography and videography, my real passion has always been capturing landscapes and nature through both photos and video. A lot of my personal work focuses on the Oregon Coast, the American West, deserts, mountains, and remote areas that have a strong atmosphere and feeling to them.

I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. Even as a teenager, I went through dozens and dozens of disposable film cameras because I always wanted to document places, road trips, nature, and everyday life. In 2015, I finally bought my first real camera, and that was the point where photography became much more serious for me. From there, it slowly grew into both a business and a lifestyle.

What I love most about photography is the exploration side of it. I enjoy chasing weather, light, fog, storms, sunsets, and conditions that only last for a short moment. Drone photography especially changed the way I see landscapes because it reveals patterns, textures, and perspectives that you simply cannot see from the ground.

At the same time, the journey has not always been easy. I deal with health challenges that can make travel and physically demanding locations difficult, and there are many places I would love to reach that just are not realistic for me right now. That can definitely be discouraging at times. Over the years, though, I’ve learned to focus less on what I can’t do and more on making the most of the places I can access. Some of my favorite images have actually come from locations close to the road or places other people might overlook.

I’m also very adventurous by nature, and getting a capable 4×4 vehicle opened up a whole new world for me creatively. It allows me to travel remote backroads and explore areas that would have been difficult for me to reach before. I’ve outfitted the vehicle so I can sleep in it when needed, and I really enjoy the freedom that comes with being able to travel independently, stay out in nature longer, and photograph places far away from crowds.

For my clients, whether in real estate or commercial work, I try to create visuals that feel natural, cinematic, and thoughtful instead of overly staged. I think my landscape background influences the way I approach lighting, composition, and atmosphere, even when I’m photographing homes or commercial spaces.

One thing I’m most proud of is building a creative career independently while continuing to pursue the type of work I truly care about. Long term, my goal is to continue growing as a travel photographer and videographer and spend more time creating visual stories focused on landscapes, nature, and remote places. I would also love to work more with outdoor, travel, and lifestyle brands in the future. I’ve already done a lot of work with tourism boards, and I really enjoy creating visual content that helps promote destinations and experiences in an authentic way.

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

The biggest thing driving my creative journey is my love for the beauty of creation and wanting to capture it in the best way I can through photography and video. I feel the most at peace when I’m out in nature, especially in wide open landscapes far away from noise and crowds. I love the Oregon Coast, but I’m also deeply drawn to the deserts of Utah and Arizona. There is something about the quiet, space, colors, textures, and atmosphere of the desert that really resets me mentally and creatively.

Travel has become a huge part of what motivates me because it satisfies my need for adventure and exploration. I love discovering new places, driving remote backroads, experiencing changing weather and landscapes, and seeing things that feel completely different from everyday life. Photography gives those experiences even more meaning because it pushes me to slow down and really pay attention to the world around me.

Long term, my goal is to continue growing into more travel, tourism, and brand-related work focused around landscapes, outdoor adventure, and cinematic storytelling. I would love to work more with travel and outdoor brands while continuing to create personal projects that reflect my own connection to nature and exploration. Drone photography and video especially opened up a whole new creative world for me because it allows me to show landscapes from perspectives that most people never get to experience themselves.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the biggest challenges in my journey has been dealing with ongoing health issues while trying to pursue a creative career centered around travel and landscape photography. There are many locations I would love to reach that simply are not realistic for me physically, and at times that can be frustrating and discouraging. Photography often looks glamorous from the outside, but a lot of landscape work can be physically demanding, unpredictable, and exhausting.

Over time, though, I’ve learned how important it is to adapt instead of focusing only on limitations. Instead of constantly chasing extreme hikes or difficult locations, I started paying more attention to places that were still accessible to me but had beautiful light, atmosphere, textures, or conditions. Some of my favorite images have actually come from locations close to the road or places that many people would drive right past.

Another thing that really changed my creative life was getting a capable 4×4 vehicle and outfitting it so I can travel and sleep in it when needed. That opened up a completely new level of freedom for me. It allows me to explore remote backroads, spend more time in nature, and access places that would have been much more difficult for me otherwise. Being able to stay out for sunrise, storms, or changing conditions without needing hotels or strict schedules has made a huge difference creatively.

At the same time, building a business around photography and videography has been very rewarding because it gives me confidence that I’m continuing to improve in my craft. Knowing that people value my work enough to hire me motivates me to keep learning and pushing forward even during difficult periods. I think resilience for me has really been about adapting, staying creative through limitations, and continuing to pursue the things I love even when the path is not always easy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.manueladursonphotography.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdurson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManuelaDursonPhotography/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ManuelaDursonPhotography

Image Credits

Manuela Durson