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Zach Dobson is a documentary and commercial photographer based in Indianapolis. He holds a degree in journalism from Indiana University with a concentration in photography. Since starting his business in 2006, Zach has focused on documenting people’s lives and businesses in action. Zach’s client list includes the Indiana Pacers, Coca-Cola, the AARP, ZipCar, Indiana University, Visit Bloomington, Hamilton County Tourism, Land O’Lakes, RIOT LA Comedy Festival, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indiana High School Athletic Association. Zach is a Professional Member of the American Society of Media Photographers [ASMP]. He resides in Carmel, Ind. with his wife and business partner, Courtney, and their five children.

Author: Zach Dobson

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They Almost Won the Indianapolis 500: Second Place Finishers

Posted on May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 Zach Dobson

I went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum this spring, and seeing as the Indy 500 is this weekend, now

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A Wild Weekend of Gaming – Big East Esports Championships

Posted on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 Zach Dobson

The Big East Esports Championship at Butler University was full of action and emotion and I was there to document

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Photographing Light as a Subject

Posted on March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 Zach Dobson

Photographing light, whether natural or manmade, goes a long way in making an interesting & engaging photo. Photography at its

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Documenting Work Truck Week in Indianapolis

Posted on March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 Zach Dobson

Work Truck Week in Indianapolis is always a joy to photograph. This year was my fourth time documenting these big

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How To Create Social Media Content with Zach Dobson Photography

Posted on February 6, 2023February 6, 2023 Zach Dobson

Creating social media content for clients using my documentary photography experience to share client products, services, and locations. … Continue readingHow To Create Social Media Content with Zach Dobson Photography

downtown indianapolis, blue hour photography
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Learn How I Find Great Photos on a Live Photo Walk

Posted on January 30, 2023January 30, 2023 Zach Dobson

Live from _____, It’s a ZDP Photo Walk! Have you tuned in to a live photo walk yet? I’ve been

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Black & White Photography in the Snow

Posted on January 25, 2023January 25, 2023 Zach Dobson

Snow day! That means it’s time to head outside and create some black & white photography in the snow! There

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carmel clay public library
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A Look Inside the New Carmel Clay Public Library

Posted on January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 Zach Dobson

We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new renovations at the Carmel Clay Public Library and were excited at the opportunity to

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Documenting a Ballet Class

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 Zach Dobson

As a photographer, I thrive on the novel. I love documenting things I’ve never photographed before. So when I was

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Recreating Christmastime in 1836 during a merry prairie holiday at conner prairie in fishers, indiana.
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Photography by Candlelight – A Merry Prairie Holiday

Posted on December 7, 2022December 7, 2022 Zach Dobson

Available Light Only Documenting the mood and atmosphere of A Merry Prairie Holiday at Conner Prairie was a fun challenge

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How To Use Motion Blur in Photography to Tell a Story

Posted on November 10, 2022November 10, 2022 Zach Dobson

Using motion blur in photography is a great way to convey action, movement, and excitement while telling a story. In

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Taking Great Photos of Everyday Scenes

Posted on November 2, 2022November 2, 2022 Zach Dobson

Beauty in the Ordinary Taking great photos of everyday scenes is something I pride myself in. I often say that

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New Butler Esports Park in Indianapolis

Posted on October 26, 2022January 19, 2023 Zach Dobson

Photographing the new Butler Esports Park was my second photoshoot this year in esports. It’s been great learning about this

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Taking an Artistic Approach as an Event Street Photographer

Posted on October 6, 2022October 6, 2022 Zach Dobson

Recently I decided to take some photos as a sort of “event street photographer.” Here I’ll talk about the process

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Taking Unique Photos at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis

Posted on September 14, 2022September 14, 2022 Zach Dobson

Looking for the Different I’ve never been one to look for THE shot. The “hero” shot (it’s an advertising term).

