A photograph is something truly remarkable. A file or rectangle of film encapsulates a moment of time that would exist only in memory had a button not been pressed. Every picture captures something, every picture begs to tell a story. Social media gives us a platform in which we can share our images, tell our stories; we can share these images and stories with anyone. Images are no longer confined to books or gallery walls; storytelling capabilities are unbounded.
We exist in a world where 95 million images or videos are uploaded to Instagram every day. Cliché hashtags, selfies, and John Muir quotes pasted on landscapes dominate our social media feeds. These posts contain people, landscapes, sunsets, and adventures, but what about their story. This begs the questions: what does it mean for a picture to tell a story? What does it even mean to tell a story? How do you capture adventure or emotion in a photograph? I ask myself these questions quite frequently.
Creating genuine, intentional content that shares the story behind the image is priceless in a world flooded by hollow photographs. The intent of a photograph should be to look beneath the person, or the sunset or landscape to find the real image which is longing to be seen. All too often, the images we see are a façade, the depth of creation or the reality of the human condition is shrouded by layers of editing or lack of perspective. Rather than using photographs to expose, we can use them to conceal; the notion that a photograph is accepted as truth has slipped away.
The purpose of High Sierra Collective is to tell honest stories. In a world where truth has become relative, humanity needs an Anchor. For High Sierra Collective, this starts with meeting and interacting with people and nature in an intentional way. Being honest and genuine, learning and experiencing stories, then capturing them. The goal isn’t a picture, the goal is truth, the goal is relationships, the goal is a genuine story.
