Before Tommy and Britt Joyce (previously Mumma) ever met, they knew of each other’s work. There are only so many hardcore athletes who want to go on objectively risky expeditions carrying their most expensive camera gear, but that’s exactly how they like to spend time.
The duo spent their first date storm chasing for a Canon project. It was supposed to be professional from the beginning, but they very quickly realized there was both a spark and a deep sense of mutual respect that made them want to totally upend their lives. The two are no strangers to extremes, so it’s no surprise that Britt moved to Boulder to join Tommy directly after she shot an expedition in Everest and he competed in the 2023 Wisconsin Ironman.
Tommy moved to Colorado when he was 11, and its outdoor lifestyle—plus access to an international airport—has kept him calling this place home ever since.
“The lifestyle on the East Coast is so vastly different than what you’re exposed to in the Mountain West,” says Tommy Joyce. “I went from a very traditional daily life to experiencing skiing, snowboarding, skating, mountain biking, etc.”
Every time they get home from a big trip, they’re further reinvigorated with how great a place it is to live, speaking fondly about their ability to e-bike from their home in North Boulder to their favorite dinner spots on Pearl Street. For them, Boulder has all the amenities they could want or need while maintaining that small-town feel and strong sense of community.
It’s the perfect landing pad for all of their adventures, including at least biannual trips to Africa. The duo just spent most of September in Botswana and South Africa on a wildlife shoot. Together, they concept, produce, and shoot all of the media for ROAR AFRICA, a luxury safari travel company.
“While it is truly hard work, there are super special moments between the 4 AM wake-up calls and late-night media management,” says Tommy Joyce. “We’ll sit down to dinner just as an elephant walks by, and we’ll remember we’re in our favorite place in the world. It just fills you with gratitude for our careers and one another.”
“We always joke we’re on our ninth or 10th honeymoon,” Brittany Joyce adds.
Dating was one of the hardest parts of being professional photographers and videographers. Britt loves that they’re now able to go on these amazing trips together and share the memories. It makes the work and experiences even better.
After spending years chasing athletes up mountains and pushing themselves to capture the moment even as their bodies slowly failed in high altitude climates, they expected wildlife photography to be slightly less demanding—but it’s actually equally challenging in its own way.
“If it’s not a sand storm, it’s more mosquitoes than you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” says Tommy Joyce, “And you have to stay completely still and silent as a leopard stalks by.”
Every time they push themselves to the edge like that, they have a morning pep talk, reminding themselves to play it safe. In their line of work, even a sprained ankle is a serious problem. They’ll also never take for granted how special it is to be able to go out into the middle of nowhere and do the best they can with different, uncontrollable dynamics on any given day.
Surprisingly, the pair still has—and actively adds to—an overgrowing bucket list. In fact, they have a map with pins for everywhere they’ve been and will admit there are some holes on the board.
They’ve found that once they experience a new (to them) part of the world, they want to see the rest of it. For example, even though they’ve spent so much time in Africa, seeing the mountain gorillas in Rwanda is high on the list, but it wasn’t something either was even conscious of years ago. There are also places, like Greenland, that Britt has been but Tommy hasn’t, and they’re eager to go and experience them together.
This month, they’ll be releasing new photo collections from Botswana in their print stores. They like to release new collections every month or so, highlighting recent trips or using a seasonal theme, like fall colors around the world.
Explore these collections and more of their projects at BrittElizabethArt.com and TommyJoyce.com.