Thrash

A few portraits from the Serengeti on our honeymoon earlier this year. The abundance of life blew us away. Most of these were taken in the Ndutu region during calving season, a particularly active time in a relatively small area in the Serengeti. I think we had some days we saw over 50 species of mammals and birds!

The devastation is incomprehensible. The hurt is palpable. All the emotions that come with loss won’t leave. The smells, sounds and sometimes silence can be too hard to handle. Old memories keep coming back. It’s tough to grasp the power of this flood and the destruction it caused, until you’re standing next to a cypress by the river. Tranquility turns to grief. But then you get offered a helping hand, a free meal, or place to sleep. You see the overwhelming support of people from across the world. Friends, family, neighbors, strangers. Searching, cleaning, serving, donating. It fills you with hope and inspiration. The generosity and selflessness has been nothing short of incredible. Truly incredible. Documenting a disaster in the place you grew up feels strange. I’m very fortunate not to have lost any loved ones but so many people are coping with loss right now. Things are different but this community will recover. The Guad will recover. And we will be stronger because of this. Bring your gloves, rubber boots, and chainsaws. It’s going to be a long road to recovery. ❤️‍🩹

Very proud to play a part of the @nbc series "The Americas" narrated by the legendary @tomhanks . Episode 6 features the Gulf Coast and @finandfurfilms was given the wonderful task of filming ocelots on the @eastfoundation El Sauz ranch. As you can see, the ocelots put on a quite a show! @austintorios @christian_von_preysing and @patrickhthrash absolutely knocked it out of the park with the camera trap cinematography. The mother ocelot in these pictures was the kitten from Deep in the Heart. We've gotten to follow her life from tiny kitten to adult mother raising kittens of her own, which has been a real joy. The series is available on NBC as well as prime, appleTV, and other places. The cinematography crew was also featured in the BTS Making of video, which was led by @shannonvandivier . Seeing these endangered species thriving on private lands and working cattle ranches gives me a lot of hope for wildlife conservation in Texas, and there's lots of excitement on the horizon. The good folks at @ckwri_official are working hard at a captive breeding program in Kingsville and hopefully within the next few years we'll get to witness an ocelot reintroduction to new parts of Texas. To all the scientists, landowners, and cowboys who've helped conserve ocelots over the years and shared their land and knowledge with us... THANK YOU! #theamericas #ocelot #ckwri #eastfoundation

Top of Africa 5 days, 15k vert with my new wife 🍯🌑

Still running off the adrenaline of our wild puma encounter on the Osa peninsula! @chelseacollette and I stumbled upon this female hunting for prey while her two kittens hid in the jungle just out of frame. Thanks @fabvegat_osaguide for getting us on this beautiful cat. What an experience!!!

Sweet C @chelseacollette 💃🏼#wcw

Last year I directed my first short film! It was a fun and educational experience and a complete honor to work with @nature_tx to tell this story. They’re doing some great work to help protect and restore the Texas Coastal Prairies and Texas’ most endangered bird, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken. You can watch the entire short film on YouTube! “Song of the Prairie. Restoring a Home on the Range.” https://youtu.be/ziilNibGTso Shout out to the crew Cinematographer: @austintorios Editor: @julifnkeller Producer: @bencmasters

The elk rut in @rockynps is NUTS. Volume up to hear the echoing scream of this mature bull elk. With dozens of bulls coming down from the alpine fighting for a chance to mate, you’re often surrounded by these bugles. The rut paired with the colorful changing of seasons makes for a beautiful time of year in the Rockies.

It was a privilege of a lifetime to be able to capture stills for the production of @deepintheheartfilm and have my photographs published in my first book!Here’s a few landscape and wildlife photographs featured in the book. Go to deepintheheartwildlife.com and get yourself a copy. It’s a beautifully crafted book written by @bencmasters @katybaldock7 and @jaykleberg

Incredibly honored to be a part of this film and work with this team. A true love letter to Texas and definitely worth seeing on the big screen. Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else. Narrated by Matthew McConaughey, the film aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale. Texas’ first wildlife movie is coming to Texas theaters starting June 3. View the list of theater locations at deepintheheartwildlife.com #deepintheheartfilm @texanbynature @officiallymcconaughey @bencmasters

Last light on a couple west texas giants. The Sierra Maderas del Carmen and Chisos Mountain ranges. Shot on a snow dusted day last January. #igtexas #nationalparkgeek #texastodo #tmwanders #texas #snow #earth_shotz #wildernessculture #truetexas #inspiretexasnow #visittexas #amongthewild #wildernesstones #theoutbound #instagood #trekkingtones #texasforever #texasparks #texasbackroads #onlyintexas #bigbend #visitbigbend #bigbendnationalpark #artofvisuals #folkgood #nature #amongthewild #desert #tx #stayandwander #texastourism

A brief tour through Guatemala shot a couple years back with the Chapín Papi himself, @austintorios .