About Majestic Nature Photography
Sharing the World, With the World.
Long before Majestic Nature Photography became a business, photography gave me a way to slow down, look closer, and preserve the places and moments that caught my attention.
I have been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I had an old Kodak Ektra 110 film camera that I got from my grandma, and I loved it. That early fascination stayed with me, eventually growing into something more.
In 2017, I began working professionally and registered Majestic Nature Photography as a business. I was soon commissioned by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce in Pullman, WA, USA, to take some photographs for its travel guide. That opportunity marked the beginning of a journey I could not yet fully see.
Over the next several years, I continued developing my craft through travel photography, published work, weddings, corporate events, and other projects. Along the way, I realized that creating beautiful photographs was only part of what I wanted to accomplish.
I wanted my work to help make the world feel more accessible.
More Than a Photograph
I have always loved flying and travel. From as young as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the anticipation of reaching a destination and the excitement of feeling the Gs on takeoff.
I have always wanted to travel internationally. Finally, in 2021, I decided to stop waiting and go solo for my first international experience.
I am often asked why I chose Iceland. I had heard that it was beautiful and a photographer’s paradise, but to me, it was something more: an almost mythical, faraway place shrouded in mystery, with the promise of incredible photography. And volcanoes helped a lot, too.
As my plane took off from Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW) toward Seattle, I became extremely emotional. My entire life, I had wanted that exact moment, and I was finally living it.
The excitement, the fear of traveling solo, the challenge of doing it in a new country, the realization that I was outside the United States for the first time, and the wonder and curiosity of what lay ahead all came together in one overwhelming mix of emotions.
Aunt Ada’s Legacy
Long before I began traveling internationally myself, my Aunt Ada helped show me what travel could mean.
Aunt Ada was a teacher throughout her life and an avid traveler. Wherever she went, she used what she experienced to educate, inspire, and open the world to others. She regularly sent me postcards from her journeys, giving me small windows into places that, at the time, seemed impossibly far away.
She passed away several years ago, but her influence continues to travel with me. In many ways, I now use my own passion and skills as she used hers: to share what I discover, teach through experience, encourage curiosity, and help others see beyond the boundaries of their everyday lives.
I also continue one of the traditions through which she inspired me. From every journey, I send postcards home to my family. It is a simple gesture, but each card carries a place, a story, and a connection across the miles.
Aunt Ada showed me that an experience becomes even more meaningful when it is shared. Every time I bring part of the world home for someone else, I carry a little of her memory forward.
Travel has a remarkable way of changing how we see the world. It introduces us to unfamiliar landscapes, different cultures, new perspectives, and people whose lives may look different from our own.
But not everyone has the opportunity to board an airplane, cross an ocean, hike beneath a waterfall, or stand quietly inside an ancient temple.
Majestic Nature Photography exists to help bridge that distance.
Through photography, cinematic video, immersive 360° experiences, and personal storytelling, I invite people to experience the beauty, cultures, and extraordinary places of our planet. From standing behind the thundering waters of Seljalandsfoss in Iceland to experiencing the peaceful temples, artistry, and traditions of Bali, every journey offers another story worth sharing.
My goal is not simply to show where I have been. It is to help you feel connected to the experience; to awaken curiosity, encourage understanding, and inspire the part of you that still wonders what might be waiting beyond the familiar.
That is the meaning behind my mission:
Sharing the World, With the World.
Bring the Journey Home
The Majestic Nature Photography store grew from that same purpose.
Every photograph begins with a real place and a real experience. The artwork, posters, calendars, travel-inspired products, and coffee offered here are different ways of carrying those experiences beyond the journey itself.
A photograph can reopen a memory. A landscape on the wall can provide a moment of calm. A cup of coffee can recall an unexpected experience thousands of miles from home.
These are not simply products bearing images or destinations. They are invitations to pause, explore, remember, and dream.
They are ways to Bring the Journey Home.
People Along the Journey
Some journeys are remembered for their destinations. Others are remembered for the people who became part of the story.
Swipe or scroll to explore the stories.
Where the Journey Began
Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland · 2021
My first international journey brought me to Iceland and the landscape that helped inspire Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. This remains one of my favorite photographs from the trip that changed how I saw the world.
