The entire scene of the day seemed almost picturesque, and just as unreal.
Mountaintops clad in orange and red undertones dipped from the slightly clouded sky into the valley where we sat, intimidated by the scale of the scenery. The rock faces stretched for miles to the South with no signs of ending anytime soon except for the occasional bend of the canyons to face us in a different direction.
To our North, a large wall stopped us dead in our tracks. A well known wall that stretched far above us. The sheer size of it created a perfect ramp for the slight morning breeze, the noise of the wind passing by power lines and large stone pillars creating a soft silence that would make a grown man bow to the sheer power of this wonder.
Upon realizing that we were still present in this moment, the feet below us began to feel cold. Upon looking, the small ripples of the undisturbed current reminded us of our current position. The dry air that filled our lungs deceived us to the cool sensation of the water that surrounded my ankles. For others, it was waste deep.
The combination of these two elements could be compared to summer and winter; summer in the air and winter in the water. It was like the heat of the desert morning had melted a glacier at the top of the river, and made the water at our ankles and waists so cold you could almost catch hypothermia.
Almost.
This was what it was like to stand face to face with the base of the Hoover Dam. A surreal and peaceful moment that was equally awe-striking as it was terrifying. My grandmother used to tell me stories of how her father would deliver groceries to the builders of the dam, his truck slowly guided down the mountain by a winch at the top of the steep roadways and guided out the same ways.
It's a beautiful sight, this national wonder.
When I opened my business in photography and videography 2 years prior, I never imagined that it would lead me to this experience. Deciding to offer my services to take photos for businesses after collecting images for a portfolio for a year both equally prepared me for this experience and humbled me at the same time. New experiences are often one of the scariest things a person can take part in. This is mostly because the outcome of the experience is not guarantied.
"Will you break your equipment?"
Yeah, that's possible.
"Will you get hurt?"
That's a possibility.
"Will you fail?"
Oh yes absolutely.
But you will always learn from your mistakes.
The biggest part of being a part of any adventure is to take risks. Without risk, there is no experience. And with no experience, there is no learning curve. Some things are scarier than others, granted. Like starting a new job or pushing yourself to go to the gym to get in shape. Heck, human interaction can be scary too. The differences in all these experiences is your ability to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward, even if you don't want to.
Adventure Photography specifically is a special section of my business that I named for it's exact purpose. It's unorthodox, and anything can happen. Sure, family portraits and headshots are cool and are an opportunity I will never pass up. But for me, to have the ability to take photos of exotic cars or to take photos at the base of the Hoover Dam with a kayaking tour company? Priceless experiences. It's like killing two birds with one stone; you get experience as a photographer and an adventurer all in the same go.
This photoshoot specifically was an 8 hour day, starting at the base of the Hoover Dam and provided by a local kayaking company. I started taking photos for them back in 2021 for a one-time project for a separate kayaking tour during the peak of summer. Since the dam provides power for over a million people if not more, the turbines of the dam are constantly shooting out large amounts of cold water. This water can sit between 55 and 65 degrees, even in the peak of summer.
This is the perfect opportunity for kayaking companies and other watersport enthusiasts to enjoy the heat without getting burned. The first shoot was an amazing time with plenty of memorable experiences for everyone involved, including myself. That tour lasted around 3 hours tops.
The tour these photos birthed started at around 7am at the base of the Hoover Dam and led us downriver towards a landing dock known as Willow Beach. Since the dam provides a steady current downstream, it's more like a cruise with a few turns rather than fighting the current. Plenty of pit-stops were made along the way, including stops at natural hot-springs that could range anywhere from 100 degrees to 120 degrees. This is thanks to the fishers in the area that allow the heat from the earth to heat up the water to high temperatures. I'm no science whiz, but I'm pretty sure I got at least some of that information right.
Choosing to do these types of photoshoots is the exact reason I started photography. I wanted to create a way for myself to capture moments that would make people want to jump out of their seats and do the things they have always wanted to do. The world is vast and rich in experiences, and yet we as humans spend a lot of time in front of computer screens looking at these same scenic areas telling ourselves "I'll do that someday".
Influencing others to travel and have their own experiences through photography is my mission. Through all of the ways I provide content to the world, these add to someone's reasons as to why they should go out and see what the world has to offer. I was guilty of doing the exact same thing, and sometimes I still am. I work a few jobs outside of this business, and there are times when I just want to go home and lay on the couch because I'm so exhausted, or times when I've caught myself taking a day to sleep in bed all day with junk food watching Planet Earth.
Photography can be conventional, and it can also be unconventional. Anyone can take photos of anything, from any perspective and it would still be considered artwork either way. Photography outside the box is supposed to be just that; unconventional. It doesn't follow a pattern or a set of rules for taking the photos or how to edit them or where to post them.
It's unexpected, unconventional, and underestimated. It can throw us, as artists and as adventurers, into a completely new environment we never would have known if we didn't take the leap at some point.
The cool water at my ankles on that day begged for someone to take the plunge and explore the cold environment it had provided for it's guests.
So, as all of us in this group of adventurers have done so many times in the past to get us to this point of enjoying the waters of the Colorado River just below one of the Seven National Wonders of the World have done before, we discarded the items that would not agree with water.
And proceeded to take the plunge.
- GM, April 2023
