About

About

Hi, I’m Abdon.
Nice to meet you.

I’m a photographer, videographer and content creator from Santa Barbara. I make photo and video content for hotels, travel brands and local businesses, and I travel to make it.

Abdon Mora, Santa Barbara photographer and content creator, walking a Brooklyn street under the Manhattan Bridge
Since 2016behind a camera
Photo + videoone person, one shoot day
Santa Barbarabased, working everywhere

2016

It started with the night sky.

I bought my first camera, a Canon T5i, and a friend invited me out that weekend to shoot the stars with him and two other photographers. I didn’t know how to shoot in manual. He told me to bring a tripod.

As the sky went from sunset to complete darkness, they walked me through every setting, one long exposure at a time. When the Milky Way showed up on my screen, I was hooked. I never shot in auto again.

For the rest of that year the four of us went out every week, chasing “the next shot” up and down the Central Coast: Big Sur cliffs at dusk, piers after sunset, whatever was next. Those nights taught me most of what I know about patience and light.

Abdon silhouetted beside a tripod under the Milky Way
The night it started. Photo by @captivitas_

Ten years of chasing light

From the Central Coast to everywhere else.

Those weekend drives turned into bigger trips: the streets of Mexico, the Colosseum in Rome, New York, and Madrid the night Spain won the World Cup. Every trip taught me something new about how light tells a story.

Bixby Bridge on the Big Sur coast photographed by Abdon Mora
Big Sur
The Colosseum in Rome photographed by Abdon Mora
Rome
Crowds celebrating at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid
Madrid
Aerial view of Santa Barbara with the mountains behind it
Home: Santa Barbara
Guests relaxing on the lawn at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, photographed by Abdon Mora
Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

Why brands

I shoot like a guest, not a brochure.

Over time, that same eye started landing work with brands. Today I work with hotels, tourism boards and local businesses, including Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, Visit Santa Barbara and Celebration Cruises.

Years of traveling taught me what makes someone want to book a trip: the first look at the pool, the table by the window, the walk to the beach. That’s the content I make, built for Instagram, TikTok and your website.

  • Photo, video and Reels from one shoot day
  • UGC-style content, with me on camera or behind it
  • Edited and delivered ready to post
Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort Visit Santa Barbara Celebration Cruises Santa Barbara Parasail Santa Barbara Terra Palm Springs
Abdon with his Long Beach Marathon medal
Long Beach Marathon

Off the clock

Always chasing the next thing.

When I’m not on a shoot, I’m usually planning the next trip, or training for something. Between running, cycling and the gym, I’m always working toward a new goal. After a few years of half marathons, I signed up for my first full at the Long Beach Marathon.

I share the trips, the gear and the behind-the-scenes on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and I write up my favorite places here on the blog.

Let’s work together

Have a property, brand or campaign in mind?

Tell me what you’re working on. I’ll come back with ideas and a quote.

Start an inquiry