The Water Bottle That Began a Friendship
Litli-Hrútur, Iceland · 2023
Left to right: Harry from Scotland, Callum from Kent in the United Kingdom, a fellow traveler from Australia, and me.
I traveled to Iceland alone for a spur-of-the-moment birthday trip to witness Litli-Hrútur erupt. Because the usual trail had been closed due to dangerously high levels of toxic volcanic gases, I set out alone from the Seltún Geothermal Area on a much more difficult route across mountains and an old lava field.
I had made a serious mistake: I did not bring any water.
As I continued hiking, dehydration began setting in. My vision became blurry, my mouth grew painfully dry, and I developed a metallic taste. I felt weak, alternately hot and cold, and could not stop sweating. Still, I kept telling myself, “It’s right there. The photo is right there.”
Eventually, I reached a small water hut near the trail at the base of the final mountain range. It felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, but it had running water supplied by a nearby stream. I drank from my cupped hands, washed my face, and tried to cool myself down.
That was where three other solo travelers caught up with me and saw the condition I was in. Harry offered me one of his water bottles to fill, and I am convinced that simple act may have saved my life.
The four of us continued over the final mountain together. We watched Litli-Hrútur erupt for several hours, then made the long hike back as a group. What began with a shared water bottle grew into a genuine friendship. I still keep in contact with Harry and Callum, and we hope to reunite in Iceland for another adventure someday.
We arrived as solo travelers. We left as friends.
My Bali Brother
Besakih Great Temple, Bali, Indonesia · 2023
Irwan was my guide and driver in Bali. When I told him that I wanted to experience a Balinese temple, he brought me to the holiest and largest temple complex on the island: Besakih Great Temple, also known as the Mother Temple. Irwan is an extraordinary person whom I am honored to call both my friend and my Bali Brother.
Matur suksma, Irwan!
Taking the First Dive
USAT Liberty Shipwreck, Bali, Indonesia · 2023
My instructor from Bali Dive guided me through my very first scuba experience: an open-ocean dive to the wreck of the USAT Liberty. She helped transform something completely unfamiliar into one of the most unforgettable adventures of my life.
A Day With Kadek
Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia · 2023
Kadek guided me through Nusa Penida, including Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach, Kelingking Beach, and a stop for drone photography at Bubu Beach. He spoke openly about wanting to travel while feeling unable to step away from the work that supported him and helped define his place in society. Despite that reality, his warmth, humor, and positive outlook made him an unforgettable and genuinely inspiring part of my journey.
Until the Next Journey
Outside Sembahyang Wood Carver, Bali, Indonesia · 2023
Irwan and I took this photograph on our second-to-last day together in Bali. It was bittersweet knowing that our adventure was ending and that I would soon be flying home. We still exchange messages, and I send him New Year’s wishes every year. Distance may separate friends, but it does not have to end the journey.
The Adventure Ahead
Even after returning home from a journey, I find myself looking toward the horizon.
There is a particular feeling that comes from sitting beside an airplane window and watching the landscape stretch away below. Behind you are the places you have known. Ahead lies a horizon filled with destinations, stories, and experiences you cannot quite see yet.
That is how I see the future of Majestic Nature Photography.
There are more landscapes to photograph, more cultures to learn from, more stories to share, and new ways to help people experience the world. Some of those adventures will take me across oceans. Others may be waiting closer to home. Each one will become another part of an ongoing story that I hope you will continue to follow.
This store helps make those adventures possible. I still work a full-time job, and much of Majestic Nature Photography is self-funded. I do not make much money from it, but the passion keeps me going. Every dollar spent here goes right back into the adventure in some way; whether it helps fund future expeditions, upgrade gear, pay website hosting fees, or cover Adobe subscriptions. Every single dollar helps bring more of the adventure home.
Majestic Nature Photography began with a camera and a desire to capture the beauty around me. It continues with a larger purpose: to help make our remarkable world feel a little closer, one image, one story, and one journey at a time.
I am Greg Schmidt, the photographer, traveler, and storyteller behind Majestic Nature Photography.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
Adventure On.