Zach McDuffie

Coast 9 is led by creative director and award-winning photographer Zach McDuffie, with over 25 years of experience shooting fashion & jewelry campaigns, lifestyle editorials, architecture & interiors, environmental portraits, and resort & travel photography.

Model seated in a field of California poppies — Camera. From the archive.

Zach studied painting and photography at the University of Georgia, then moved to Costa Rica in 1997 and founded School of the World, a school for travelers teaching photography, surfing, Spanish, and yoga.

Twenty-plus countries later he speaks Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, has trained with a world-champion free diver, and shoots underwater as readily as on set. With his wife Natazha, an international model and designer, he worked for years as the creative duo Z+N, shooting travel and fashion editorials and campaigns from a home base in Laguna Beach.

Excellence in photography is the cornerstone of visual storytelling. Building on that foundation, Coast 9 now integrates generative media into the creative process, combining emerging tools with real-world photo and video production knowledge to expand what’s possible.

Behind the lens0 yearsCommercial photography across six genres
TrainedBFA, University of GeorgiaPainting and photography
FoundedSchool of the World, Costa Rica, 1997Photography, surf, Spanish, and yoga for travelers
Works withCameras, generative tools, or both
StudioLaguna Beach, California