New York City is one of the best places in the world for street photography. There are million interesting things happening at any given moment and thousands of photographers walking the streets to find them. New York City Street Photography I’d been to New York a few times, but this is the first trip I…
This past weekend was The Eras Tour in Indianapolis and I was THERE! Well, I was downtown documenting the scene outside the show. On Saturday, November 2, I headed to Downtown Indy with my wife and three of our kids to take them to see the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift and The Eras…
I’m keeping track of my 10 best photos throughout 2024. This started because I thought it would be funny to post “2024 Top 10 Photos” on January 1st, 2024 with 10 photos that I took that day. My wife, Courtney, because she’s super smart, suggested I keep this going throughout the year. So, I’ll be…
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Creating social media content for clients using my documentary photography experience to share client products, services, and locations.
Live from _____, It’s a ZDP Photo Walk! Have you tuned in to a live photo walk yet? I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years, and photo walks (AKA wandering around with the sole purpose of taking photos) have been a regular part of my practice. But lately I’ve added a new element… broadcasting…
Snow day! That means it’s time to head outside and create some black & white photography in the snow! There was big, heavy, wet snow this morning, and I went outside to take some pretty photos and video of giant snowflakes falling. In fact, I have a nice, 60-second pretty snow video you can watch…
We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new renovations at the Carmel Clay Public Library and were excited at the opportunity to take a preview tour before the doors opened to the public. My wife and I homeschool our 5 kids, so the library is one of our most important resources. It was great getting to see…
Recently I decided to take some photos as a sort of “event street photographer.” Here I’ll talk about the process and show the results! What is Street Photography? If you’re not familiar with street photography, it’s candidly documenting the everyday life and interactions of people in public spaces. Sometimes the subjects know their photo is…
Looking for the Different I’ve never been one to look for THE shot. The “hero” shot (it’s an advertising term). The postcard shot. So when I do photography at tourist locations like the Gateway Arch, I’m looking to see how many unique angles I can find. I have no illusions that I’ve taken the most…
Let’s be honest: lighthouses are freaking cool. I love the idea of 19th century ships navigating a rocky coast, relying upon some guy named Ebenezer or Ignatius to keep a lamp lit in order to avoid losing life or cargo. So yes, when visiting the Great Lakes, it’s imperative to head to the nearest lighthouse…
Photographers will wake up at 3am and hike for hours just to photograph a perfect sunrise. Some photographers. That’s not really my style. But staying in a cabin 100 yards from one of the Great Lakes? Sure, I can make a “sunrise on Lake Huron” photo story happen. Make it a story. There’s no official…
If you’ve come to my photos and videos through social media, you might be wondering “Who is Zach Dobson? What’s his deal? Does he actually know what he’s talking about?” I want to tell you about how my love for photography developed (pun not intended, but acknowledged), how it lead me to you here, and…
“Go big or go home,” is a saying that I heard a lot as a youth and young adult and quite frankly, it’s a bunch of bullshit. It promotes this idea that if you’re not able to do something world-altering, you just shouldn’t bother. It’s an idea I fell prey to as a young photographer….
Recently I had an opportunity to photograph something new: esports! Indianapolis played host to a 5v5 NBA2K tournament, called The Turn, in a brand new venue downtown. I was contacted by Populous, the architecture firm that designed the new space, to take photos of it in use. I had a great time seeing and documenting…
When I tell people I’m photographing a concert, their first thoughts are that I’m working for a publication or for the band itself. For me, it’s usually neither. There are a lot of people and organizations who need photos from concerts. Most often, when I’m at a show I’m working for a tourism board looking…
Hey, I was a guest on the Quinn Aden podcast! He’s a great interviewer! We talked photography, photo tech, business practices, copyright, and just generally about what it’s like to be a photographer in the world these days. Watch it below! If you’re on-the-go, it’s available on Spotify right here. We talk about copyright for…
Well, we’re back to photographing major sporting events! Here are some of my favorite photos from the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, 2021. When I posted these on Instagram, I had people ask if I was shooting the race for fun. No! While it IS fun to photograph, I was hired to be there. My client is…
I’m excited to announce a partnership with my favorite camera bag brand: Think Tank Photo! I’ve been using their bags and modular system for nearly a decade, so I can say that these are the highest quality bags I’ve seen and are extremely durable. Check out the video below to see an unboxing of the…
Doing some late night photography lead to something I almost never do: using a tripod. Taking out the trash late one night, I noticed the (nearly) full moon shining down on my backyard and felt inspired to take some photos. I knew that I wanted to shoot at a lower ISO (for better image quality)…
The title of this series is 13 Minutes in the Fog: A Photographic Journey. A foggy morning is always great for making you look at your surroundings anew. So that’s just what I did this week when the fog rolled in and the scene didn’t disappoint! Inside Out I frequently look for how our inside…
Stonewall Sports Indianapolis is a community sports organization for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. I went out to document opening day for their fall kickball league at Frederick Douglass Park in Indianapolis. What a fun group! There was plenty of music, customized uniforms, and not-so-subtle team names. If you’re in the Indy area and looking for…
After a year of staying near home and only visiting state parks, I had forgotten just how large national parks are. Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park was a great way to reacclimate to hiking with young kids in an expansive environment. Anhinga Trail is less than a mile round trip and there were plenty…
Documentary construction photography, design & collaboration for Cityscape Residential for their website by Common Design.
It’s winter in the Midwest. What’s a social-distancing photographer to do? Go for a walk in the woods! Grateful to have some beautiful nature right outside my door. On this day I noticed a lot of interesting details, complex reflections and unique colors. I may not have had sweeping vistas to photograph, but I like…
Nothing like a good ol’ fashioned last-minute photo assignment. I was asked at 4:30 to accompany my 8-year-old to the creek to hunt for golf balls. I enjoyed making artistic photos of found golf balls, which I was definitely not something that had ever crossed my mind before. I spent less than 90 minutes shooting…
Now that we’re all out of school, I thought, “Hey, let’s do a post about the first day of school!” I like to do the opposite of what’s expected just for the sake of being different. Anyways, this is the Leazenby family and a few years back I shot this fun story following their two…
Hammond, Indiana-based brewery 18th Street comes to Indianapolis.