About Me

Hi, I’m Riley!

As a kid, I was intent on finding ways to make money doing what I loved. I made hand-drawn greeting cards and sold them at local crafts fairs until, in 6th grade, I could afford to buy my first DSLR camera. Twenty-five years and quite a few cameras later, I’m still at it. I’ve been lucky enough to work in some incredible corners of the world: guiding hiking trips in Alaska’s Denali National Park, spotting wildlife in the flooded Amazon forest of Ecuador, and seeking out elephants by mountain bike in Botswana. For the past 10 years, I have been lucky enough to work Backroads – originally as a Trip Leader and currently as Director of Trip Development, based out of the home office in Berkeley, California. These days I’m shooting primarily with a Canon r5, and most of my wildlife shots are taken with the Canon RF 100-500 zoom and the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III.

Probably the only thing I love doing more than travel is talking about travel, so I’m happy to answer any questions. Feel free to email me at Riley_pearce@backroads.com