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The Beautiful 40 Mile Point Lighthouse in Rogers City, Michigan

Posted on August 31, 2022August 31, 2022 Zach Dobson

Let’s be honest: lighthouses are freaking cool. I love the idea of 19th century ships navigating a rocky coast, relying

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Creating an Everyday Photo Story: Sunrise on Lake Huron

Posted on August 23, 2022August 24, 2022 Zach Dobson

Photographers will wake up at 3am and hike for hours just to photograph a perfect sunrise. Some photographers. That’s not

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Who Is Zach Dobson? A Photographer Origin Story

Posted on August 22, 2022August 22, 2022 Zach Dobson

If you’ve come to my photos and videos through social media, you might be wondering “Who is Zach Dobson? What’s

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Commercial Photography – Behind the Scenes

Posted on June 30, 2022June 30, 2022 Zach Dobson

If you want to know what it’s like to work in commercial photography, I have some behind-the-scenes photos from a

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Photographing What I’m Doing

Posted on June 22, 2022June 22, 2022 Zach Dobson

“Go big or go home,” is a saying that I heard a lot as a youth and young adult and

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NBA2K in Indianapolis – Live esports tournament

Posted on June 15, 2022January 19, 2023 Zach Dobson

Recently I had an opportunity to photograph something new: esports! Indianapolis played host to a 5v5 NBA2K tournament, called The

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Deftones at TCU Amphitheater

Posted on June 9, 2022June 15, 2022 Zach Dobson

When I tell people I’m photographing a concert, their first thoughts are that I’m working for a publication or for

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Zach’s on a Photography Podcast!

Posted on March 8, 2022March 8, 2022 Zach Dobson

Hey, I was a guest on the Quinn Aden podcast! He’s a great interviewer! We talked photography, photo tech, business

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2022 Winter Photo Walk in Nature

Posted on January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 Zach Dobson

This week I took a winter walk to shake off the Great Holiday Malaise and get back to taking some

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Indianapolis Monumental Marathon 2021

Posted on November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Zach Dobson

Well, we’re back to photographing major sporting events! Here are some of my favorite photos from the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon,

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think tank photo bags retrospective roller
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New Partnership with Think Tank Photo

Posted on November 15, 2021November 15, 2021 Zach Dobson

I’m excited to announce a partnership with my favorite camera bag brand: Think Tank Photo! I’ve been using their bags

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The Art of Everyday Photography

Posted on October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 Zach Dobson

I feel that “everyday” photography is greatly underrated. Scroll any social media feed and you’ll see plenty of tropical locations

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Late Night Photography

Posted on October 25, 2021October 25, 2021 Zach Dobson

Doing some late night photography lead to something I almost never do: using a tripod. Taking out the trash late

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fog trees nature
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13 Minutes in the Fog – A Photographic Journey

Posted on October 14, 2021October 14, 2021 Zach Dobson

The title of this series is 13 Minutes in the Fog: A Photographic Journey. A foggy morning is always great

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Editorial Photo Shoot – Behind the Scenes – How I Shoot

Posted on October 5, 2021October 5, 2021 Zach Dobson

Recently I did an editorial photo shoot for PUNCH magazine. They have a series profiling long-time bartenders and they hired

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Stonewall Sports – Indianapolis Kickball

Posted on September 16, 2021September 16, 2021 Zach Dobson

Stonewall Sports Indianapolis is a community sports organization for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. I went out to document opening day

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From the Archive: A Day Documenting Life in Bloomington, Indiana

Posted on September 10, 2021September 10, 2021 Zach Dobson

Bloomington, Indiana is the home of Indiana University, my alma mater. I found these photos from a visit 5 years

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A Spectacular Convergence of Nature, Art, and People

Posted on August 5, 2021August 5, 2021 Zach Dobson

Today we make a return visit to the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres at Newfields in

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mccormicks creek waterfall
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The Serenity of McCormick’s Creek State Park

Posted on July 23, 2021July 24, 2021 Zach Dobson

Seeing the peace and serenity of McCormick’s Creek State Park, it’s easy to see how this became the first state

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fort zachary taylor key west beach
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Family Day Trip to Beautiful Key West

Posted on July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 Zach Dobson

While visiting the Florida Keys, we decided to visit Key West for a day. It sounds a bit odd to

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robert is here fruit stand homestead florida
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Robert is Here fruit stand in Homestead, Florida

Posted on June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 Zach Dobson

If you ever find yourself visiting Everglades national park, I HIGHLY recommend a stop at the Robert is Here fruit

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High Contrast Black and White Nature Photography at Home

Posted on June 18, 2021June 18, 2021 Zach Dobson

Looking for a fresh perspective on my own surroundings, I created some black and white nature photography in my yard.

