Photographer Neil Krauss is a bit of an adventurer. After seeing some British Columbian canyons featured in an outdoor adventure film, he knew that was his next project. He got together a team of trusted friends and canyoneers and planned a trip that would have them exploring the great North and providing him with some awesome photos ops.
I’ve been canyoneering for a number of years now, and I’ve been trying to come up with new and creative ways to haul a camera into some dark, wet places without sacrificing on personal safety.
Because this was a personal project for Neil, he had to be careful of what gear he was bringing, being cognizant of the fact that it would be all his responsibility as he swam, climbed, and rappelled through the canyons. He says that in all his adventures, his aim is to be an active participant. He closely tracks the weather and compiles a list of shots he’d like to get, but in the end he lets the adventure dictate his photography, rather than the other way around.
Most of my adventure images are candid moments from real trips, and this was the same. My feeling is that great people and a good location make for impressive images.
The big obstacle of this trip was a physical obstacle, coming in the form of water in the canyons. The water was so much that it blocked the team from safely entering the canyons. As Neil notes, an adventure is only as good as the story you live to tell, so they opted for staying alive and switching their destination to Britannia Creek rather than the Monmouth and Box Canyons that they had planned to enter. The change of destination still made for a fantastic trip; Neil says that coming from more desert landscapes, he and his gang were amazed at the amount of green around them.
Some of the adventurers’ sponsors have picked up Neil’s images to use in promotion and social media, and Neil is hoping to share the photos and story on an even larger scale in the future. He and his crew are also already planning a return trip, when the canyons are a little less filled with water. “We have some unfinished business with those first two canyons,” says Neil, so we’ll check back in later to see part two of the journey!