This must have been my most favorite day out of the whole duration of our trip in the South West. We woke up early and caught the sunrise looking over Monument Valley. I must say, it was certainly a view that one could not easily forget. After watching the sunrise, we hurried to check-out and drove down the road where the infamous running scene of Forest Gump was taken. Once we got the shots we hoped for, we then rushed over to Antelope Canyon where we explored the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons to end our day.
Travel
Backyard Adventures
TravelCommentMany people often overlook their own backyard when out searching for new spots to explore.
We're fortunate to be in Northern California, and the bay area especially because so many different types of landscape surround us. To the east we have the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and to the south we have beaches all along Highway 1. This scenic drive is one of my favorite because there are so many different areas where you can stop.
The weather in the beginning of the day didn't start out the best, but as the day went on the fog and overcast cleared out and the skies ended up being perfect. We made our way from Pacifica and headed towards Davenport right out side of Half Moon Bay. Along the way, we made a bunch of random stops and detours just because one of us might of saw something worthwhile in the distance. One of our final destinations brought us to these concrete arches right on the beach. In order to get down to the arches you had to hike down a sketchy trail that essentially dropped straight down the side of the cliff. We eventually made it down and spent a good half hour trying to climb the rope to the top of the arch. Once we finally admitted defeat we decided that Shark Fin Cove might be a better location for sunset.
Wee got to Shark Fin and saw a bunch of other explorers leaving the same area. I didn't get a chance to stop and get everyone's name but I think we all had the same mindset of trying to get to the location to catch sunset. It's awesome seeing other people out sharing the same passion for exploring. The sunset wasn't as epic as I hoped it would be, but that's all part of exploring. Someone times you get lucky and the weather clears up for a perfect day, and other times the sunset just turns out shitty. But the people you explore with and the unknown of how the day will turn out are what push me to constantly go out and explore. Putting together a group of people to go out is dope, but finding people who are down to take detours and stop randomly is even better. Not everyone is down to make random strops and prolong the journey, but when you do find those down you might stumble across something you could of easily missed.
The Last Cave
Travel1 CommentI guess I should introduce myself first....My name is Connor Surdi and I am a photographer from Seattle, WA. This photo trip was a bit difficult to say the least....I left to hike Pilchuck around 2AM. But - as soon as I was about .6 miles away from the trailhead, the road was blocked with fallen trees and bushes. So I had to find a cool place to go to and some place that was easy to get to by sunrise....And the Big Four Ice Caves was about 40 minutes down the road! So - I ended up driving there and walking in the dark with a terrible spotlight until I reached the caves...Or shall I say, Cave..Since the other 3 have already melted away. I fell asleep and set an alarm for the sunrise but...I was so cozied up in my sleeping bag, I woke up, saw the sunrise, made a mental photo of it and then just went back to sleep. Do I regret it? Yes, it was a beautiful orange hue with fluffy clouds. I'll just go back another day, no problem! As soon as I woke up again a few hours later, Skye and I just walked around the caves and even went in for a few minutes. This cave is melting quick and it's not safe at all to go inside of it but......I got some cool photos out of it and I'm still alive so I can call that a mission success. After shooting inside the cave and outside with the smoke grenades, we walked over to the little waterfall area and just enjoyed the sun beating down on us while we tried to warm up from the icy cave earlier. I thought it would be a good idea to try and climb up onto the big rock and take a photo of me...But man I didn't realize how difficult that would be! Nearly killed myself but hey, I have a cool photo so it was worth it. After we walked around that area..It was time to go home. My second trip to the Ice caves was definitely worth it! Until next time.
Memorial Day weekend in Mt. Hood
Travel, Lifestyle1 CommentHi, my name is Silas and I'm a photographer based in Portland, Oregon. This is my first story on the Mighty Killers blog so I wanted to try and make it a good one. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to create a photo themed for that. Accompanied by my friends Nick, Chloe and Anna we set off on our adventure. This day, we had no plan and no set route to go, but I wanted the photo to have a moody feel so we decided to head into the forest.
