ABOUT ME
BLAKE JOHNSTON
PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER
BASED IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA
Blake Johnston found his passion for filmmaking and photography at age 15, when he began filming his friends skateboarding in San Diego, CA. In high school, he joined an extracurricular film program where he made documentaries, commercials, and narrative shorts. This experience opened his eyes to new ways of seeing and capturing the world through a lens.
At 17, Blake landed his first professional job in the skateboarding industry. Over the next 6 years, he honed his skills working with amateur and professional athletes as well as small businesses across California in cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Every year since he was 11, Blake and his family visited Yosemite Valley for his father's birthday at the end of June. Blake vividly remembers driving through the Wawona Tunnel for the first time and being awestruck. Yosemite made him feel like nothing else in the world mattered, and his young imagination could run free. His dad says it was on this first trip that Blake declared he wanted to become a Yosemite Park Ranger someday.
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Realizing the fast-paced Southern California lifestyle wasn't for him, Blake revisited his childhood roots and moved to Yosemite as a dishwasher in October 2018. This job let him experience Yosemite for more than a few nights and sample the different seasons. Although often working 6 days a week, he would spend his free time photographing with his medium format film camera, learning landscape photography, and frequently buying rolls of film from The Ansel Adams Gallery.
In May 2019, Blake secured a seasonal cashier position at The Ansel Adams Gallery. This led to a full-time role in the autumn when he became the gallery's inaugural Staff Videographer. In addition to his gallery duties and video production, Blake assisted with TAAG's social media and led Photography Education Programs as a Staff Photographer. As of December 2023, Blake is now employed at the Yosemite Conservancy, working at the Yosemite Welcome Center and Exploration Center.
Although he didn't pursue a career as a Park Ranger, Blake is grateful for the opportunity to share his passion and knowledge with park visitors. During his free time, he enjoys photography with his 120 or 4x5 film camera, as well as hiking and camping.
