Getting the shot, "A New Light" - Adventure Musings.
Storms are a necessity in nature and in life. They can be unpredictable and uncomfortable but once you make it through, clarity ensues. “A New Light” represents weathering the storms and inviting in new chapters.
This is an image that was taken in the remote Canadian wilderness on what started out as a typical sunny summer day. A hail storm ensued on a ridge where the only shelter available was in the mind. After weathering the storm , this perfect pocket of light came out for just a few minutes. With no one around, it was an incredibly intimate moment that I am privileged to share on the blockchain. I knew in my heart I wouldn’t leave this place until I was happy with an image because it was a long drive and very long hike to do. This fleeting moment of meditation and calm in the harsh mountains felt curiously meant to be and I knew it was the one instantly.
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Above is the condensed description of my piece, “A New Light”. An image I truly wanted so badly, and was able to capture something better in my initial imagination.
After a brew one summer day, I was thinking of what my next piece of artwork was going to be. This particular location had been on my list for quite some time.. just never made it there (Even though funny enough we were in the general area just a few weeks past). Within days our bags were packed and we were off to explore. Nothing beats that excitement to create.
The thing about this place is there aren’t very many pictures. When looking at the registry at the trailhead-barely anyone had visited the past few weeks. The remoteness felt amazing, but my anxiety grew of what I would see when we made it to the top.
The sun stayed with us most of the hike up and I truly couldn’t believe my eyes at the sight of this landscape. Truly remarkable, I could stare at it for hours. Not too long after we arrived, the storm that was forecasted(about 24hr before) came in. We watched as it past us and thought that we got lucky. Sometime went by and the calm seemed present. Then, the wind picked up. Then the rain, then the hail. Yet instead of trying to leave, we stayed and weathered the storm. It was beautiful, it was raw, it was exhilarating.
Towards the end of the storm, a beam of light came through .Lighting the alpine lake below perfectly, a reality formed better than my previous vision of this place.
I felt emotional when I knew I got the shot. That was it.
The wind stayed for most of the evening into the night, but nothing could break my spirit after that moment. We ended up photographing golden hour, with/without the blue dress, middle of the night, and sunrise. Although I love them all- that one tiny moment was still the one. It all strangely just made sense.
Now you may be thinking it’s silly to stress about art. And on one hand- I agree with you. However because this image was going to be my SuperRare genesis in the web3.0 world, I really wanted it to be special. With the drive and hike being so far, and with limited time.. it was a risk but I did not want to leave that mountain until I came back with something I was proud of. When you have a vision.. this can be both a blessing and a curse. Now not only being able to share this intimate story with you all, but also have the vision executed better than I planned- I’m so grateful. That’s why this is just so addicting.
Here is the link to the youtube BTS featuring a very tired and puffy SB: HERE
