From the Archives – Sea Kayaking in Pacific Rim National Park

As I suited up, I was beginning to wonder if my camera was going to survive. The winds were easily blowing 40-50 knots, and torrential rain was coming down sideways. It was wet–REALLY wet–and in all honesty I had never shot in such extreme conditions. After all how well could a 2 gallon ziplock bag, jimmy-rigged with half a roll of duct tape really protect thousands of dollars worth of gear? It was early October in Pacific Rim National Park near Tofino, British Columbia, and the first storm of the season was bearing down.

On the inside I was elated. Extreme conditions were exactly what I was after since we were shooting sea kayaking related images for Sealline, whose products are designed to keep gear dry in less-than-ideal conditions. It’s these challenging shoots, when I don’t know the outcome, that are most rewarding . . . kind of like climbing a mountain for the first time. At the time you wonder why you are subjecting yourself to such challenges but in the end, the discoveries along the way and feelings of accomplishment when you get home make it all worth while.

Lessons Learned: Embrace challenges and don’t be afraid to improvise. In the end my camera survived, proving a little ingenuity and the right frame of mind go a long way in creating images. By using the wind to my advantage, I was able to almost fully protect my gear on the leeward side of my body allowing me to photograph my subjects as the weather impacted them and their gear.

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From the Archives – Going to the Sun Highway

Going-to-the-sun-highway. No, I’m talking about the famous road that traverses Glacier National Park over Logan Pass in Montana. Today’s images come from a remote ice climb deep in the Ghost River area of the Canadian Rockies. A few years ago after an extended backcountry ski tour on the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park, I took the opportunity to meet up with world renowned ice climber, Raphael Slawinski on his home turf in the Canadian Rockies. Raphael is the type of guy who catches you off guard. A physic instructor at a university in Calgary, Raphael didn’t initially strike me as the climber type. I had heard him speak a few years prior at an ice climbing festival in the Coastal Range of BC and was well aware of his many climbing accomplishments but he didn’t have an over-the-top, I’m-so-core vibe one might expect given his reputation. Soft spoken and extremely humble, Raphael is my kind of climber.

I remember our initial phone conversation well. When debating locations for the shoot, Raphael asked if I had a 4×4. A simple yes and it became clear we were headed to the North Ghost, an area known for it’s rough approach. Raphael was interested in “Going to the Sun Highway” a route he had never climbed that only forms completely every few years that has several mixed lines around it. Rallying the jeep, we were off.

Shooting with Raphael and his friends in such a a amazing location made for a memorable day. Over the years I have photographed many ice climbers but never had anyone made it look so effortless. With each swing of his tools and kick of his crampons it became clear his home was on the ice. In all honesty I don’t remember much about Raphael’s first ascents and new routes I read about in my research prior to the shoot. However, his contagious passion for climbing and the wilderness have remained and will inspire me for years to come.

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From the Archives – Sailing the Beagle Channel

When I first laid eyes on the S/V Victory I was in love. She was one of the coolest, pirates-of-the-carribean lookin’ wooden schooners I had ever laid eyes on, and she would be my home for the next few days. Having never spent the night on a sail boat I was very much looking forward to adventure ahead. Immediately upon seeing her for the first time I new somehow I had to convince the captain to let me climb the mast to capture some unique angles.

Forty-five feet up I began to wonder if I had made a mistake. The gentle rocking of the boat seemed mild on the deck, and I was a climber. How hard could it be? My lack of sailing experience hadn’t accounted for the fact that the motion would be amplified ten fold this high on the shrouds. Hanging on as I whipped back and forth, I looked down feeling less and less confident that the 350 lb deck hand I nicknamed “Tiny” and his pseudo hip belay would hold tight should I fall.  I replayed the conversation I had with the captain 30 minutes prior. “Climb at your own risk but be forewarned if you fall into the water you’ll likely die of hypothermia before I can drop sail and get back to you.” Gotta love Chile. In the US with that kind of risk I’d be lucky to convince the captain to let me stand on deck.

Two months prior to this, a random e-mail appeared in my inbox asking if I would be interested in covering the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race at the southern tip of South America. The S/V Victory was our means of transportation to a remote checkpoint along the Beagle Channel during the race. It was there the teams would exit the longest trekking section of the race in which they traversed a portion of the seldom visited Darwin Range. When I said “yes” to the assignment, I had no idea of the adventure that would ensue. Like the other journalist covering the race, I assumed my primary role was capturing the racers and their adventures, not having my own like sailing on the Beagle Channel. I guess that is probably one of my favorite things about life as a freelancer photographer: the constant unknown of what lies ahead.

Lessons Learned: Always trust your gut feeling about a particular situation no matter what obstacles you face. Immediately upon seeing the S/V Victory I knew I wanted to capture some unique angles of the adventure at hand. In addition to climbing the shrouds, I convinced the captain to let me crawl out on the bowsprit, and photograph the S/V Victory from it’s onboard zodiac. In the end, intuition served me well. Not only was I able to capture some great images but I ended up licensing one of the photos created to Patagonia for use in their 2008 global holiday catalogue and website.

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