MIGHTYKILLERS®

pacific northwest

2015

Lifestyle, Travel.Comment

What's your goal each year?

 

You may have a resolution that you've set to accomplish or you may just want to live each year to the fullest. Whatever the objective is the end result is always the same, to be better than the previous year.

For MIGHTYKILLLERS, 2015 was HUGE. The #MKEXPLORE hash tag grew from 50,000 posts in the beginning of the year to 777,000 as of today! We even had the opportunity to connect with people from around the world through our MKEXPLORE meets. As we made stops all over from Mumbai, Tokyo, Shanghai, Pacific Northwest, Sacramento, Boston, Toronto, and the list goes on and the support grows with it. Being able to host meets across the U.S. and internationally has always been a shared dream by everyone in the company. This wouldn't of been possible if it weren't for the community and the support you've shown.

Not only did we get to connect with individuals, but with companies as well. Collaborating has always been a huge part of our core beliefs, so it was exciting to work with many industry leaders from Jaguar Land Rover Motors to SanDisk, and even other creatives such as Duarte Inc. We can’t thank them enough for letting us bring our own sense of style and touch to each project, and we look forward to any new projects in the future.

Many may not know, but MIGHTYKILLLERS first started out as a clothing brand. We may have evolved a bit from a basic clothing brand, but our roots are still very much in fashion. We believe that everything is connected from fashion and styling to photography and travel. This year, we pushed out even more product while designing each piece with high quality materials that we wear everyday. The amount of support we’ve received from each drop has been incredible. For the next year, you’ll be sure to see more releases with the same dope designs.

 

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Now for me personally 2015 is probably best summed up into one word, unexpected. If you told me in the beginning of the year that all of these things would happen I probably wouldn’t believe you. That’s not to say that I live a boring life with no excitement, but rather it’s a justification as to how amazing the year was. It definitely had some rocky times and moments of uncertainty but honestly would life be any fun if it didn’t?

One thing that stayed pretty consistent was my group of friends who've stuck with me for sometime now. Year in and year out they have always been there for me, and always continue to push me to do better. Whenever I see my friends/family succeed it always fills me with a sense of pride, and this year was a testament to that. From passing the California attorney bar exam to getting married, I’m pretty sure all of them had it covered. It was a big honor to not only see two of my best friends get married this year, but also be apart of their special day.

I had the opportunity to travel a lot this year; not just with a group of friends but also by myself. Up until this point I never realized how life changing traveling alone can be. If you haven’t already, I highly suggest just taking a trip by yourself somewhere. It doesn’t have to be far or expensive; just get out of a familiar surrounding. Every time I went away, I found out something new about myself, and improved on something old.

Within these last few months, it really started to hit me that I'm getting older. I realized that people come and go in your life, but when some people come in they really make an impression and help you see things in a whole new perspective. Those are the people you really have to thank because a fresh new perspective will always give you a whole new outlook. So with that, I'm excited to be looking towards whats in store for 2016.

Cheers.

 

Mighty Killers in the Northwest

Travel, LifestyleSilas SaoComment

Living in the Portland, I get to meet all kinds of creatives. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris a couple of months ago when we were introduced by fellow photographer and common friend David.

I asked Chris to help me out with a project for the Might Killers Explore Tee an MK Basic Cap. Accompanied by my other friends Nick, Natalie and Leanna we road tripped it out to the Oregon Coast to catch sunset. As we arrived at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, I could tell this was going to be another beautiful Oregon summer sunset.

It wasn’t until we pulled onto the beach did I find out this was Chris’ first trip to Cape Kiwanda. In awe from the beautiful scenery, Chris’ expressions began to reignite my inspiration for this place. I’ve been to Cape Kiwanda more times than I can count on my fingers, but this time it was different. I got to help someone experience it for the first time. That in itself can be inspiring for me. Adventuring with people to places I’ve photographed before can help me find a more unique angle of a similar location. A new mind can bring all kinds of new ideas. It’s an awesome feeling.

Let me share with you what we brought back from Cape Kiwanda.

MT. Inspiration

Travel.Comment

How do you find inspiration

Lately, I've been hit with a shooters block.  Questioning everything from the angles of the shot, all the way down to the final edit. I'm sure that I'm not the only one feeling this way. Sooner or later everyone will be faced with something similar. So the question now is, "How do we get through this?

I try to force myself to take at least one overnight trip each month to just get out and shoot. My goal isn't to shoot for Instagram worthy material, but rather to reevaluate my passion for exploring. After these trips, I always seem to remember how I felt during that time, but never what I saw.

