Photographer Tally Gunstone – Hook & Nail Gallery Event

Tally Gunstone is a Portland-based photographer who is participating in Livestock’s upcoming Hook & Nail gallery event. We sat down with Tally to discuss what she appreciates most about the Northwest as a photographer, and how being a designer has helped inform her photography.

1) What about the Pacific Northwest do you appreciate most as a photographer?

Variety. Vast variety. Cracked desert grounds. Long, straight roads as far as the eye can see. Rugged, rugged mountains. Deep craters. Trees reaching up into the sky. And the mighty sea. If you drive an hour in one direction, you are bound to see diversity in the landscape. It’s an endless palette for photographers.

2) You’re also a graphic designer. How has that informed your photography?

Design and art directing has been a part of my daily life long before photography made its way in. Composition is key and is something I have trained my eye on from working in the field. It has definitely impacted the way I look through the lens.

3) You do a terrific job of capturing scale. Is that what stands out to you most when shooting remote locations?

It can be a challenge to try and show the entirety of a beautiful place in a single frame. I find that using scale, like a person standing in front of a 200’ waterfall, helps capture the vastness of a place. When I make it to a special location, I am constantly looking for opportunities to work scale into an image.

4) Serendipity or careful planning?

I wish I was a more serendipitous person, but I sway towards the careful planning side for sure. When going in backcountry remote places, I like to be prepared and have confidence that I know where I am going. I spend hours looking at maps and digging through hiker forums in preparation for a long trip or more dangerous hike.

5) What’s something you’ve learned about photography in the last year?

I’ve learned that if you find something worth documenting, people will be interested in it. So I try to keep finding the more remote places, most beautiful scenery and the wildest adventures that deserve to be documented and shared. Instead of just going to the easiest, yet beautiful, waterfall to be able to take a pretty photograph. Adventures came before photography in my story, so I am still a student eager to learn.