While it may be true that a picture speaks a thousand words, sometimes a story needs to accompany a photo in order to convey the extreme challenges that must be overcome in order to capture some of the exquisite nature photos in the exclusive Roads Not Traveled™ by Ric J collection. Read the story, catch a glimpse into the extraordinary journey of Ric J's photography, and understand why his photography is much more than just another photo.
We spoke with Ric J about his experience in finding and capturing "Seclusion". Here is what he had to say: "I saw this waterfall off in the distance, but I could not find a path anywhere to get to it. I made it to the top of the cliff overlooking the fall, but still saw no trail leading down to it. At this point, I was over 900 feet above the fall, so I just set up camp. My first thought was to stay the night and move on to the next location in the morning, but the waterfall below kept calling me. The 'how can I get down there' keep itching at me. Finally, I gave in to the call and decided I would scale down the cliff. I just had to get that photo. Without a harness, with just my camera and tripod on my back, I began my venture down. Half way down I suddenly noticed that I was completely within the brush and could not see up, down or sideways. I had no idea where my next step should be, so the anxiety heightened as I kept slipping, not feeling any solid footing whatsoever. Somehow, little by little, my feet got through and I made it down to the bottom. 'Whew!' I thought while temporarily not thinking about the climb back up that was to come. Setting up the tripod met with its own challenges because the spray from the waterfall was so intense it kept splashing over my camera lens. Once I found a good spot, I set up the frame and started shooting. I wasn't 100% certain that I had gotten the exact shot I wanted, but the afternoon was coming to a close and I knew I had better get started back up the cliff if I was going to make it up before dark. I had no idea the challenge that I would face. Half way up I was so tired my whole body was shaking as I struggled to hang on, while my feet kept slipping down. I thought, 'Is a photo really worth this?' I really began to kick myself for putting myself in this situation. Finally, I moved a little, then, a little more. I was almost there and I was beyond spent. With that last step up, I literally collapsed backward, face up on the dirt. I couldn't move. Then, part of me suddenly felt very accomplished for making it. So is a photo really worth all of that? Well, I'll just let everyone else be the judge of that."
To celebrate each Feature Photo, we hope you will take advantage of our Feature Photo Offer, giving you the chance to own each of these extraordinary masterpieces at an amazing discount.
"Seclusion": Buy Now Click Here
No comments:
Post a Comment