Hey There! My names Joel and I’m a local photographer based in Santa Cruz. I’ve lived in California my entire life. From the day I was born to about age six, I lived in a tiny little town called Summit. It was right at the top of Highway 17 going from San Jose to Santa Cruz. My mom owned a plant shop in Los Gatos and was also a landscaper, so I spent a lot of time helping her with her shop and going to different job sites. I was home schooled back then and I think thats what sparked my desire to travel. Since I was home schooled, my family could just pack our bags, hop in the camper, and head to whatever destination we felt like. By age 6 i had already spent a month driving down to the tip of Baja Mexico, been to music festivals in Canada, and done multiple road trips across the United States.
My memories from way back then are kind of hazy, so I consider Aptos to be where I truly grew up. We sold our house in Summit, decided to spend that next month in mexico and then moved to our home in Aptos, California in 1998. Aptos is also a small town and is on the outskirts of Santa Cruz county. I graduated High school in 2010 and by then I had been to mexico a few more times, traveled throughout most of the western United States along with some midwest and eastern states, and had been to a few places in Canada, including Niagara Falls. I had been to a lot of places but most were still very close to home. Then the summer of 2012 came and I had planned a trip with one of my Best Friends to Europe. It would be my first time leaving North America, but definitely not the last!
I think that traveling was what initially sparked my interest for photography. It created the ability to not only look back with a heightened sense of reminiscence, but also allowed me to share my experiences with others in a way that words can’t quite express. I grew to love photography more as the years progressed; I expanded my interests to not just taking pictures of scenery, I upgraded my equipment, and I realized that memories captured on film with never fade. It’s this last sentiment that captures my heart, retains my enthusiasm, and drives my ambitions to be able to create higher quality images. This website is a collection of my work and a memorabilia to myself. My intent is to capture the love between your family, the banter between your friends, the spirit of your life events, the excitement of your newborn baby, the school photos of your budding children, and the chaos when you throw your pets into the mix. Time is the thief of memory and photos make time stand still. Estby Photography, Making your memories last a lifetime.