Dark seas and endless scenery
Alaska was anything but easy. Traveling through the endless island chain by boat, searching for waves, rounding each corner with glimmers of hope, seeking shelter in between storms all with the aspiration to find a needle in a haystack.
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Surfing: @annagudauskas@danedamus
Director: @tczech
Editor: @orionowens
Camera: @tczech
Camera: @tinomartirano
Lapland is something else − just one of those heartbreakingly beautiful places. There is a philosophy there called Allemansratten which simply means, we have the right to roam, that everyone shall have access to nature and wilderness, rivers, and oceans. You can climb mountains, pick mushrooms, throw down a bedroll and a tent, swim in stunningly clear lakes, fish, navel gaze the true meaning of life, and ramble to your heart’s content, as long as you are respectful and loving to the earth and others.
This film is an ode to friendship and simple living, running wild along rivers and in the Arctic Circle. We learned a lot along the way. How friendship is one of the most integral facets of being here, that a mutual respect for the environment is everything these days, especially in light of all that the Earth is facing in our hands, and the multitude of lessons we have yet to learn. We can always do better for the wild. These days, the reindeer need our help to keep the earth steady at the helm, so there is plenty to do ahead. We all know that. Here’s to the surreal places waiting for us if we have the heart to go, and here’s to hope that they may always be there - @riverhorse_nakadate@tczech
Reindeer Journals > Link in bio
It’s was 3am & a bomb went off below my hotel window. I can’t help but think someone sent it for me. We’re here on assignment to teach photography in a place where freedom of speech isn’t so free. With the help of a few different nonprofit organizations we receive official clearance from the Agha Khan to enter and travel freely in a region off limits to the outside world.
The region sits smack dab in an area that has been locked down due to the extremists groups but also turns out be the same region Marco Pollo carved out his route on the northern most part of the Himalayan range. The landscape is familiar, I’ve visited in the past, it’s the home of nearly every big mountain dream I’ve ever had. Towering rock walls, deep powder, sprawling boulder fields, whitewater in almost every valley. The potential for adventure here is endless with the one small exception that you really don’t want to step off trail due to land mines left over from the Soviet era and even more recent conflicts.
After our time teaching at the school - we load an old Land Cruiser rented from a local and point it east towards Mongolia. The goal, to cover as much ground as possible and make it back before the one month visa expires. With a few maps picked up along the way we set off hopping from from village to village.
Hotels here don’t exist, nor does anything “western” so we ended up relying on locals who quickly invite us into their homes, feed us from their farms and send us along the way loaded with apples and a homemade loaf of bread.
Everything I’ve read online tells me this adventure isn’t going to end well for me but I’ve come to realize adventure isn’t for everyone. I like pushing boundaries, tell me I can’t go and I’m going has kind of always been my MO and it’s turned out pretty well so far.
Outside of the of obvious, the magic of the trip ended up being the warmth and hospitality of locals villagers who became a reminder to open our homes or at least share a meal with someone unlike you.
I grew up with the pristine wilderness of the Boundary Waters in my backyard, over 2 million acres when you count the Quetico Forrest across the border.
No place has shaped who I am more than this stretch of wilderness.
Grateful for Patagonia’s continued commitment to protecting this sacred place despite the pressure of foreign mining interests and corrupt leadership.
Patagonia Minneapolis will be hanging these images on the walls in the near future to remind us of what’s out there, what’s worth protecting, visiting, cherishing…
More and more, brands ask for a film look but hesitate when it comes to actually shooting on film. Not @swiftwicksocks . They backed it from day one. No shortcuts, no second-guessing. Just full trust in the process.
