Matt Payne is a nature and landscape photographer living in Durango, Colorado. In 2018, Matt completed his life-long goal of climbing the highest 100 mountains in Colorado, where his love of photography was kindled. Since 2017, Matt has hosted a weekly podcast dedicated to nature photography called “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen.”

Matt is also the co-founder of Nature First Photography, an organization created in 2018 to help increase ethical awareness in nature photography. Lastly, Matt is the co-creator of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. This international photography competition rewards and celebrates nature photographers who dedicate themselves to photographing and realistically editing their work.

Matt can be found hiking, backpacking, or watching sports when not engaged in a photography project. Matt lives with his teenage son, Quinn, his wife, Angela, and his four cats, Juju, Chara, Arrow, and Vestal.