article: These are the incredible shots of the American Southwest that a photographer captured with a fairly common lens - that of his iPhone, to be exact. Armed with just his phone and a sleeping bag, Kevin Russ hopped trains, dumpster dived for leftovers and slept in ditches as he photographed the lifestyle of a nomad down South. Russ traveled from California to Colorado, making his way through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Scroll down for video . Austin, Texas: These are the incredible shots of the American Southwest that Kevin Russ has captured with just his iPhone . A nap in Texas: Armed with just his phone and a sleeping bag, Russ hopped trains, dumpster dived for leftovers and slept in ditches as he photographed the lifestyle of a nomad down South . Russ traveled from California to Colorado, making his way through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico . The photographer said he was initially 'fearful and unsure' when his friend Levi approached him with the idea, but didn't let that stop him from the new adventure. Those are some of my favorite reasons for doing stuff lately,' he told Peta Pixel. And Russ said he was immediately excited to embrace the 'nostalgic way of travel', which he documented on his Tumblr. The traveling photographer has clocked tens of thousands of miles in the last couple of years as he's journeyed across the country to take photographs. The photographer said he was initially 'fearful and unsure' when his friend Levi approached him with the idea, but didn't let that stop him from the new adventure . Kirby, Texas: And Russ said he was immediately excited to embrace the 'nostalgic way of travel'. The photographer has clocked tens of thousands of miles in the last couple of years as he's journeyed across the country to take pictures . 'I started going for a week or two at a time in my car and then coming back home,' he said.'Until I realized I could keep going out and not come back ever, if I wanted to' Russ lived in his car for a year as he took photographs of the Great American West on his iPhone in 2013, and soon became a huge hit onInstagram. But it wasn't fame that Russ was seeking when he first began his travels. He simply wanted to get out of the house. Russ said he began roaming the country after he bought a house and 'didn't leave it' for two years. 'I started going for a week or two at a time in my car and then coming back home,' he said in a Timberland interview. 'Until I realized I could keep going out and not come back ever, if I wanted to.' New Mexico: Russ said he also realized 'how little' he needed to 'be happy and just to live'.'As long as I could eat and have stuff to wear, I don't need a whole lot else,' he said . East Arizon: Russ, from Portland, began using the iPhone when prints from his digital camera kept getting rejected . As a test, he submitted the same shot, but photographed by his iPhone.After it was accepted, and someone bought the picture the next day, Russ decided to 'try and make a living with shooting iPhone pictures' Russ has found that the iPhone is especially convenient on the road, allowing him to process all his photos from one device . Russ said he also realized 'how little' he needed to 'be happy and just to live'. 'As long as I could eat and have stuff to wear, I don't need a whole lot else,' he said. But one thing Russ is always carrying is his iPhone. Russ, from Portland, began using the iPhone when prints from his digital camera kept getting rejected. As a test, he submitted the same shot, but photographed by his iPhone. After it was accepted, and someone bought the picture the next day, Russ decided to 'try and make a living with shooting iPhone pictures,' he said on Last Call With Carson Daly. Colton, California: Russ said he likes that, with the iPhone, he doesn't have to be behind a computer at all. 'I'd just rather be out shooting' During his travels across the American Southwest, Russ journeyed with other nomads . Russ said the iPhone also makes it fun to create work. After he's done editing his photos, he uploads them on Society6, where they're sold as prints . Russ has gone to great lengths to capture the perfect picture, whether that means hanging out with moose for two days straight or taking a seven hour ATV ride to reach a spot in Alaska where planes aren't allowed to fly . Russ has found that the iPhone is especially convenient on the road, allowing him to process all his photos from one device. 'I don't have to be behind a computer at all, I'd just rather be out shooting,' he said in a vimeo interview. Russ said the iPhone also makes it fun to create work. After he's done editing his photos, he uploads them on Society6, where they're sold for $20 as prints. The photographer lists wildlife as his favorite thing to shoot and has gone to great lengths to capture the perfect picture, whether that means hanging out with moose for two days straight or taking a seven hour ATV ride to reach a spot in Alaska. But Russ said he doesn't generally approach his pictures with a specific shot or subject in mind. 'When I'm looking for a picture, it's not always what I'm seeing but what I'm feeling when I'm out in nature,' he told Society6. 'That's what I'm trying to capture, are the feelings that I have when I'm in a particular place.' Austin, Texas: Russ said he doesn't generally approach his pictures with a specific shot or subject in mind . When I'm looking for a picture, it's not always what I'm seeing but what I'm feeling when I'm out in nature,' he said . Russ said that instead, he tries to capture 'the feelings that I have when I'm in a particular place.'
highlights: Kevin Russ hopped trains, dumpster dived for leftovers and slept in ditches as he captured the nomad lifestyle .
  He traveled from California to Colorado, making his way through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico .
  Russ became a huge hit on Instagram in 2013, after he traveled for a year in his car to take photographs of the Great American West on his iPhone .
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   with just his phone and a sleeping bag, Russ hopped trains, dumpster dived for leftovers and slept in ditches as he photographed the lifestyle of a nomad down South . Russ traveled from California to Colorado, making his way through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico . 
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