Dillon hails from Oregon, one of the most diverse regions in the United States. It is around its untamed coast where Dillon feels most inspired. As he says, “I grew up in a small town on the southern Oregon coast, and I never traveled far from there until I left for college. Life there pretty much revolves around the ocean, which is a huge inspiration for my art.”
His trip to New Zealand in 2016 was a tipping point in his career as an artist. “I traveled with a good friend to NZ in early 2016 and lost my phone at the start of the trip, which forced me to stop using my phone as a crutch and fully rely on my camera. From there I truly realized how much more diverse of a tool the DSLR was over my camera phone […] Personally the tradeoff is well worth it.”
Ever since Dillon has been improving his style. The soft and cold tones of his art have been influenced by his surroundings, which he gets to explore with his beautiful dog named Coda: “She never complains about my singing in the car! Jokes aside, I love that she never knows where we are going but is always down to go. I have developed a different approach to life having a dog, always learning from that one.”
Dillon is currently preparing his next adventure to Alaska. Another unspoiled region where he will continue to capture unique photographs. “My personal favorite photos are when I have strong emotions/feelings when I press the shutter. Big surprise, most of those are photos with Coda!”
Welcome Dillon! First of all, what motivated you to pick a camera in the first place and what is driving you nowadays?
I’ve always taken snapshots in my mind, just anticipating moments to pay attention to. I started taking pictures with my phone to post on Instagram and my friends all seemed to really dig them. The reason I upgraded to a camera from a phone was because I had a desire to take night photos, and at the time I thought that was pretty much the only thing my phone couldn’t do (in 2015). I traveled with a good friend to New Zealand in early 2016 and lost my phone at the start of the trip, which forced me to stop using my phone as a crutch and fully rely on my camera. From there I truly realized how much more diverse of a tool the DSLR was over my camera phone. The worst part was having to now carry around extra gear rather than the phone I already just had on me. I’m used to that now, and personally the tradeoff is well worth it.
You are currently based in Oregon. In terms of nature, probably the most beautiful state in the US! In your opinion, what makes Oregon so special?
I was born and raised here, and it has always just felt like home. Oregon is large and very diverse, from the coast to the mountains to the arid deserts and the lush forests, which gives plenty of options for weekend outings. It is a very dog-friendly state as well. I haven’t ventured out of Oregon and the surrounding states but a few times. Planning to be more intentional with my traveling this upcoming year, and maybe even look for a new home base.
You have a pretty distinctive artistic style. Can you tell us a little bit how did you develop your style and what are the reasons behind the cold and soft tones?
My style has developed from cultivating my own uniqueness.
I grew up in a small town on the southern Oregon coast, and I never traveled far from there until I left for college. Life there pretty much revolves around the ocean, which is a huge inspiration for my art. Composition is king to me, and lighting/conditions is queen. The cold soft tones are probably just a product of my environment.
Your portrait photography is also really special in my opinion! What do you like the most about portrait photography?
Thank you. My favorite thing about portrait photography is making the other person feel that they look good with the final product. Shooting models is fun because they know how to pose already and it’s fairly easy to take good photos of them. But shooting my friends is my favorite, being able to give a friend some quality photos from that one time we did this one thing is a great feeling.
Please now imagine for a sec that you have a super power! You can go back in time! What moment would you like to re-experience again?
I loved visiting New Zealand, but wasn’t as confident in my photography back then. It was really my first time taking such a trip though, so a lot of lessons were learned. I would love to return there with the knowledge and experience I’ve now accumulated. But if I could really go back in time I wouldn’t use it to re-experience anything, I would use it to visit glaciers that have now vastly receded. Experiences that future generations may never come to know, and I have already missed out on. I have felt some powerful emotions contemplating ancient ice when I visited the glaciers in Iceland.
As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like?
Many of my favorite photos I don’t specifically remember taking, which I think aids in my objective enjoyment. One of these examples is a film photo from the back of my jeep I recently shared. That could have been from anywhere, and a lot of people can connect with that feeling of waking up in a car, but it still evokes a special nostalgia in me because I can recognize it as my jeep. My personal favorites are when I have strong emotions/feelings when I press the shutter. Big surprise, most of those are photos with coda. When they are shot on film they mean even more to me, allowing the emotions to either marinate in time or escape my memory altogether. Both of which increase my enjoyment of those photos.
Right from the beginning of your career as a photographer you shared lovely photos of your dog! What do you like the most about those trips with Coda?
Not that long ago you decided to start sharing mainly film photography. This can be clearly seen in your Instagram feed which, in my opinion, almost looks like an art gallery! Beautiful! I know that you find the process very therapeutic…But I am curious! Why did you decided to make this change in the first place and how do you feel about it today?
Thank you so much. I switched to white borders on my feed just over a year ago because I compose my photos in camera and had a lot of 3:2 to share. Also just sort of a challenge to myself to keep it up for at least a year. I will most likely switch back to a full size gallery soon because I still take photos composed in 4:5, but I will continue to post film photos on my second page (@dlllnfllm). Eventually I will expand into developing and scanning my own film, but for now I outsource that aspect. It allows me to spend less time on a screen and more time shooting.
Imagine yourself at the beginning of your professional career as a photographer. What four pieces of advice would you give to yourself?
1) Start shooting film and manual settings – it really helped solidify my understanding of the camera, and it’s nothing to be intimidated about. Also allowed me to not take so many photos of the same thing, and consider whether something is actually worth taking a photo of.
2) Shoot with more models/meet more photographers – I had some meetups that left a bad taste in my mouth early on in the Instagram days, which had caused me to sort of hermit off socially. But I have also met a few of my closest friends through Instagram. My advice would be to just keep moving forward to meet more people and not to dwell on the negative experiences, and I’m putting that into practice more this year by reaching out to people to shoot.
3) Print your work – which like #2 is still advice I need to force feed myself. Sometimes it feels like once I post a photo it sort of ‘dies’ online, gets stamped with ‘x’ amount of Instagram points and now it’s time for another post the next day. It’s important that your art looks good on a wall, which should be its true final resting place rather than online. I’m actually reviewing some prints this week and plan to offer my first print sale soon!
4) Don’t worry about the gear, worry about being there. Sometimes the moment worthy of capturing only lasts for 30 seconds. Someone with a $10,000 camera setup who gets there 10 minutes later than someone with a camera phone could very well miss that special moment. The camera is just a tool, more importantly you need to know how and when to use it.
Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?
Right now my top three photography inspirations are Reuben Wu (@itsreuben), Maya Beano (@mayabeano), and Joe Greer (@ioegreer). You can really tell they are cultivating and nurturing their own uniqueness with their art.
Any new projects coming up or countries you will be visiting soon?
Planning to take a trip to Alaska this summer, and honestly that’s is about all I have planned!
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