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Andrew Nevins
@andy_nevs
Best of the week 15 at #nomadict 2021
Born and raised in the suburbs outside of Toronto, a far cry from the natural surroundings that I dreamt of. I was always fascinated by nature, how things work, how they came to be, and how it seemed like no matter how long you look, there is always more to explore and more to be found.
It took leaving my hometown and settling in the small mountain town of Banff to really stoke my passion for the outdoors. What began as a temporary move, working at the Iconic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for the summer, progressed into me calling this beautiful town my home.
"I am so fortunate to have so much opportunity right on my doorstep."
I have hiked, scrambled and climbed so many mountains that I’ve lost count, snowshoed 20km in the dead of winter hunting down glaciers and elusive ice caves, endured -25c temperatures just to watch a sunrise with friends, ice-skated on perfectly flash-frozen glacier lakes, observed the milky way galaxy in its true form inside of a dark sky reserve, and underwent a handful of multi-day backcountry treks… And this is just the beginning.
I have met and been inspired by so many incredible people – eventually moved to New Zealand for a winter season, traveled Australia in a Campervan, explored Bali and its islands, and solo-traveled the entirety of Vietnam – from Ho Chi Minh To Hanoi, only to find myself drawn back to Banff – with a new appreciation for this town and its incredible surroundings!
"Truth be told, I discovered my passion for photography when I was already 24 years old."
Immediately after buying my first camera – it became an obsession. Endless hours of reading, researching, watching as many tutorials as I could find, and an incredible amount of trial and error.
I think my passion for photography can be attributed to how a person’s photos reflect their personal experience and creative vision/insight in that particular moment that the shot was taken. Post-processing and editing add even more room for creative differentiation.
"Photography is also about giving people a glimpse of unique and beautiful locations they otherwise might never see."
I think making people aware of the beauty of nature can inspire them to travel and seek out nature. It also gives them something to connect with, to care about the world we live in, and do what they can to preserve it. It’s not often that I will take photos at ‘viewpoints’ – instead opting to hike, climb, or trek long distances in search of new compositions and previously unseen perspectives.
"In the caption of the winning shot, I wrote: "Risk vs Reward" - because I like to consider and understand all of the tough choices that led to the positive result."
Are you willing to take the ‘risks’ – wake up at 4 am, hike a mountain in the pitch dark, battle the intense cold, take the odds on unpredictable weather – all for the chance of a sunset? Of course, there are mornings where you take every chance and receive little to no reward. So in the process of finalizing the image, I was reflecting on the risk of uncertainty versus the reward that we were fortunate enough to experience.
In Banff, where I took the photo, winter hiking is possible for those who are well prepared and are willing to accept the risks involved. There are summits that are safer than others; ones with lesser avalanche risks, better-defined trail markings, and easier to descend from in case of emergencies. After being unable to hike for weeks due to the extreme cold, we had a few days with reasonable weather that happened to line up with a very reassuring sunrise forecast. Accompanied by a few close friends, we decided to summit the East End of Rundle for sunrise.
The morning of, we arrived at the trailhead in absolute darkness and very high winds. Not long after setting off – the trail being illuminated by nothing more than our own headlamps – it started to snow, which quickly progressed into a snow squall that limited the visibility to 50 feet or less.
We spoke as a group and weighed the options; turn around and accept that today wasn’t our day – or carry on towards the summit and risk the storm getting worse. We decided to carry on so long as it was safe to continue.
Around 30 minutes later, the storm eased and the clouds began to break. I can still remember the feeling of hope growing, the number of positive signs increasing and how our previous disappointment turned into this excited energy. With 30 minutes until sunrise, it was now a race against the clock to make it to the summit and watch things unfold.
We made it to the peak with 1 or 2 minutes to spare, frozen hands fumbling to attach my lens to my camera and running up the ridge to find higher ground.
We managed to go from the exhaustion and chaos of ascending the final ridge of the frozen mountainside, howling winds biting at my face, the cold air burning your lungs – to the peak, where I wedged my body into a small rock bivy to shelter myself from the wind, now only my heavy breathing, gradually slowing as I regained my composure and focused on how I wanted to capture what was to come.
The clouds broke open, giving way to this brilliant orange light that streamed across the sky. Dense weather systems that day produced so many different kinds of clouds. Off in the distance – a cloud inversion had formed in the valley, however, right above us were the most voluminous clouds, catching the light rays in different intensities – giving us oranges, yellows, purples, and pinks, while being so heavy that the backside of the clouds held their deep blue tones.
All of us kept repeating the same phrases over and over – ‘I can’t believe this’ – ‘i’ve never seen anything like this’ – ‘This feels like a dream’
This one moment stretched itself out into 1000. Throughout the excitement, we were able to ignore the blistering cold and relentless winds. Once the sun had risen – and color dissipated – the adrenaline began to wear off and the cold promptly sank in, forcing us to descend. The entire way down, replaying the memory of what I had just witnessed, still in utter disbelief.
We were shown, again, that perseverance will eventually reward you. My friends and I are no strangers to anticlimactic days of exploration – cut short for safety or when conditions don’t cooperate.
"Don’t wait for clear skies and sunny days, some of the best photos I have captured are the result of persevering, even on the ‘bad days’."
The best things come to those who put in the work. There is no better feeling than putting in an honest, dedicated effort and being rewarded for it.
Being my first time hiking up this peak, I had no opportunity to plan ahead with regard to composition. But I had a few elements that I knew were key to the shot I was hoping for.
1) Scale – Show how massive the scene truly is, how grand it was in comparison to us.
2) Depth – The mountain being shot in the background is over 2.5 kilometers away, and yet it appears to tower over us, with the valley extending far back into the shot
3) Motion – Capture the snowdrift being brushed over the edge of the peaks
4) Grandeur – Panoramic mountain views and illustrious colors of the clouds and mountain faces.
I have spent the last two years narrowing my creative focus, both in the subjects that I choose to shoot, as well as my post-production editing workflow. In the meantime, I have really leaned into a faded, reduced contrast, de-saturated style. I have always been drawn towards soft images. Preferring muted, slightly desaturated colors – especially the steel/navy blues, rich greens, & pale oranges. I have a tendency to flatten tones, rolling off my whites and adding a subtle fade to the blacks, creating a smoother gradient from light to dark.
By carefully managing the strength and vibrance of each color, the story of the photo becomes more about the light, detail, and subjects within it.
I started editing as how many photographers do in the very beginning – oversaturating, oversharpening, overdoing it to the point of ruining the photo. I can’t express enough how important trial-and-error is – I can’t put a number on how many photos I have edited, only to hit reset and start fresh. This is where my style emerged, using all of the tools at my disposal, understanding how they affect the image and how they can help me achieve my final result.
I am compelled to create images that accurately convey the feeling of that moment. It’s such a common phrase to hear that ‘the photo doesn’t do justice’… Well, why not?
When editing this photo, my goal was to capture the feelings, awe, and amazement that we felt, standing on a peak, thousands of feet up in the skyline. To capture the brilliance of the colors in the clouds, but also the stark, cold, stone face of the mountains. I wanted to highlight how bright the sun truly was, illuminating an otherwise dark valley. How, as the sun began to rise, you could feel its gentle warmth despite the harsh winter temperatures.
There really is no feeling quite like seeing something for the first time. I vividly remember seeing a handful of iconic locations for the first time, and being completely present and in the moment, any stress or burden simply melts away. I believe that traveling changes you as a person, you have to be vulnerable and uncertain, and rise above those challenges. Meeting people from other countries and cultures has also opened my eyes to the fact that we are all so much more alike than different.
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