I Never Dreamed of Sarajevo

As children, we dream of the improbable. And as we enter a new phase in our lives, those dreams fade, and new improbable dreams take their place. This happens again and again, year after year; dreams fading in and out of existence over and over. But sometimes, for reasons that I do not know, a dream stands out above all the others. It’s different than all the rest. It takes hold deep within, and doesn’t let go, gnawing at the subconscious.

When I was younger, I never dreamed of Sarajevo. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of hanging out with friends or playing outside. But as I got older, I discovered the world, and the most important thing it had to offer; a perspective other than my own. It seems so trivial, but when I realized how insignificant my problems were compared to others, it forced me to face how juvenile my life had been. And while I will never claim to be anything other than a twenty-year old at heart, the empathy I have for those around me grows with every trip into the unknown.

To Capture the Moment

A wash basin sits unused in the small mountain town of Monchinque, Portugal. Later that afternoon, as we hung around in the shade waiting for someone, A small woman hobbled her way up and proceeded to wash her clothes. I approached her, thinking that I would like to capture the moment, but she looked at me and held up her hands, as if to say, “no picture”.

I feel like situations like this happen, and that’s ok. I don’t think everything needs to be photographed. Sometimes, I just try to enjoy the situation that I’m in.

Washed Out Bowls

Lisa navigates through the washed out bowls during a day trip through Trail Canyon, a popular weekend adventure in the San Rafael Swell. Slot canyons are such a nice break from the sweltering heat that bakes Utah every summer. The key is to go completely unprepared so as to make it more of an adventure, because nothing says adventure like getting stuck in a keeper pot and having your friend climb you like a ladder to get out.

The Shapes of the Landscape

The beginning of the year, I went on a ride down in Death Valley with my brother Mike. It was supposed to be a warm respite from the the winter up in Utah, but we ended up with freezing cold temperatures in the morning and burning hot temperatures in the afternoon, which is exactly what we should have expected had we spent any time at all looking on the Internet.

Despite being underprepared, desert environments are some of my favorite. The smell of sage, open valleys, cool evenings. I’ve spent so much of my life laying out under the stars, that I’m surprised it caught me off guard. Seeing the shapes of the landscape in the moonlight while cruising along a perfectly paved road was definitely a highlight for the new year.

In the Light of Reverence

Sasha Digiulian works her way up El Matador on Devils Tower. The formation, which many of the surrounding Native American Tribes refer to as Bear Lodge, was given its name after a mistranslation back in 1875 and has since come under fire for misrepresenting the sacred nature of the monolith. According to “In the Light of Reverence”, a documentary delving into the conflict between the tribes and the public, during the month of June when the tribes hold most of their ceremonies, 85% of climbers adhere to the voluntary climbing ban imposed by the park.

Respect for the Intensity

Yuma, Arizona - I spent some time earlier this year filming Marines for a documentary set to be released in a few years. It was, hands down, the most intense shoot I have ever been involved in. I’ve spent some time dangling on ropes thousands of feet up, but in those situations, I’m in control for the most part. However on this shoot, between standing on the edge of a C-130 filming aerial refueling, to flying around in a Huey watching my Combat Camera counterpart throw up the entire length of the helicopter ride while simultaneously trying to film 70mm rockets and .50 caliber machine guns annihilating targets, I felt very much out of control. Even so, it proved to be a difficult, yet extremely rewarding project.

Not only did I get to test the physical limitations of my stomach and the equipment I used, but I gained a new respect for the intensity of the training that most Marines are put through. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that i’d like to experience more than once in my lifetime.

Earth Art

If you’ve never been out to the Sun Tunnels then you should take a weekend to go visit. It’s a 3 hour 30 minute drive from Salt Lake City, heading over into Nevada, then cutting back into Northern Utah. Dusty roads take you the last 20 minutes, through the old rail town of Lucin, where large cottonwood trees surround an oasis in the desert.

The Sun Tunnels were created back in the 70’s by Nancy Holt, wife of Spiral Jetty artist, Robert Smithson. During the summer and winter solstice, the sun rise and sun set line up with two of the four large concrete tubes, creating a beautiful piece of earth art. For being such a simple installation in such a strikingly barren environment, it left me with a sense of awe and wonderment that I normally feel while looking at vast and beautiful landscapes around the globe. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Up On Top

Auyantepui, Venezuala - One of the best parts about working on the upcoming feature Point Break, was the base camp up on top of the tepui. After the long days of filming on the wall, we’d end up back at camp just in time for a little climbing session. It was pretty awesome being able to climb first ascents a stones throw away from our tents. Unfortunately we were with Dani Andrada and Chris Sharma, who basically did everything first go without shoes, but it was still fun to explore.

