About Us

• Dan Grider Photography is about capturing the majestic and awe-inspiring beauty of creation and showcasing dramatic images as creations in and of themselves, rather than simply “taking photographs”. Here at Dan Grider Photography, you will find a growing collection of Dan’s photographic work. ​ The Photograher Based out of Solana Beach, California, Dan enjoys traveling throughout North America, capturing images of some of the most beautiful and breathtaking locations and scenery the continent has to offer. Dan taught photography for ten years before the art and industry evolved from film and darkroom processing to the digital age, Lightroom, and Photoshop. Dan took a hiatus from photography for nearly thirty years while he pursued a satisfying career as an educator and administrator in the California public school system. Fast forward to the present, Dan spends much of his time now pursuing his photographic interests with a passion for landscapes, nature, cityscapes, sunsets, sunrises, and night skies. Dan’s love for nature and the outdoors, especially the mountains, backcountry, and oceans, dates back to his boyhood where a love for nature was spawned on numerous family vacation road trips to our nation's many National and State Parks. His love for nature was further nurtured through years of backpacking, mountaineering, and alpine skiing, and still grows and flourishes today as Dan continues to pursue his love of the outdoors. As a photographer, Dan is driven by the challenge and excitement of capturing nature’s raw, mysterious, and ever-changing beauty. He endeavors to integrate his love of creation with photography. Philosophy Dan’s philosophy of, or approach to, photography is simple and flexible: Get out into creation and record it accurately or, at times, creatively; chase the light and strive to capture creation in all of its color, majesty, and splendor. Much of Dan’s approach is based on the thinking and approach of the late great photographer, Ansel Adams, who said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Dan’s love to shoot during the Golden Hour (just before sunset and just after sunrise) and the Blue Hour (just after sunset and just before sunrise), both requiring commitment, planning, and energy - getting out early and staying out late, usually yields spectacular and magical images. Not only does the atmosphere seem clearer and crisper, but the refracted spectrum of light is more dimensional and yields beautiful colors, hues, and saturation that most human eyes don’t typically see.