Jose Mostajo

We had seen photos in the past of people skating down big roads and it looked like so much fun and we knew that we would encounter some cool ones for us to do the same. Throughout the road trip we kept visualizing which roads would be the best based on how long or straight they were, if they were covered in ice or not, or the views that each had. We finally had that “here!” moment when we were driving into Jasper National Park in Canada and had that snow covered mountain in front of us. It was perfect. Until a state trooper flagged us down and told us to stop.

What was your first thought as soon as you stepped Alaska’s wilderness for the first time?

We made it! Everyone warned us about driving all the way there in the winter, so it felt like quite the victory. We took a photo of the welcome to Alaska sign. And then…wow, there’s so much… nothing haha. On either side of the highway we just had all this open land covered in snow. No people, no cars, it was a really cool sight to see and made you feel like you were nowhere near civilization. (Which we kind of weren’t).

Can you tell us the most crazy anecdote that ever happened to you being outdoors?

I think the biggest scare we had was running out of gas while being in a national park and having no cell service. We miscalculated some distances and the gas stations within the park were closed for winter. We flagged someone down to stop and ask, and they told us we still had an hour drive from the nearest gas station. In the end we drove for 20 or so minutes with the gauge on 0 miles to empty and it was terrifying. The roads were also icy so we had to deal with that on top of it.

Portraits have been an important part of your work. What do you find so fascinating about them?

I actually haven’t been doing portraits for that long. I started with landscape photos while I was living in Norway and eventually I began to shoot with people this year. My favorite part is the connection. Getting to know someone new, try to share some of their story and be able to create something together. At the end of the day you leave with new friendships.