Landscape Photography·Season 1 · Episode 2·Jan 4

Gabe Wasylko — Capturing Cleveland, Landscape Photography & the Emotion Behind Every Great Shot

Cleveland skyline during a lightning storm, captured by landscape photographer Gabe Wasylko — the Cuyahoga River reflecting city lights against a dramatic purple and orange sky

Cleveland doesn’t hide from storms. Gabe Wasylko was ready when this one arrived — soaking wet, but he got the shot. Photo: Gabe Wasylko. Used with permission.

Gabe Wasylko was going to be a sports lawyer. Then the Akron Rubber Ducks gave a 16-year-old a video internship, and the creative itch his parents passed down to him finally won. Today he’s Cleveland’s answer to Pittsburgh’s Dave DiCello — a landscape and cityscape photographer who wakes up before sunrise to celebrate a city most photographers overlook.

In this episode Gabe traces his path from law school ambitions to capturing Cleveland’s skyline, and makes the case that settings and technique only matter if you’re also chasing the emotion inside the frame.

Why It Matters

Gabe’s best photos all come with a story attached, and that’s not a coincidence. The emotion you feel while taking a photo is what separates an image that lives on a hard drive from one that stops someone scrolling. Settings can be learned. The willingness to slow down, feel the moment, and commit to the shot is harder to teach — and it’s what Gabe says he wishes someone had told him earlier.

About This Guest

Gabe Wasylko is a Cleveland-based landscape and cityscape photographer who built his visual career through the Akron Rubber Ducks organization, where he went from a 16-year-old intern to Creative Services Coordinator before pivoting fully into photography in 2021. Inspired by Pittsburgh photographer Dave DiCello’s relentless celebration of his city, Gabe set out to do the same for Cleveland, waking up early for sunrises, chasing storms for lightning shots, and running up four flights of stairs at 6:59pm to capture the Guardians’ Opening Day flyover before 7:00.

Gabe’s Bonafides

Website

“

You could be so precise about settings and rule of thirds, but if you don’t capture that moment, that emotion, how you’re feeling as you take that photo, then it’s just another photo on your hard drive. Capture the beauty. That’s what makes a photo truly special.

”

— GABE WASYLKO, LANDSCAPE AND CITYSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER

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Episode Timestamps

00:00 Welcome & guest introduction
02:15 How Gabe’s photography journey started: the Rubber Ducks internship
08:30 Dave DiCello, Pittsburgh, and the inspiration to celebrate Cleveland
16:45 Chasing storms and the lightning shot story
24:00 The Guardians Opening Day flyover and running up four flights of stairs
33:20 Gear, workflow, and culling from 1,500 to 40 keepers
44:10 Capture the emotion, not just the settings
52:00 Advice for beginners and what’s next for Gabe

Your ZoomPod — Exit Ticket

After this episode, you'll know:

Why emotion and feeling inside the frame matter as much as technical settings in making a truly great photograph
How identifying a specific subject you love — for Gabe it was Cleveland — accelerates learning faster than shooting randomly
What it takes to build a landscape photography practice from zero knowledge to recognized work in a single city
Why having a story attached to your favorite images isn’t a coincidence — it’s a sign you were present when you made them

Gear & Affiliate Links

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