A local cowboy watches The Maverick Club rodeo in Cimarron, N.M. on July 4, 2021. The event is the longest running open rodeo in the west.
Ashley Borrego, an interpretation ranger at Joshua Tree National Park poses for a portrait at the Minerva Hoyt trailhead on Feb. 22, 2025.
Ben Harper poses for a portrait at Philmont Scout Ranch on July 13, 2022 in Cimarron, N.M. Harper has worked for 12 seasons at Philmont over the last eight years and now volunteers as a wildland firefighter.
Patrick Smith poses for a portrait in the barn at Ponil on Philmont Scout Ranch on June 13, 2021. Smith works as a wrangler caring for the cattle that live on the ranch and teaching scouts how to ride horses and pack burros.
Mikayla Bader poses for a portrait during sunset on Nov. 6, 2020. This image was taken with a 4x5 film camera.
Joyce Luk, an intern with Minorities in Aquaculture (MIA), poses for a portrait at Orchard Point Oyster Co. in Queen Anne's County, Md., on Aug. 11, 2023. Luk's interest in the internship program was sparked by a passion for sustainable aquaculture.
Forest ranger, Robbi Mecus poses for a portrait, at The Garden trailhead in Keene Valley, N.Y. on April 10, 2022. Mecus, a pillar for the LGBTQ+ community died at age 52 after falling 1,000 feet from a peak at Denali. Mecus worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for 25 years dedicated to searching and rescuing people in the Adirondacks. In 2019, Mecus came out as transgender and since then, became an inspiration for the LGBTQ+ outdoor community.
RIT beekeeping club president, Emma Eagen, poses for a portrait nearby the hives at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester N.Y. on April 4, 2021. Eagen is a third-year international and global studies major on the pre-med track. The image was taken with a tilt-shift lens.
Micha Hackbarth, a seasonal interpretation ranger for Joshua Tree National Park, poses for a portrait at the Minerva Hoyt trailhead on Feb. 22, 2025.
Saj Dillard poses for a portrait in the grow space at BLISS Meadows in Baltimore, Md. on Sept. 11, 2023. Dillard is the farm manager at Backyard Basecamp.
Brian Horan poses for a portrait after competing in skijoring at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber City on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Kyle Higby pauses for a portrait while snacking on sunflower seeds and vanilla pudding while climbing in Taos, N.M. on June 17, 2022.
Emma Jagoz sits in one of Moon Valley's seven high tunnels used for growing sungold tomatoes at Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Md., on Aug. 9, 2023. "I think it's really important for farmers like me, and the farmers that we work with, to continue to invest in infrastructure that allows us to grow reliably in all four seasons," Jagoz said. Greenhouses and high tunnels offer protection from inclement weather, allowing Jagoz to provide produce year-round.
Atiya Wells poses for a portrait in the BLISS Meadows grow space in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 9, 2023. Since beginning Backyard Basecamp, Wells has found a connection to nature in Baltimore City and works hard to share that connection with her community. “There’s so many rewarding things of introducing people to concepts that they didn't know about or just didn't know that they could do in an urban environment,” said Wells.
Jacqui Hatch poses with her dog Zoe outside her unit at the Switchpoint microshelter community in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 21, 2024. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks on a domestic violence case,” she says, “It’s been really difficult.”
Cole Inniss, 25, is from Minnesota but was born in Guiana. His family moved to America for better healthcare. After his brother introduced bouldering to him, Inniss was hooked. As a hard-of-hearing climber, Inniss finds comfort through the flow of bouldering, a type of climbing that’s done no more than 20 feet off the ground and requires strong, explosive movement. “I like climbing by myself. I like doing a lot of things by myself. I feel like whenever I climb by myself it’s easier to meet people. I mean it is frustrating to climb with hearing people sometimes. I only like to climb with one or two hearing people. It’s the same thing with deaf people. If it’s more than three people and they all talk, it’s like, I’m out,” says Inniss. He attracts quieter, chiller climbers and says, “if someone comes up to talk to you while you’re by yourself, they’re most likely your kind of person.”