Photographer | Educator
Daniel J Gregory
I am a photographer and photo educator drawn to the quiet, meaningful connections between people, places, and time. I have been lucky to have a life immersed in photography, and I'm so grateful for the ways photography has changed the way I see and connect with the world. With a camera in hand, I became more present, more attentive, and more curious about the moments that often go unnoticed.
My work explores how we connect to various spaces we inhabit and the impacts we have on those spaces. I am drawn to the emotional weight that places and relationships carry. A building is never just walls and windows. A landscape is never just geography. The places we love, the rooms we sit in, the people we meet, and the paths we walk repeatedly all leave an imprint on us. I love how photography enables us to see and ask how memory, place, time, meaning and presence intertwine to shift who we are in any given moment.
Alongside my personal work, teaching has become one of the most meaningful parts of my life. I am a core faculty member at Photographic Center Northwest. I host a number of workshops out of my studio on Whidbey island every year, and I also teach through the Virtual Summit Series, CreativeLive, KelbyOne, as well as at workshops and conferences around the country. It doesn't matter if I am working with somoene while focused on craft, creativity, or developing a personal voice, I so enjoy the chance to learn from each other in the creative process.
I also host, now in its 11th year, a weekly podcast called The Perceptive Photographer, which focuses on the challenges and day-to-day aspects of living as a photographer.
Whether I am working with students in a classroom, guiding participants in the field, or sharing finished prints in a gallery, my goal is the same: to create photographs, and experiences, that feel honest, intentional, and deeply connected.
I am fortunate to have a fantastic partner—Lori. Lori is an amazing partner, writer, herbalist and wonder seeker. We live on the magical and artistic Whidbey Island just north of Seattle, Washington. Our little spot of the world is called Silly Dog Studios, after our silly dogs Eva (who has sinced passed away after 4 years with bone cancer) and Cora (an Aussie to the max) and our two cats, Joe and Finn. They actually run the place, so they don’t mind the dogs getting credit for the studio name.
Partial List of Exhibitions
Depth of Field (5 artist show) 2026 Sam Gallery
Gatherings (group show) 2025 Sam Gallery
Secret World (two artist show) 2025 Sam Gallery
Splash (group show) 2024 Sam Gallery
Shades- Black & White (group show)
2024 Sam Gallery
Seeing Light (two artist show) 2023 Sam Gallery
The Landscape Exhibition (group show) 2022 Alex Ferrone Gallery
Studies in Nature: Photographic Views (group show) 2019 Harris/Harvey Gallery
Free Focus (group show) 2019 Front Room Gallery
Thesis Exhibition (group show) 2009, PCNW
Workshops and teaching
Most photography workshops I attended when I got started in photography went one of two ways. The first was some photographer standing on stage telling me how amazing they were and how cool it was to travel to exciting and exotic locations. I never learned anything.
The second was “hands-on.” This meant we got to take pictures, but the instructor did all the work. They set up the lights and told us where to stand and what settings to use. I never learned anything. And, after walking out of a very expensive workshop three-day workshop after 2 hours, frustrated beyond belief I thought there must be a better way.
Luckily, I found a third type of instructor. One who asked questions pushed and pulled on me to sort out what worked and didn’t work. They let me experiment and, along the way, provided me with support, information and help. Those are the workshops I loved. That is who I wanted to be in my teaching.
When I am teaching, I only have one goal. I want you to make the images that matter to you. Not my images, but your images. I view my job as creating a safe space where you can try new things, fail, try again, and ultimately succeed. I like to ask a lot of questions and make you talk about your work. By sharing what we are thinking and doing, I have learned that we become better photographers.
Being able to articulate who we are, say what matters to us, and how those ideas appear in our images makes us successful photographers. It doesn’t matter if you take a Lightroom class, print class, or travel the backroads on a travel workshop with me; I want you to be your best you and make your best images. I hope that you can attend one of my classes or workshops one day, and we can see what sort of magic happens behind the lens.
