Photo by @mhansonphoto After a brief career in baseball, Michael Hanson (@mhansonphoto) started over as a photographer in the Pacific Northwest. ?I was drawn to big water, big trees and wilderness, and I needed to move west? says Michael, who was born and raised in the American South, where he played in the minor league for the Atlanta Braves organization. ?There are some really cool areas of the South, but not quite like the wide-open expanse and wildness of the West.? Michael travels the world for photography assignments and returns home to the mountains and forests of Hood River, Oregon, where he has found inspiration in the area?s natural beauty. ?I wouldn?t say I?m a landscape photographer, but I?m surrounded by these really beautiful places and find myself taking more pictures of them,? he says. ?I work a lot, but I also find major time to go outside. And when there is that ability to adventure in your backyard, life becomes really simple. I am either working ? which I love ? or outside playing ? which I love.? Watch our story to explore the Pacific Northwest with Michael. ?