From mountaineering to skiing, highlining slacklining to white-water rafting, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based photographer D. Scott Clark has seen it all while shooting adventure activities. So when he heard outdoor apparel and equipment company Mountain Hardwear was looking for a tenacious photographer to help shoot their spring range, he jumped at the opportunity.
I worked with Mountain Hardwear once before on an active lifestyle shoot based in Salt Lake City. This time around, a current athlete of Mountain Hardwear, who I worked with previously, recommended me for the project. They liked my work and enjoyed my energy so much on set they had no hesitation in hiring me again.
As an avid adventurer and outdoor enthusiast, Scott has been working in the industry for 11 years. Immersing himself in the outdoors for so many years has helped him identify and capture more natural, genuine moments. This project was about finding playful moments through camping and exploration.
I’ve spent most of my life adventuring in the outdoors, from camping and hiking to more intense sports like rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and ice climbing. This experience gives clients like Mountain Hardwear a sense of ease, knowing that I thrive working in these outdoor spaces.
Mountain Hardwear wanted Scott to showcase its complete spring line of rain gear, down jackets, and tents through movement in the outdoors. The overall art direction of the project was left in the hands of the seasoned photographer, from finding the perfect location (City of Rock, Idaho) and talent to the approval of the images.
Mountain Hardwear’s ethos is making products for typical people who love to enjoy the outdoors in whatever way that might be. You don’t have to hike Denali or travel to Nepal to enjoy the brand. It’s for the people who just want to take a break from the stresses of life and enjoy themselves. Finding diverse talent for the project was imperative for the brand to accurately represent the people who enjoy the product. I’m grateful to have been recommended and chosen to help bring this story to life.
The City of Rocks is a unique and beautiful national reserve two hours northwest of Salt Lake City in southern Idaho, but it feels like a world away. The reserve is scattered with giant granite domes, surrounded by flat plains, which form beautiful views that you can see for miles, making it one of the best granite face-climbing destinations in the world. And Scott was happy to let the striking scenery enhance his composition and provide a robust backdrop.
The camping area is situated within the reserve, nestled between the boulders, making for a pretty special and private camping experience. It’s great to be so close to the city but still have such an intimate, remote experience.
On set, it was Scott, his assistant Genevive, and the two talents (Chey Smith and Steven Frederick). The creative director sent a large box of clothes Scott needed to get through. Spanning from shorts to down jackets and rain gear, Scott was worried about having diverse enough conditions to authentically capture the wide range of clothing. They planned on being on location for only the weekend but got rained out towards the end of the first day, which turned out to be an unlikely fortuitous event.
The day started as a beautiful bluebird day, but while we were shooting the tents, the wind whipped up, almost taking the tents with it! Once the clouds and rain rolled, I knew it was my chance to get through my diverse set of products. My assistant did an amazing job of keeping track of the outfits and making sure we were shooting all of them.
It was Scott’s first meeting with Chey and Steven, and despite the testing conditions and isolated location, they all hit it off immediately. Scott’s innate people skills and extensive experience instantly put the subjects at ease and provided a confident and comfortable shooting environment.
The energy was high as we ran around the beautiful rocky wonderland that is the City of Rocks.
They were shooting for the spring line in September, wearing down jackets while it was still very hot since the marketing calendar precedes the actual season. Scott was concerned about shooting the rain gear, as the City of Rocks is generally very sunny at that time of year. Luckily, a storm rolled through, which provided quite a bit of diversity in mood, along with high winds to give him all the seasons to contend with in one weekend.
Scott had to use all his knowledge and aptitude for working in the everchanging outdoors to create the final imagery using his natural intuition. Furthermore, the variable weather gave the final photos a unique sense of dramatic genuineness that reflects the usability and suitability of Mountain Hardwear’s apparel in the elements.
The weather changing rapidly caused its own challenges, relegating us to take cover in our cars during a deluge after the wind turned the tents into giant sails, and tried to send the tent with Chey attached to it back to Salt Lake City, but this gave us some interesting moments that we would not have gotten otherwise.
See more of Scott’s work on his website.
Credits
Assistant & On-the-Ground Producer: Genevive Walker
Talent: Chey Smith, Steven Frederick