Don't get me wrong. It's dope as fuck to see and shoot the base of a waterfall from 5 feet away, but the feeling of being that close was even crazier. The power of the wind created by the crashing of the falls made it that much more intense; however, my roshes weren't doing too well in the grip department on the slippery moss covered rocks. It was pretty sketchy, but definitely worth almost dying. I felt alive and energetic after getting the shot, and it reminded me that nature inspires me to post on Instagram, not the likes or followers.

Too often today, I see people going out to shoot just to get recognition.  Thats cool, and I'm not going to knock that, but are you shooting because that moment inspired you, or because the latest trend on the explore page said that was what you needed to shoot? 

So now tell me, what really inspirers you?

Coastal Wasteland

TravelNick Carnera | @nickcarneraComment

Don't ever listen to those people who question why you bring your camera. You never know when you'll get that perfect opportunity for some awesome shots.

On this trip to Cape Kiwanda, I was suppose to model for my friend Bryan but the weather was not in his favor, so I took this opportunity to get some photos. Luckily, I brought my camera along and Silas was down to go explore around. We hiked up the huge sand hill and made our way towards the coastal point. On the way, I was really digging how the rock and sand looked with all the moisture from the rain. I decided to turn this adventure into more of a story and have Silas be the main character. This is how I turned this coastal range into a wasteland. Enjoy.


Secrets of the Northwest

TravelSilas SaoComment

I made the move to the Pacific Northwest about 5 months ago and it has been, hands down, one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. I lived in Los Angeles before this and San Francisco before that, and I can tell you, the Northwest is a very special place.

Recently, I was told about a bridge that was somewhat hidden. I was only told a few things about this place so finding it was a bit challenging. After an hour or so of Google searches and map panning, I had found what I hoped was the spot. I linked up with my friends Nick, David and Makena to check it out.

When we first arrived, we headed down towards the river in an attempt to walk the bank hoping we could get to the bridge. We quickly realized we were on the wrong path. As we walked back to where we parked we asked someone who was camping if he knew where this bridge was. Luckily, he knew exactly what we were looking for and lined out some directions in the dirt. We headed back to the area we parked because apparently thats where this trailhead was. We followed the directions local camper gave us and in about 30-45 minutes of hiking we had arrived at the location. A suspension bridge going across a river surrounded by beautiful rock. We took a moment to soak it all in, walking back and forth on the bridge as it swayed from side to side. The hike in was nice, the trees were green and the flowers were blooming. It's moments like these when I truly realize how incredible my new home is.

Sunrise at Crater Lake, Oregon

TravelSam Graves | @thesamgravesComment

Exhaustion was beginning to set in as I pulled up to the gas station just outside of Grants Pass, Oregon. The clock had struck 10pm and I was dreaming about getting back to my room and a bed to crash on. After having just finished photographing a wedding 20 minutes earlier and driving 9 hours from San Francisco the previous day, the last thing on my mind was another photoshoot. Until my phone rang. 

"Are you in Oregon" said my good buddy Bryan in a text. 

"Yeah, just got done shooting a wedding in Grants Pass" I responded. 

"You should meet Alex and I at Crater Lake" He said. "we'll be there in an hour". 

And in that moment, I knew that I wasn't going to bed, I wasn't going to get the rest I desired. But that what was about to happen next would likely be one of the most incredible experiences I had had to date.

And it was. 


Cave Dwellers

Travel.Comment
bigfour.jpg

Exploration with friends is always a good time, but exploring won your own is something that everyone should experience.

Recently, I took a spontaneous trip by myself to visit the Big Four Ice Caves in Granite Falls Washington. I'm not sure what cam over me to venture on something so out of my norm. Maybe it was the constant reminder on Instragram that there is something bigger out there beside my mundane 9-5 lifestyle. Or maybe it was the the excitement of not knowing what adventures a "fuck it" mentality might bring

Once I landed in Seattle,  I rentred a car and took off driving in whatever direction the GPS told me. The weather conditions were perfect for my first time, and exactly how I pictured the weather in the Pacific Northwest to be. Everything was covered in a low rolling fog that sat just above the tree line. Pockets of clouds would clear up every so often; allowing you to see the mountain range bend it. 

I got to the ice caves and quickly realized that pictures simply don't do it justice. The sheer size of the cave is amazing. I was stuck starring at it; wondering how the different layers of ice are layered and carved so perfectly. Its easy to say that the ice caves left me in awe, and gave me confidence that I did not need to rely on anyone to go out and experience something this great. 

The journey is not the most difficult part of travel, but rather getting yourself up to actually start it. Everyone has obligations on a day-to-day basis, but finding time to for personal growth through exploring could have you coming back with a whole new perspective on things.