Traveling Within
A photographic journey of moments that impacted me on a soul level.
Parque Patagonia, Chile
Before soloing on this 3 week backpacking trip through Chile and Argentina, I voiced a clear intention for this trip to deliver me to an experience where I would connect deeply to the wonder of simply being alive. The moment arrived down a long, winding, uninhabited dirt road with the exception of hundreds of guanacos like the one I captured in this image. I identified an unmarked trailhead at the foothills in the far distance, stopped to feel the magnificence and scale of the Chacabuco Valley, was met with a wave of gratitude unlike any I’d known before, and trekked 14 miles up into the clouds.
Parque Patagnoia was created by Conservacion Patagonica, a nonprofit founded in 2000 by Kris Tompkins (former CEO of Patagonia, Inc), to protect Patagonia's wildlands and restore biodiversity.
The Treasury at Petra, Jordan
Between day and night, our Google crew had two hours in Petra to ourselves while the tourists left and we awaited darkness for a scene I wanted to capture for our film. Known as The Lost City, the silence and stillness of this prehistoric temple felt like the only thing on Earth at the time. With a nod from our local guide, I took a few moments to do something that was a rare occurrence and stepped inside the chamber of The Treasury to sit with myself and this ancient monument. I was in the heart of Petra. And now, Petra remains in the heart of me.
Mashpi Private Reserve, Ecuador
Having lived in the Chocó Rainforest for his entire life, Jorge felt a deep respect for its dense landscape and inhabitants – wild orchids and giant ferns, ocelots and pumas, toucans and blue-grey tanagers. He knew this place more intimately than anyone else. So when the former mayor of Quito arrived to build a luxury eco-lodge to bring tourism and awareness to this wondrous place, Jorge was quickly recognized as the expert guide who could lead guest explorations throughout the rainforest. The only challenge? Jorge didn’t speak english and couldn’t share his depth of knowledge, thus serving as an assistant to the non-local, english-speaking guides. Motivated to share his wisdom, Jorge took it upon himself to learn one word of english each day. During our visit to Mashpi, my wife and I spent time with Jorge on expediations where we practiced our spanish with him and he practiced his english with us. The lodge manager took note of our connection and the next day sent us off on a private adventure, just the three of us, to initiate Jorge’s first english-speaking tour. It was truly a breakthrough moment for him as he discovered a new path forward in his beloved home land.
The Flaming Lips, Hollywood Forever Cemetery
This is Wayne Coyne, lead singer, pulling off his signature move to kick-start the show – crowd surfing in a bubble. Beyond music, beyond performance, beyond the spectacle was a clinic in radical expression and giving everything. Like first playing their hit album The Soft Bulletin front to back on Tuesday night then Dark Side of the Rainbow (Pink Floyd, Wizard of Oz mashup) the very next night. Like staying up all night to meet Bon Iver at sunrise and play through the front gate. Like inviting 30 people (including a few of my friends) to wear Dorothy, scarecrow and lion costumes and join in on stage. Playing the song Money while launching giant balloons filled with cash into the crowd, creating the world’s most expensive confetti. While this image may feel familiar, witnessing this moment has forever shaped how I see creativity.
Black Rock City, Nevada
Love is the greatest adventure, the kindest teacher and the purest access point into one’s true power. My wife and I set up this self-portrait at sunset to simply capture the moment. But what happened in that 1/250th of a second quickly became an inflection point. It forever transformed how I see our partnership as co-creators and co-conspirators. Today, this image is framed on our wall to keep the momentum of collaboration alive in everything we do.