The Top Moves

Jeff Richards cruises through the top moves on Superman, a highball boulder problem in Joes Valley. I believe this was the same trip where Chad Parkinson basically broke his ankle falling off the same climb, but it wasn’t my fault because I wasn’t spotting.

Beautiful and Remote

I consider myself a fairly lucky person, having opportunities to visit some of the most beautiful and remote places on the planet. Angel Falls is one such location. I was there late last year with Mike Call, filming for the upcoming hollywood remake of Point Break. This was my first, and hopefully not last, big budget hollywood film. It was definitely interesting to see how it operated in comparison to most of the smaller budget projects I’ve worked on. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s better or worse, it’s just different. Money doesn’t make all the issues go away, and in many cases, it causes some. However, one thing that it did bring to the table was an awesome crew capable of pulling off some shots that would have been impossible otherwise.

The Summit Shot

Fisher Towers, Utah - Something I really enjoy creating are large panoramic stitches. Usually, this involves getting into a position where you’re excited with the landscape in front of you, then shooting a huge plate, upwards of maybe 20 photos. I’m not sure if it’s totally necessary, but I overlap quite a bit, to give the program a lot of information to work with. If at all possible, i’ll photograph using a lens with a focal length of at least 50mm, in order to avoid distortion which can be a real pain in the ass to deal with. Once you’ve created the plate, then you wait for the action. In this case, I was filming climbing for an Australian television show. While we were waiting for the TV host to get into position, a random climber summited Ancient Art and rapped back down. I shot a series of photos that captured him/her climbing the last little portion and standing on top. I eventually chose this one over the summit shot, because I liked the idea of the anticipation right before reaching the summit of something. Once you’ve created the plate and picked your action shot, it’s just a simple matter of dropping him/her into the scene. I think what I love most about it is that often times you can create a pretty awesome sense of scale that you wouldn’t be able to create otherwise.

Standing Alone

Standing alone, reaching toward the sky, Devil’s Tower looms over the surrounding landscape.

Rolling Hills Through Farmland

A while back, I had the opportunity to drive across country, documenting a cycling race for the film Inspired to Ride. It was such an awesome experience getting to see parts of the United States that I otherwise would never have visited.

Before the race, I chatted with quite a few of the athletes and one of the things that constantly came up was the midwest. All the athletes were intrigued by the midwest. For the most part, they knew what to expect the rest of the route, but the midwest was a giant blank. Having never spent any significant time there, I was also intrigued. What I found far exceeded my expectations. The people were pleasant, the rolling hills through farmland made for a nice backdrop, and for the film crew, the weather turned out to be pretty good.  Not everyone was as fortunate, but for me, it was great.

The Larger Picture

I love looking through old photos and noticing aspects that never caught my eye before, like how many layers of people there actually are. When I first looked at it, I was transfixed on the couple sunning themselves, but as I looked deeper, I started noticing little groups here and there. It took a while just to notice the two boys directly behind them. For some reason, they just never stood out to me. Even now, it takes me a bit to really notice them. For me, this is a reminder that just because you’re looking, doesn’t mean you see everything, and sometimes it’s the little things that end up making the larger picture worthwhile.

The Gentle Water

A few years ago, before I headed out on my adventure around Croatia, I spent a morning wandering around Geneva. It was early, and the city had yet to wake up. I drove a few miles over to Lac Léman, a large lake that dominates the surrounding landscape. Street lights were starting to flutter off while the hum of the city steadily rose. I walked along a pier, listening as the waves lapped steadily against concrete below me. Across the lake on the opposite side stood a small lighthouse. A couple fishermen stood beside it, casting their lines out into the gentle water. It was so quiet, occasionally, conversation would float over on the wind. I didn’t understand them, but It gave me an interesting perspective on their early morning adventure.

As I stood there, enjoying myself, I noticed a sailboat silently sliding through the water, gliding in between us, heading out toward the center of the lake. I closed my eyes, picturing what their view would be. Looking both ways, a lighthouse with a few fishermen on one side, and on the other, a lone figure, enjoying a quiet morning, standing on the end of a pier in the middle of a waking city.