Zach was born and raised in the foothills of the Cascades, in Western Washington. Growing up on 5 wooded acres, spending much time hiking, climbing, canoeing and kayaking. He visited Alaska a few times growing up. It was on these trips which inspired him to pursue photography.
In 2007 Zach, his wife, and new born daughter sold their house in Index, Washington and bought 6 acres, 40 miles west of Haines. They built a small cabin and lived their first two and a half years off the grid. For 4 years they lived in their dry cabin before moving to Fairbanks.
While pursing his private pilot certification, and attending UAF Aviation Maintenance Technician program working on his A&P certification, Zach was in a plane crash fracturing 3 vertebra. He completed the UAF AMT program, and has yet to complete the private pilot certification.
In 2015 Zach his wife and then three children moved to Valdez. They love Valdez and all the outdoor opportunities it affords them.
The Alaska.Guide geography and lifeform database is a passion of Zach's and he has spent 12 years and over 6,000 hours developing it.
