Dakota has been shooting, editing, and retouching photographs professionally since 2012. Photography has shaped the lens through which he observes the world and has enabled him to work on a wide breadth of interesting projects over the years. Read on to learn more!

Check out three of Dakota’s most recent projects (2019 – 2022): work for a non-profit helping orphaned children in the mountains of Northern Vietnam, a project covering and advocating for the removal of U.S. bombs left in Laos, and a photo book covering his life in Vietnam.

Dakota has worked with some killer clients over the years. He’s photographed for a client that’s put people in space, the largest brokerage in the United States in terms of closed sales volume, Major League Gaming, musicians in seedy Tijuana bars, and more.

This portfolio does not showcase much of his client work, but it does feature a small sample of Dakota’s older work. While Dakota has mountains of finished photographs, the work featured in this portfolio provides examples of his ability to retouch and produce beautiful imagery in a wide breadth of shooting conditions. This portfolio features examples of his work as a retoucher, in the studio, on location, and in challenging lighting conditions.

The photography featured in this portfolio does not reflect Dakota’s view on beauty. The re-touching featured here is not a commentary on “flaws” or “imperfection” or beauty. It is featured here solely to show Dakota’s abilities and nothing more.