Through The Lens with Me, Alex Strohl | My Purpose, Gear, & How I Do What I do

I don’t know if there was one of those moments of realization that people write about in my career. I feel like it was a succession of events; turning points where I had to take decisions with big risks life-wise…and with potential rewards!

The main one was dropping out from university, which I found too static, to scratch my travel itch. From 2013 to 2015 I journeyed with my girlfriend to all four corners of the world, without a permanent address; drifting from place to place, with our cameras in hand. The camera gave me purpose, a reason to keep going. It led us to travel through Europe for a whole summer in search of people living alternative lifestyles, and that led to my first book, Alternative Living.

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A rainy night at the Kanin hut. The weather forecast looked pretty grim but I couldn’t leave this country without seeing this shelter. Perched on a ridge, surrounded by gnarly uneven terrain but as soon as you get inside, it’s like being home. @feelslovenia

A post shared by Alex Strohl (@alexstrohl) on Jul 12, 2018 at 9:41pm PDT

To this day I consider myself a better traveller than photographer, embarking on last-minute trips done with minimal research so that I’m forced to seek advice from locals and get lost. But what photography does for me is irreplaceable, it gives meaning to my life and I wouldn’t want to live any other way.

You can get a glimpse into what I do, and what’s possible in photography in this episode of Adorama’s Through The Lens (below).

Photography Gear

• Canon 5D Mark IV
• Canon 1DX Mark II
• Canon 16-35 1.4 L II
• Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L II
• DJI Phantom 4 Pro
• DJI Mavic Pro

How I Use It

My main workhorse is the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 III USM lens. Those are always along for the ride, although when the going gets rough I also have a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II, and my “extreme lens,” a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM.

Starting the day with a rope swing session at the cenote. This was by far my favourite one, probably because of the massive tree roots that come all the way down here to get fresh water??

A post shared by Alex Strohl (@alexstrohl) on Jun 10, 2018 at 9:42pm PDT

For shooting after sunset, during the “blue hour,” I use a Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM wide angle lens, and usually end up with my favorite photos of the day. My drone shots are made possible with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, but if I’m going somewhere far on foot I pack the DJI Mavic Pro for its portability. Now pack all this into a Lowepro Whistler BP 450 XL Pro Grade Outdoor backpack, and that’s me.

You can find more from me on my site, shoot with me in my workshops, and on Instagram. You can also see more episodes from Adorama’s Through The Lens series.