Lukas Prinos, The Astorian’s new photographer, is happiest when he’s outside.

Prinos’s favorite shots to take are those of outdoor scenery and recreation — and the North Coast’s abundance of nature was a huge draw for him to move to Astoria from Montana in August.

Prinos grew up in the Seattle area and began taking photos when he was in high school. He attended the University of Montana, where he refined his interest by studying photojournalism and working for the university’s student newspaper, the Kaimin. During college, he also took photos for the Montana Standard and the Ravalli Republic.

“A lot of what I covered (at the Ravalli Republic) was high school sports,” he said. “Not my favorite, but I did get to work on some really interesting stories around the environment and got to work in a really beautiful place.”

After graduating last spring, Prinos was eager to return to the West Coast and take over the photographer position at The Astorian. He is particularly excited to be working in a small town, where readers are engaged with the newspaper.

“I really love being able to tell stories in smaller towns,” he said. “I think that you see the fruits of your labor. It’s only been a couple months, and I’ve had people I’ve introduced myself to, and then they’ve been like, ‘Oh, I’ve seen your byline.’ And that feels cool. It feels like your work has a direct impact on the community you’re covering more so in smaller towns.”

Prinos said his favorite experience since joining the paper was photographing biologists surveying leatherback turtles from a small plane. He has also enjoyed taking photos for The Astorian’s annual Our Coast magazine.

“It doesn’t feel like a job at that point — when I’m out in nature, in a place that I love, taking photos of things that I find really pretty,” he said.

Outside of taking photos, Prinos likes to hike, climb, forage for mushrooms and hang out with his dog, James.