Two years ago, The Foundry, a division of Time Inc., best known for distributing top quality creative content to their advertising and agency partners, was on a mission to find a talented photographer to depict the most scenic, jaw-dropping parts of Northern California for their client, Visit California. With the help of Wonderful Machine, The Foundry was able to connect with travel and adventure photographer Rachid Dahnoun.
Intrigued by the amount of time Rachid spends collecting images throughout California, Jennifer was quick to scoop up the Lake Tahoe based creative and his visual talents. Since then, Rachid has been Visit California’s go-to photographer for a host of travel campaigns.
I look forward to shooting this project every year. I’ve lived in California for about half my life and it’s always exciting since it combines all the things I love – travel, road-trips, back road explorations, and adventure.
Despite driving thousands of miles, and staying up from sunrise to sunset, Rachid wouldn’t trade his job for anything else in the world. Jumping on the opportunity to challenge his creative freedom, Rachid captured everything from the tall candelabra trees of the Shady Dell Redwoods, a place he’s never explored before, to kayaking along Whiskeytown Lake in the Shasta Cascade region.
It’s cool because I get to explore places I’ve never been before, like the Shady Dell Redwoods. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t discovered this spot previously since I’ve journeyed to areas only a short two miles away from there in the past. As someone who is so familiar with the area, it’s exciting when you find a new place to venture and photograph.
And in certain cases, Rachid was lucky enough to be accompanied by his two favorite “assistants,” his wife Regina and dog Avery.
With such a heavy travel schedule, it’s easier to work as a one-man-band. So, it’s pretty important that I don’t over promise the amount of work I’m creating and make sure I budget out an extra day so I can collect as much content as possible, per the client’s request.
After seven to ten days on the road at a time, Rachid submitted his selects to The Foundry, eager to view his full spread of images across the advertorial visitors’ guide brochure and the official Visit California website.
It’s no surprise that Rachid’s images have spread like wildfire and impressed the eyes of The Foundry and Visit California teams alike, who cannot get enough of his work. This coming fall, Rachid will pack his bags and fill up his gas tank for another round of images. Switching things up a bit, Rachid is looking forward to exploring the next stop on this Northern California journey: Sonoma Wine Country!
See more of Rachid’s work here.
Let us help you Find Photographers, source Stock Photography,
Produce Your Shoot, or just reach out to hear more!