Creative Spotlight: Jonny Roams, Adventure Photographer
If you didn’t know Jonny, you might actually think his last name is “Roams”. Although it’s not, if he were to legally change his name we think it’d fit him perfectly. You see, the southwest and Utah in particular are massive. There are endless landscapes to explore and they are almost constantly changing as you go down the road. One minute you’ll see snow covered mountains and the next, some space-like rock structure. It’s a crazy place! Jonny does indeed “roam” many of these landscapes in search of epic adventures and crazy compositions.
Having worked with Jonny in the past we felt compelled to take things to the next level. We teamed up with Tamron and traveled out to Utah and joined him on an adventure. We began this journey in the Salt Lake area. If you’ve seen Jonny Roams’ Gear Corner on Instagram, you know he’s a huge fan of his office and the many pieces of gear and decor that call it home. Naturally, we had to grab some footage of this space and we can confirm it's the perfect creative lab.
We soon hit the road to our first destination outside of Salt Lake. Quickly, the landscape began to undergo changes. The snow changed into a mix of desert sand and clay as we made our way south. Luckily for us, one of Jonny's good friends who’s also crazy talented, Cody Conk, joined us on this leg of the trip (check out his work here). We decided to make a pit stop on the way, pulling off on the side of the freeway. As we approached the butte we saw a pair of small planes coming from the distance. Jonny informs me that this is actually one of his other photographer friends. What are the chances!?
It didn’t take long to get the feeling that the group of creatives he associated with was tight-knit. Chasing after moments of light together in crazy locations seemed to be a common bond between all of them. There was also a genuine desire for each other’s success. A number of his friends we had the pleasure of meeting are also full-time creators. They help each other with different creative endeavors and are there for each other when they need that “red jacket-wearing” figure standing on the edge of a cliff. (We can’t blame them, these shots are epic for showing scale).
Photo by Jonny Hill
We’ve touched on this in previous creative spotlight pieces, but the power of community in the photography world is unmatched. No matter where you are, there can be common ground found between those that capture the many nuances of this world and its inhabitants. Utah is a prime example and the community in Salt Lake is strong. In our several days spent with Jonny, it became very clear how prevalent connection is in this content creating community. They are a further reminder that photography is about so much more than just the photos.
Gearing Up
Shooting in all different environments and terrain can be tough on gear. Having reliable equipment is essential if you’re looking to spend time off the beaten path. Since Jonny is a hybrid shooter, he requires SD cards capable of handling high-bit rate footage and large image files. You’ll often find him with a pair of 128GB Rugged Cine SD cards on hand. Along with this, his go to adventure tripod is the Specialist SP532CK. Being both lightweight and robust this is an excellent piece of equipment for hiking and offroad content creation. You’ll also find an HGX Prime CPL or VND attached to the end of his lens. Although safety is of the utmost importance to us, accidents happen. Jonny’s gear took a spill at one of our shooting locations. Aside from some cosmetic damage, his lens and front element were totally intact. The filter itself was undamaged, with only minor scratches on the outer frame. Having an array of filters can not only help improve your photography, but provide protection to your investments.
We can’t forget the lenses! You’ll often find Jonny sporting his Tamron 35-150mm f/2-f2.8 Di III VXD. This is an incredibly versatile lens that can cover the majority of any photographers' needs. At 35mm you’ve got excellent width for landscape photos. Combine this with 150mm at the long end and you can achieve great compression in your photos. As well as this he will frequently have his 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD attached to his Sony, allowing him to capture the vast landscapes the southwest has to offer. He also noted that he was a big fan of Tamron's new 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD. This is a great all around lens for both photo and video work as it offers wide angle capabilities while having enough reach for an array of shooting scenarios. If you are in the market for a set of capable zoom lenses, we can't recommend Tamron enough! A special thanks to their team for helping bring this project to life!
