Photography is not Graham Michael Freeman job. It’s his calling.

A self-proclaimed adventurer and visual storyteller, this 26-year-old uses his photos as a bridge connect with people from all walks of life. For the Tasmania-based photographer, “work” means traveling the world to take photos to promote tourism, all while sharing his adventures online.

After getting a big case of wanderlust from looking at his photos, we knew he was the next person for our Instagram takeover series. Just check out his feed, you’ll get the travel bug too.

We interviewed Graham to learn more about his love of photography and travel and how he created a career for himself which combines the two.

A surfer facing off with the fury of mother nature on the Gold Coast, Australia

How long have you been involved in the photography world?

In 2013, I was lucky enough to land one of the coveted gigs in Tourism Australia’s “Best Jobs In the World” contest.  I won the role of Tasmania’s “Tassie Devil Wrangler”, which had me spending 6 months exploring Australia’s Island state and sharing my experience online in the form of photos, videos and blogs. I’d always loved visual storytelling, but it wasn’t until I started doing it as a full-time job that I really got into it and fell in love with using photography as a means to connect people.

What is your favorite thing to photograph?

It really depends on the day – I’ve gone through phases where I’ve been out every single night taking star photos, or up every morning in a month to go sunrise chasing.  It differs depending on where I am and what I’m doing but my main focus is trying find an interesting and exciting way to share a place – and for me, that’s usually taking some form of landscapes and natural setting photo.  My audience loves anything with stars or cute animals though.

A camp fire dinner under starlit skies in the Outback of Central Australia

What do you like most about photography?

I love having the opportunity to share my perspective with people.  I’ve been on shoots with other photographers and we can all stand at the same spot, taking photos of the same mountain, but at the end of the day when you look at everyone’s shots, every shot is so different.  You have the chance to take your unique point of view of a moment and share it with others – and I think that’s amazing.

Who are some photographers that inspire you?

There are so many! I’m constantly discovering new ones every day who challenge and inspire me to see the world from a new perspective. Growing up, Ansel Adams’ work really got a strong hold on my imagination and got me excited about making pictures.  There are bunch of National Geographic photographers like Paul Nicklen and David Doubilet who really motivate me. And then, of course, there are Instagrammers across the world, many of whom I’m now lucky enough to call friends, who have work that just blows me away on a daily basis.  There’s always something new and its one of the main reasons I love what I do!

A shot in the desserts of Dubai after taking a camel train through the dunes.

Do you have any tips for people who want to go from passion to career with their photography?

My main tip would be to get out there and just take pictures! You don’t have to be snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef or walking the beaches of Tasmania to find a captivating story. Every city and street has something unique, everywhere has a sunrise and sunset.  And it’s only once you actually go out and start looking for these stories and taking these photos that you start to see your whole world very differently. Find something that really inspires you and then play around to see how you can best capture that inspiration in an image and pass it on to others.

Don’t forget to check out our Instagram for Graham’s photos!

Want to participate in our next Instagram takeover? Submit your page here and let us know why.

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Zoë Björnson is a College Outreach Coordinator with about.me. She is a graduate of Tulane University. You can find her on Twitter @kzoeb.