Episode 55: Living Vanlife as a Professional Photographer: Behind the Scenes with Quin Schrock

What if you could ditch your 9-5 job, turn your passion into your career, and live life on the road? If you’ve ever wondered how to break into the world of photography to support your nomadic lifestlye, our guest, Quin Schrok, has you covered.

Listen to Quin’s inspiring story from when he left his job as a corporate accountant to travel across North America in his 1999 Toyota Corolla while learning the craft, to becoming a sought-after professional photographer and vanlifer, capturing uniquely beautiful landscapes all over the world.

But it’s not just about doing it for the ‘gram – Quin sheds light on the business side of photography. We’ll discuss the importance of developing a unique voice and style that sets you apart from the crowd. Quin shares his insights into the right equipment and post-production processes necessary for professional photography. Learn about various income streams in photography and how to connect with potential clients.. Whether you’re an aspiring photographer or just curious about vanlife, this episode is an exciting journey you won’t want to miss out on.

Follow Quin:
www.instagram.com/everchanginghorizon
www.everchanginghorizon.com

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What We Discuss in Episode 55 of The Wayward Home Podcast:

To start, we learn about Quin’s travel style as a professional photographer and vanlifer. Summers are his busy season when he travels abroad or on adventures for photography projects, while winter is typically spent cozied up in the van.
Quin shares the story of how he got into photography as a means to live a free and nomadic lifestyle – in the early days he alternated between odd jobs that could earn money and roadtrips where he honed his photography skills.
From there, Quin delves in to his advice for anyone looking to break in to the world of photography:
- Find a subject you really care about – figure out your unique way to showcase it and infuse your personality
- Focus on honing your craft while building social media presence and your unique style
- Look for clients that align with your style and are interested in your work
- Choose a photographer whose work you admire and try to recreate some of your favorite shots as a learning process, then apply those concepts to your own unique photographs
When it comes to choosing a camera – Quin recommends starting with your phone. It’s not necessary to upgrade to a professional camera until you have clients that require high resolution images.
When you do make the move to shooting with a DSLR camera, Quin swears by his 16-35 f4 lens as great all-around lens for landscape photography.
Quinn uses minimal post production time (usually less than 1 minute of editing), although it can be a way to set yourself apart. He prefers to invest his time up front to scout out the best locations for unique shots.
To wrap up, we discuss ways to make money through photography – for Quin it’s sponsored posts and client projects.
Overall, Quin’s advice is to show yourself and your personality in your work to set yourself apart and grow your following.

About Quin Schrock:

Quin Schrock is an outdoor adventure photographer based out of Southern California. As a kid, Quin spent his free time outside surfing, skating, and pushing the limit on acceptable back flip locations. That sense of wonder and freedom that Quin got from nature as a child never went away, and there is still nothing he would rather do than play outside. Although now you’ll find him with his camera in tow!

Always one to forge his own path, Quin’s distinct photographic style captures the intrepid human spirit engaging with diverse, remote, and off the beaten path landscapes. Quin genuinely enjoys living on the edge, and the excitement and anticipation that he experiences for each new destination and adventure comes through in his unique and creative compositions.