User:Willmckay/sandbox

Will McKay (born February 7th, 1997 in Davenport, Iowa) is an American photographer. He is based, currently, in Utah. He photographs action sports, active lifestyle, adventure, and landscape subjects. McKay uses photographs for commercial and editorial clients, using an approach of blending journalistic style images with beautiful light and compositions. His focus on storytelling is seen throughout his work.



McKay specializes in photographing adventure through sport and lifestyle, primarily in mountain environments.

Education
McKay is a graduate of Davenport Central High School. From 2012 to 2015, he attended "Central" while participating in athletics, journalism, and the arts. In 2014, he began attending the Quad City Art Academy alongside high school. This is where he learned his foundation for photography and developed his passion.

In fall of 2015, he attended The University of Colorado at Boulder. In May of 2019, he graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies and minors in journalism and geography. While at university, he was an active member of the CU Independent, CU Backcountry Ski Club, and the CU Alpine Club. University is where McKay honed his skills in rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and trail running.

Outside of his brief time of the Quad City Art Academy, McKay learned nearly all of his photography skills online. He is one of the first of the generation that has learned professional photography skills almost strictly on the internet and has applied it into running a successful business as an artist.

Career
While his career has not been that long, only three years of working professionally as a freelancer, McKay has amassed a large following and client list. On social media, his followers run in the tens of thousands. His recent clients include Patagonia, Red Bull, Arc'teryx, Winnebago, Wyoming Travel & Tourism, and Icebreaker NZ.

Awards and recognition

 * 2015 Superior Rating Portfolio NHSJC/JEA - He received the highest rating at the 2015 National High School Journalism Conference.
 * 2019 Red Bull Illume Semi-Finalist Lifestyle - McKay's image was in top 250 out of 60,000 images
 * 2019 Red Bull Rising Talent - McKay was recognized as a "rising talent" in action sports photography by Red Bull.