Please enter your email and website or LinkedIn to receive more information about our free and paid accounts.
Please enter your email address below and we’ll send you instructions on how to change your password.
Mental health now ranks second among global health concerns. And as 1 in 4 adults suffer from mental health issues at some point in their lives, mental health affects us all, directly or indirectly.
The 10th of October is “World Mental Health Day,” a time to educate and raise awareness about mental illness and its significant impact on people’s lives.
To honor this year’s “World Mental Health Day,” outdoor apparel and equipment company, Arc’teryx followed Sterzing-based Mountain Guide and Psychologist Pauli Trenkwalder on a climbing expedition to The Dolomites mountain range in Northeast Italy for an article entitled Off the Beaten Path.
Lisbon-based adventure photographer Chandler Borries was entrusted with capturing the imagery for the article. Chandler was the ideal fit for the project, having worked with Arc’teryx numerous times in the past, thanks to his distinct ability to document eye-catching stories that inspire others through the mediums of culture, nature, and adventure.
This project came together originally from a story I pitched to Arc’teryx. Since I’ve worked with them closely in the past, they know what type of work I produce. I love moody, dramatic landscapes, so the Dolomites definitely fit into my style!
Chandler was shooting images for Arc’teryx’s social media channels and blog article, while Pauli discussed the benefits of going outdoors and the fear and beauty of The Dolomites, a striking metaphor for life itself.
I had a meeting before the shoot with the marketing manager and Pauli. We went over a few things, like the specifics of the shoot and how many days it would take. For the images, the plan was to simply shoot Pauli in various dramatic landscapes through the Dolomites. We didn’t climb overly technical routes, as he wanted to show that anybody could experience the mountains.
The shoot lasted three days, and it was just Pauli and Chandler in the beguiling Dolomites mountain range, characterized by its vertical walls, sheer cliffs, breathtaking peaks, and a high density of narrow, deep, and long valleys that present an assortment of spectacular landscapes. They would hike in the early morning (around 4am) and usually be done by 11am and wait until the light improved in the afternoon.
The energy was great! Pauli is such a positive person, making the shoot fun and exciting.
Due to their distinctive pale color when the sun rises and sets, as well as the ethereal purple alpenglow at dawn and dusk, the Dolomites are also known as the “Pale Mountains.”
Chandler took full advantage of the dramatic contrast between the vertical mountains and the lush, pastoral valleys below — an apt metaphor for comparing mountain climbing and mental health.
Chandler frequently put Pauli in a comparative view of the mountains to showcase its scale, vastness, and magnitude, to dramatic effect.
Working with Pauli in the mountains was a great experience for Chandler, a man who is accustomed to adventure, having spent his entire life exploring the world. Most days, they climbed with ropes. Pauli would ascend first and then belay Chandler from above. In such a compelling and tortuous shooting environment, ensuring Pauli was poised and relaxed for pictures could have been difficult, but thanks to Chandler’s accumulated knowledge and innate people skills, he made Pauli feel at ease from the get-go.
I used to work in sales before photography, so I’m very personable with people and can make them feel comfortable.
Chandler’s greatest creative challenge was that he couldn’t plan specific shots on location. Meaning he had to work purely in the moment and off instinct. But this worked in his favor, as it helped reinforce the humanistic nature and spirit of the project.
It’s so hard to predict the best angle beforehand if you’ve never hiked or climbed the location. You have to adapt to these shoots and come up with the best compositions on the fly.
Every shoot is a new, unique experience that I will carry with me as a photographer.
Chandler has many cherished memories from the shoot, but most of all, he appreciated meeting and conversing with Pauli and learning valuable life skills from him in the process. The perfect outcome for a project centered around well-being and mental health.
There’s so much history in the Dolomites; encountering them with Pauli was a treat. He’s so connected to the world around him. When we were hiking, he would often stop dead in his tracks to show me an insect on the ground, a ricochet bullet from WWI, or a dinosaur footprint on the stone. He really showed me that I could be more observant in my life. The outdoors can show us these things, and that’s the beauty of them!
See more of Chandler’s work on his website.
Credits
Marketing: Kirby Sharp
Author: Pauli Trenkwalder
Co-Author: Martin Schwiersch