I consider myself a fairly lucky person, having opportunities to visit some of the most beautiful and remote places on the planet. Angel Falls is one such location. I was there late last year with Mike Call, filming for the upcoming hollywood remake of Point Break. This was my first, and hopefully not last, big budget hollywood film. It was definitely interesting to see how it operated in comparison to most of the smaller budget projects I’ve worked on. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s better or worse, it’s just different. Money doesn’t make all the issues go away, and in many cases, it causes some. However, one thing that it did bring to the table was an awesome crew capable of pulling off some shots that would have been impossible otherwise.
How Beautiful the World Can Be
Bamboo scaffolding surrounds a section of renovation on a high-rise in downtown Hong Kong.
When I first visited China, back in 2006, I was 22 years old and completely in awe with how big the world had turned out to be. I wandered around for weeks, taking everything in. It was this experience, along with other subsequent trips that opened my eyes to how beautiful the world can be if we just take the time to look around.
Sense of Scale
Kennecott, Salt Lake City- Nothing says "human" like digging a huge hole in the ground. Some people might look at this and say "disgusting", while other's might look at this and say "beautiful". I think it's interesting that something so disgusting can be so beautiful. The scale of the Kennecott Copper mine is hard to grasp, but for reference the tires on the haul trucks you can see roaming around are about 13 feet tall.
Around Every Corner
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Walking around the streets of Buenos Aires is like visiting the Louvre, but without all the French people. Around every corner is someone's creative prowess splattered all over a wall. Some of the art it is really beautiful, while other pieces leave much to be desired. Regardless of quality, it's great to see people expressing themselves in a creative manner.
The Country
Days pass by, driving North around the fjords, through tunnels, over mountains – always driving, searching. Churches and cemeteries dot the countryside next to abandoned farmhouses, whose only inhabitants scurry about looking for food and shelter from the incessant storms that batter the well-weathered walls.
In the small towns that litter the countryside, church steeples rise up, stretching toward the sky. Every Sunday, town people fill the pews, solemnly giving thanks for the lives that are their own. One-by-one they file outside, walking past the old cemeteries filled with small wooden crosses. The grass is long and unkempt, still brown from the winter, but on the verge of change.
The earth rotates and warms the air. Iceland is waking up from its winter slumber.
Driving by country houses, mothers hang clothes in the yard while keeping an ever-watchful eye on their children who wrestle around close by. Animals, with their thick winter coats, plod through fields grazing on the spring foliage, perfectly content to lie about in the sun.
Endless expanses of color stretch out toward the horizon: Rich green valleys, carved smooth by receding glaciers follow crystal clear meandering rivers and streams. Rugged mountains, torn apart by years of volcanic abuse, shoot up from the ancient flood plains. Clouds race across the sky as shadows roll over the earth.
Sounds of nature are soon mixed with sounds of man. Tractors yawn and roll out of the barns. They lumber over the fields, tilling the earth, cracking the surface, allowing it to breathe. The farmers who toil under the sun day in and day out share a connection with the land. They’re in touch with every living thing, waiting, patiently listening, watching for signs that tell them it is time to start the process. From creation until death, all of Iceland belongs to the earth.
The World Rushes By
Chendu, China- When life starts getting chaotic and it feels like it's spiraling out of control, I always like to take an evening walk. At night, everything seems a little more subdued. The lighting, the people, the energy. Even when I was traveling through China, I could still take some time to relax and gather my thoughts. While I was on one of my walks, I noticed a bike taxi driver waiting for his next fare. I'm not sure what he was thinking, if he was relaxing, or just bored, but I found it interesting that he could stand out so well while the rest of the city rushed around him. He was a rock in the middle of a raging river. Over the last couple years, he has become my rock. A realization that sometimes it's best to stop and take a look around you, even as the world rushes by.