In 2018, Tim was awarded “Nature Photographer of the Year” by Master Photographers International, but his journey starts long before that. Tim has always had a lifelong passion for photography. From his earliest age, he almost always had a camera in his hand. He bought his first full-size SLR camera, a Minolta SR-T 101, at the age of 13 with money he earned from a part-time job delivering pharmacy prescriptions on his bike. He then converted a basement room in his parent’s house into a darkroom and began developing film and creating black and white prints. It was at that time that Tim also developed a love for the outdoors and especially the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Tim combined his passion for photography with his love for adventure and the outdoors and began what would become a lifetime pursuit of landscape photography.
In 1983 and at the age of 18, Tim climbed Mount Crown, which towers above the city of Vancouver. When he reached the top, he tried to photograph a wide-angle view of the surrounding mountains, but could not fit the scene into one frame. As a work-around, he took multiple photos while panning the camera and winding the film between shots. He had shot his first panorama photograph, which ultimately would become the mainstay of his photographic career.
Tim specializes in ultra-high-resolution panoramic images. His passion for the outdoors takes him to remote hike-in locations where he packs in his photography and camping gear in search of unique landscape compositions and warm “golden hour” light. Tim believes that mountains, streams, and oceans are the world’s most beautiful pieces of art, and his goal is to capture vibrant images that reflect the true beauty of the earth so that a brief moment of perfect light can be enjoyed for years to come.
Tim Shields has traveled throughout North America, Europe, Middle East, and China in search of the perfect landscape image.
Tim founded Photography Academy in 2019 to pass on the techniques and knowledge that have helped make him a successful, award-winning landscape photographer. He specializes in creating simple, digestible, and impactful video content filled to the brim with information and tips for taking better photographs. As well, he’s provided personalized coaching sessions to hundreds of people, all with unique goals, experiences, and lifestyles. Many of these students go on to become professional landscape photographers on their own.
He’s also authored The Photography Cookbook, a guide filled with recipes for taking stunning photographs in every scene imaginable. With the right recipe, a chef can make any dish on the planet. This cookbook works exactly the same for photographers and is a staple for every new photographer out there.
In 2020 alone, Photography Academy had over 700,000 unique visitors and has helped mo learn how to become award-winning, fine-art landscape photographers themselves. Since then, Tim has also continued to travel the world in search of the greatest photographs.
To learn more about how Tim Shields and Photography Academy can help you on your journey to becoming a professional landscape photographer, take a look at these testimonials from some of our friends, or search Photography Academy and Tim Shields on Google!