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Native Plants and Animals at the Wonder Gardens

Posted on June 14, 2021June 14, 2021 Zach Dobson

The Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, Florida has been an area landmark since 1936. Originally built as a roadside

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Dive into the Sea: Underwater Photography in the Sunshine State

Posted on June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 Zach Dobson

Pictures are just better when they’re taken at close range. So when going to the beach, I brought a waterproof camera. Here are the results… … Continue readingDive into the Sea: Underwater Photography in the Sunshine State

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Adjusting to Life on the Road – Travel with Kids

Posted on May 21, 2021May 21, 2021 Zach Dobson

Travel with Kids If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know that I shoot a lot

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everglades national park anhinga trail
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Beautiful Wildlife on Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park

Posted on May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Zach Dobson

After a year of staying near home and only visiting state parks, I had forgotten just how large national parks

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Havana Spice Restaurant – Homestead, Florida

Posted on April 27, 2021April 27, 2021 Zach Dobson

Being a documentary photographer means photo stories present themselves at random times, including while waiting for takeout at an eclectic

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Finding Fine Art in Sports Photography

Posted on March 31, 2021March 31, 2021 Zach Dobson

In addition to focusing on action and emotion, I like to find the art in sports photography. Here are some

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Photography Tips: Aspect Ratio

Posted on March 19, 2021March 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

Aspect ratio affects everything we do as photographers, from creating images in-camera to making prints and posting photos online. Here

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indiana high school basketball state champs trey lyles
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Basketball Emotion in the Hoosier State

Posted on March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 Zach Dobson

I’ve missed photographing all the Hoosier basketball emotion around the state over the last year. If you haven’t heard, Indiana

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Fundamentals of Photography: Shadows

Posted on March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 Zach Dobson

The literal definition of photography “drawing with light.” So the fundamentals of photography are shadows and light. Sometimes it’s important

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Getting Great at Snow Photography

Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

Oh man, it’s been snowing so much here in Indiana. It’s a lot more than we get most winters. So,

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Photography Practice: Return to the Scene

Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

A good photography practice can be to return to the same scene multiple times to photograph it under different conditions.

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Moody Photos of Night Snow

Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

Twenty years into photography, it’s rare to find a subject I haven’t already photographed in some capacity. Enter Night Snow.

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Documenting Construction, Design and Collaboration

Posted on February 5, 2021January 19, 2023 Zach Dobson

Documentary construction photography, design & collaboration for Cityscape Residential for their website by Common Design. … Continue readingDocumenting Construction, Design and Collaboration

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Just Get Out and Make Photos

Posted on January 29, 2021January 28, 2021 Zach Dobson

One thing I’ve learned in my 17 years of professional photography is sometimes you need to just get out and

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6o Minute Photo Shoot & Blog Post

Posted on January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Zach Dobson

This morning I decided to try an experiment. I would see if I could shoot, edit and make a blog

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Single Photos Forming a Collection

Posted on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 Zach Dobson

Going through some images from 2020, I started to see a lot of single images that I hadn’t published. When

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Sun in the Wintertime

Posted on January 15, 2021January 15, 2021 Zach Dobson

What’s a photographer to do in a pandemic? I’m someone who likes to photograph people most of all. I need

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A Winter Walk

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 Zach Dobson

It’s winter in the Midwest. What’s a social-distancing photographer to do? Go for a walk in the woods! Grateful to

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How to choose the right photographer for you

Posted on January 6, 2021January 6, 2021 Zach Dobson

How to find a great photographer to work with for your family portraits, wedding, or event. … Continue readingHow to choose the right photographer for you

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Engledow Holiday Decor

Posted on December 16, 2020December 15, 2020 Zach Dobson

Holiday decor designed and photographed for Engledow Group in Indianapolis area. … Continue readingEngledow Holiday Decor

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See more: Eating Well Magazine’s Thanksgiving Issue

Posted on November 24, 2020February 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

Photos for Eating Well magazine of Nate and Liz Brownlee, owners/operators of Nightfall Farm in Crothersville, Indiana. … Continue readingSee more: Eating Well Magazine’s Thanksgiving Issue

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Fall Photography in Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve

Posted on October 16, 2020February 19, 2021 Zach Dobson

Took at walk with the kids at Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve in Fishers Indiana and got some great fall photos. … Continue readingFall Photography in Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve

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As It Lies

Posted on July 14, 2020August 20, 2020 Zach Dobson

I’m not a golfer, so it felt a bit odd to start taking photos of lost golf balls. However, I recently

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