Born in Berkeley and raised over the hill in Orinda, California, Robert Mackinlay was raised with the idea that both the outdoors and the arts are to be cherished. He studied art history at Colorado College, where academics competed with ski racing. After graduation, he worked alongside National Geographic photographer Galen Rowell, where he was primarily responsible for managing Rowell’s stock photography business. Having the Rowell blueprint to work from, Mackinlay went on to become a freelance magazine photographer, publishing with Summit, Outside, American Way, and National Geographic, among others. The Explorer’s Club , in conjunction with Summit Magazine, awarded him the Captain John Noel Award for Excellence in Photography.

Parenting two young kids made international travel less feasible, and a chance run in the Berkeley Hills with Galen Rowell and Conrad Anker led to Mackinlay landing the job of Photo Editor at The North Face. After seven years, Mackinlay left to remodel his house himself and focus more on his family. Professional photography shifted to the back burner and simmered there while hands-on carpentry and soccer games took over. When he returned to photography, his focus pivoted to artistic landscapes. His work has been featured at The Lightroom, Yosemite Museum Gallery, Filoli Historic House, and Praxis Gallery, among other venues.

Robert Mackinlay lives with his wife Mimi Cline in Walnut Creek, where the carpentry tinkering continues in the background.

Inset photo: Robert Mackinlay in Dusy Basin, Kings Canyon National Park, photo by Mimi Cline