How did you get your start in photography? 

All through my childhood my dad was a well-traveled photographer. In the late 90s I bought a Nikon Coolscan 4000 and started archiving his old 35mm slides (Kodachrome, of course!). I started remembering places we had been and things I had seen (that is the power of a great image) and it really flipped a switch for me. While I have always ‘dabbled’ in taking pictures, I became a photographer on my birthday in the summer of 2002. I remember the day well. It felt like I finally discovered who I am.

Which accomplishments are you most proud of?

I have been blessed with many great opportunities over the years; my dad calling me from a Barnes & Noble in Toronto after recognizing my image on a magazine cover was pretty cool. I’ve also made some great contacts, many of whom I now call friends. I have had a lot of doors closed in my face, but persistence and politeness almost always pay off, and you will meet some interesting people along the way.

Which Custom SLR products do you use?

My bag contains several Custom SLR products: the C-Loop (both sizes), the Camera Hand Strap, the Mirrorless Bundle, and the Glide One Strap.

Royal's gear hanging on a fence at the Jackson Hole Airport in the summer of 2016. Nikon D750 with Camera Hand Strap shown.

How does using these products improve your photography and/or comfort? What difference can you feel?

For sure the Camera Hand Strap. It is an amazing addition to your camera. My go-to kit is a Nikon D750 (gripped) with a Sigma 120-300 f/2.8, which is fairly long and weighty. The Camera Hand Strap gives me the ability to one-hand my gear out of an open helicopter, over a fence, or while climbing a ladder. The fit is perfect and the grip is so secure it gives me total peace of mind. And, when it gets cold out, you open it up a bit and shoot with a thick glove.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Wow. I would say the ability to manipulate time. Like slowing things down or maybe even the ability to time travel. Could you imagine how awesome that would be? It sounds exciting, but also scary! I would not want to be able to influence what I was watching, however. I wouldn’t want to change history, just experience it firsthand. 

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