We left around 12:30 P.M. figuring the overcast weather in Portland was an indication of some nice soft light. Unfortunately, as soon as we hit the base of the mountain, the clouds disappeared almost instantly. Here we were, right in the middle of a completely clear day with the sun beating right on top of us. We stopped at one location and hiked in, but the shots we got didn't have the moody feel I was going for. We decided to keep driving closer to the top of the mountain in hopes of finding better weather at higher elevation. As we arrive at the top we start to see the fog rolling in, giving us hope that we could still pull this off. We found a sign for Barlow Road and decided to give it a shot. We parked the car and started trekking into the forest to look for a good location. Ahead of us we see a patch of light on the ground and decide it would be perfect for this shot. We setup, pop the smoke and start firing. This time I had got the shot I was looking for, Success! We roam around, take a couple more shots with some of the other smoke we had, take a couple portraits and decide to head out to visit the top of the mountain. We get to the top and even though there wasn't much snow we still got to enjoy the view before heading back home for the evening. A special thanks to Nick for driving us and to Chloe and Anna for being models for the day. Nothing better than a good day of shooting in great company.
Exploring Bryce Canyon
TravelCommentInstead of catching the sunrise, we instead slept in since it was raining out. We started the day off by swinging by Lake Powell for some quick photos, then we drove a few hours over to Bryce Canyon to see one of the world's greatest wonders. Looking back at the shots some of the Mighty Killers had taken, I was definitely stoked to see the place with my own eyes. It started pouring but we were still able to get some pretty epic photos. It's almost impossible to get a bad shot here since the place itself was something out of this world. Knowing that the drive takes up most of the day, we scurried the shots we wanted most and made our way towards Monument Valley where we got a cabin for the night right in front of the three infamous monuments.
Bonneville Salt Flats
TravelCommentComing across this... I have no idea what you call it.. was a complete surprise. We were driving down the freeway looking for the Bonneville Salt Flats, which is massive by the way, and we saw this super vibrantly colored body of water and had to turn around and head towards it. It's pretty easy to miss if you're not staring dead out the window the entire drive. It's actually dipped into the ground with about 2-3 feet of mounds surrounding it. I really wanted to jump into it but the lack of knowledge to as what this water was made out of, I decided that it was a smart decision not to. I could've came out with superhero powers, could've... But I guess I will never know.
Quick Trip through the South West
Travel1 CommentLast week I was able to join Bryan and Silas on a trip and ventured our way through the South West. In four days, we were able to travel throughout Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The drive was one thing that I did not mind at all since the scenery throughout the drive was exquisite as if being taken right out of a movie. It was quite remarkable in comparison to the drive towards the Pacific Northwest. We were able to touch down on the Valley of Fire, Horse Shoe Bend, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, and Zion National Park all the while being able to stay in cabins that were very close or right at these destinations. The weather wasn't ideal nor was it what we hoped for. However, we made the best of the situation and in the end it did indeed turned out to be a trip to remember. Shoutout to the bisons and horses we met a long the way.
Pinnacle of the Pinnacles
TravelCommentbeen wanting to hit this spot for the longest. came across this location in a traveling magazine a while back and have always had it down on my list of locations to hit up and shoot but just never got around to it until now. it's one of those hidden gems that not a lot of people know about. it's not on the top of the list for most simply because it's not put out there as much as other spots in northern california; which is what made me want to come to this place even more. it, to me, was untouched territory to explore. i didn't see much photo of this place so it allowed me to be clear of any inspired shots that most places have. you know? like, if you go to yosemite, there is the cliche shot that everyone, i mean... everyone takes when they go there. but here, its clear of all of that. all you got is your thoughts, your camera, and your creativity. after hours and miles of uphill climb in the heat, temptations of turning back came into mind several times. part of the reason was because the entire climb up, there wasn't much to see so not really knowing what was at the top was definitely a coin flip. the chances of getting to the top and not having much of a view would have been devastating but that's the chances you take when you go out and explore. you never know the outcome.
you never know what you're going to be able to capture, it could be complete shit...
or it can be something like this, beautiful.
Cave Dwellers
TravelComment
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.
UTAH SUNRISE
TravelSleeping in a penny-racer sized car with 3 other guys jam packed with camping equipment and camera gear wasn't our idea of camping at all. Due to certain circumstances, our over night drive from Wyoming all the way down to Utah was definitely a last minute decision that left us lacking in preparation. Oh, and a reservation for campgrounds. So that explains why we ended up in a parking lot of a lodge outside of Bryce Canyon National Park sleeping in the car.
Being woke up from the sun beaming through the foggy windows, I realized we fucked up and that we were going to miss sunrise if I didn't start the car and get moving. Woke everyone up, started the car, smashed to the sunrise point at Bryce Canyon, ran to the cliffs...
and there it was.
