The Sunday interview: 5 questions for Jon Norris

Today I will present Jon Norris, the author of Explore Landscapes. Jon is a professional landscape photographer and a hiking guide for Joshua Tree National Park.

1.     Why photography?

I have always spent much of my spare time outdoors in nature, hiking and exploring. Photography was a great way of documenting my time outdoors, and as I got more into photography, it became an excuse to spend more time outdoors in nature.

I started taking photos at 14 with my trusty Soviet-era Zenit 10 SLR camera, teaching myself photography fundamentals via countless rolls of poorly exposed black-and-white 35mm film. In my late teens, I progressed to slide film and loved Kodachrome for its rich, saturated colors. When digital became a thing, I was an early adopter and worked my way through the Canon line-up of digital cameras, from the EOS 350D to the 5D Mark III, before going mirrorless with the Canon EOS R.

Photography has always been my preferred creative outlet, which balanced my analytical day job of engineering and program management. As my career progressed (and consumed more and more hours) and during the early years of having a family, I had minimal opportunities for 'creative photography.' My photography was mainly family snapshots documenting my daughters growing up and our family holidays together.

My creative photographic hiatus ended when we moved to Hamburg. I became good friends with another photographer, who encouraged me to make more time for my photography (the elusive work-life balance). Hamburg is a visually fascinating city, and I took many photo walks around it, taking urban and abstract images. I was hooked on photography again!

Later in my career, I transitioned from engineering to publishing and finally settled in B2B marketing. In my marketing role, I took, on average, 30 long-haul trips per year (~400,000 miles annually) to the US, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia. During each work trip, I tried to fit in an extra day to explore and take photos.

For the past forty-plus years, photography, in one form or another, has always played an important part in my life. I’m fortunate that I now divide my time between marketing, being a professional landscape photographer, and hiking/backpacking guide to Joshua Tree National Park.

2.     What is your favourite gear? (camera, lens)

My favorite gear is my current setup, which I’ve used for almost six years: a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera and 24-105mm f4 lens. Since early 2019, I’ve probably shot 80% of my images with that combo.

3.     What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

When I moved to southern California in 2014, I visited Joshua Tree National Park and fell in love with the place—the desert, the landscape, the climate, and the trees and flora. I started spending more and more time there and now typically spend at least two weekends per month there. Joshua Tree National Park has profoundly impacted both my photography and me personally. It's my happy place, and I love getting off the grid and exploring, experiencing, and photographing this special place.

4.     Can you name a few of your favourite photographers?

As this is a Substack interview, I’m going to name a few of my favorite photographers from Substack:

Andy Adams, Michela Griffith, Susanne Helmert, Gill Moon, Bryan Hansel, Nat, Rachel Jeffrey, and Xavi Buendia

Plus a few who I haven’t seen on Substack (yet):

William Neil, Adam Gibbs, Ben Horne, and Thomas Heaton.

5.     What can Substack community expect from you/your publication in the future?

My weekly Monday newsletter is typically a long-form ‘teaching’ article for paid subscribers and workshop attendees. My free Thursday newsletter should interest a wider audience and is typically about my hiking, volunteering, or workshop adventures. I look forward to helping more people improve their photography!