This is a story about a man (Zach Ferretti) discovering a love for photography, and it brought him closer to nature because of it.
Early Years
It all began when I first got my hands on a smartphone. I heard about a cool new app which was only three years old – Instagram. After setting up my account, it wasn’t until 2014 that I shared the first image that you could call a landscape photograph.
As time went on, I began taking more and more photographs showcasing the nature around me. I’ll admit at first it was out of a place of vanity – I valued sharing my work and posting on social media more than I did the time I was getting to be in nature.
A Necessary Shift
All of this changed on a sunrise photo shoot in August 2017. I drove down to Cape Cod to photograph the sunrise. This was the first Sunrise I recall going on for photography. As the sky turned pink, the excitement overwhelmed me. A wave of joy overcame me seeing the beautiful pastel tones of the sunrise captured on my camera.
The long-exposure images I was taken were so different than anything I’d shot before and it was exhilarating. I’m thankful that I went on that photo shoot. It really opened my eyes to how fulfilling photography could be.
From there, the pursuit and passion never stopped growing. As I grew older I realized how valuable the escape to nature was. It became my privilege to share the beauty of the world around me and document it.
The Future
As my life progressed so did my photography. I write this now in August 2025, just over 8 years since this first sunrise shoot on the Cape. I find myself still chasing sunrises and sunsets, and looking for the beauty everywhere I go, but now my gear has changed a lot and I’m far more fond of my work and the results I’m able to produce in the field.
I’m no longer just looking for the obvious shots (which I admit I sometimes still do) but also finding beauty in the mundane and every-day world around me.
Where do I want to go from here?
Well I’d like to continue seeing myself focus on work that isn’t just “photographer goes to worlds most popular hike and takes nice photo“. I’ve moved to Colorado and been having a thrilling time exploring this area – and the results speak for themselves. I’ve enjoyed visiting the National Parks a ton but also have been purposefully trying to visit more bespoke locations as well.