Adventure Photography

Adventure photography is the most physically and mentally demanding of disciplines for me. Approaching 37, female, asian, weighing in at about 100lbs, I am hardly the poster child for this genre. I was never cut from the fabric of great explorers, but rather the studious piano playing type. How one gets into the adventure is simply having the will and attitude to say yes. Allowing yourself to be surprised by your own capabilities and endurance, and setting yourself up for the best chance of success.

My camera gear easily weighs between 10-25% of my body weight, and that’s not including other survival essentials. I do not look tough, but representing the minority of female BIPOC adventurers out there I do feel the need to be stronger, braver, and tougher than how I truly feel inside.

Planning for success before embarking on a shoot is call professionalism. It’s imperative in whatever genre you shoot, but even more so in adventure photography. Knowing my limitations, packing for just right, understanding where you need to be for the best light, and having the contingency and safety measures to execute is all part of the game. I do countless hours of research, looking at inspirations, conditions, and ways to mitigate the risks I cannot accept.

In true adventure photography you need to think about yourself and the people you are with before the shots, this is the ethical standard of the genre. Safety comes first, the adventure goals come next, and then the art.

When you see an image upon a summit, or from the remote stretches of the sea ice, countless hours of work went into it before the shutter flaps. This ranges from weighted bag endurance training, to preparing and packing the gear. To be honest, most of the work to succeed has nothing to do with the technical camera and editing work.

For the type of adventure photography I specialize in, the largest barrier is simply getting there under budget and safely and making the most out of the opportunities to shoot. Being effective means you are your best self. I would sacrifice extra camera gear any day to carry/bring the gear that helps me thrive in the outdoors. If you aren’t ready to endure, the camera is mute.

With that being said, it’s important to pack the camera gear efficiently. This is not a studio, know what you want to achieve, and bring the tools to do it, have back ups, but not excessive gear that you will need to carry and juggle. The right straps, clips. tripod, and bag can mean the difference of being able to traverse a difficult scramble safely with the tools you need to get the shot.

When you finally get your boots on the ground, it’s a strong mental will that gets you to the finish line. Things don’t always go the way you planned, you need to be flexible, and adaptable. You’ll learn to appreciate the good and the bad, you’ll be torn down more often then you are built up, but in the end the culmination of grit, emotions of highs and lows, and passion is what will add the authentic finishing textures to your work.