JOIN US IN CONGRATULATING THE SEPTEMBER WINNER OF THE ADVENTURES OF A LIFETIME CONTEST!
The third winner of the Adventures of a Lifetime photo competition sponsored by Adventure Collection has been selected!
Nick Wilkes’s photo of a rappeller in a Utah canyon outside Zion National Park was chosen from among more than 100 entries. The competition’s final five candidates were selected by popular vote. The winner from among these five was chosen by a distinguished panel of travel writers, editors and photographers, including Conde Nast Traveler consumer news editor Wendy Perrin, Los Angeles Times Travel Editor Catharine Hamm, WorldHum.com co-founder and editor Jim Benning, acclaimed photographer Robert Holmes, and the Adventure Collection’s editor in chief, Don George.
Wilkes’s grand prize is a trip for two whitewater rafting on the Main Fork of the Salmon River with OARS.
The Adventure Collection’s Don George talked with Wilkes about his prize-winning photo and his passion for adventure travel.
Can you describe the situation – location, month, time of day; kind of camera – of your spectacular photo?
The photograph was taken with a Canon 20D while descending a beautiful, lush, spring-fed canyon just northwest of Zion National Park. Even in mid-July, the cold water demanded dry suit protection, thus the rappeller’s outfit. Since the canyon is very deep, it receives only brief periods of direct sunlight; the light is nice and even for most of the day.
What was your goal in taking this shot?
I aimed to 1) capture the scale of the scene, and 2) communicate a sense of motion and action. Including the entire 145-foot waterfall was essential to scale, as was using the log in the foreground to communicate the height of the background. Out of 10-20 shots of John rappelling, I liked this one best because he is mid-bounce, feet off the wall, opposing the log to create a dynamic triangle of composition.
Do you always take photos when you travel?
No. Especially in canyons, photography often adds unreasonable worry and distraction in an environment that threatens both the camera and your personal safety. If you drown $2,000 of camera equipment, or break a leg because you are not paying attention, things become serious very quickly. In this case, however, my three canyon partners were highly experienced technicians, so I enjoyed the opportunity to shoot to my heart’s content.
What are some other destinations that you have found especially good for photography?
The desert is chock-full of fabulous photographic opportunities. The national parks, monuments, and historic sites in the American Southwest offer a lifetime of interesting contexts for shooting. And among all those natural monuments, there is an equally fascinating collection of human stories – ranches, businesses, small towns, abandoned buildings, automobiles, and farm equipment – which are rich in imagery and culture, ripe for a good photographic eye.
Was this your first trip to Utah?
I have lived in Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion National Park, for eleven years, allowing me to take day-trips to places that many visit from across the world.
How long were you there and where did you visit?
The canyon descent in the photograph was a one-day journey.
What is it that you especially like or find especially moving about Utah?
The tension between stasis and change in the desert is enormous. Everywhere I look demands the question, “How did this landscape come to be this way?” It is obvious that many changes have taken place, over enormous periods of time, to create the present landscape. And yet there is so often a perfect stillness in the desert, where nothing at all seems to be changing, making the current form of the land seem permanent. I love this dichotomy.
What other adventurous trips have you taken?
Like many of my neighbors and co-workers, outdoor adventure is a way of life for me. I guide canyoneering, rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking trips professionally, helping others experience once-in-a-lifetime adventures in the Zion area on a regular basis. Some of my favorite personal trips have been mountaineering in the Tetons and the Sierras, sailing along the Baja coast, and exploring rarely visited slot canyons throughout Utah and Arizona.
Your prize is a 6-day whitewater rafting adventure with OARS on the Main Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. What is it that especially excites and attracts you about this destination and trip?
As a desert dweller, I look forward to escaping the heat next summer to lounge, splash, and relax on a wet, refreshing river trip. As a guide, it will be a treat for someone else to be taking care of logistics, risk management, and food for a change, and I look forward to experiencing how a well-respected outfit like OARS runs a week-long wilderness trip.
What other places are on your must-visit list?
I’d love to revisit Corsica, which combines stunning outdoor opportunities with a bold, colorful French culture. I’m also deeply enamored with Reunion Island; the stories and photos I’ve seen of the canyons there are mouth-watering.
What’s the pleasure and purpose of adventure travel for you?
For me, true adventure evokes a very pure feeling of being alive. When the lives of our partners and ourselves hang in the balance, our decisions must be very focused and efficient, and there is no room to think about anything outside the immediate moment. That immediacy, that demand to be completely present, is the pleasure and purpose of adventure for me.
