San Francisco-based social documentary photographer Ian Tuttle loves unique editorial assignments that enable him to try his hand at something new. When the opportunity presented itself to photograph Tripp Brower aboard the SV J. Henry to document his two-year voyage from the Atlantic Seaboard to French Polynesia, Ian was compelled to take part. The intent behind the shoot was to celebrate Tripp’s epic journey onboard the 40-foot sailboat and share the story of his expedition in the College of Charleston Alumni magazine.
As much as I love to create complex lighting scenarios on commercial shoots, there’s something really liberating and pure about shooting in the elements – where all you have are sunlight, reflections, and shifting clouds.
In November 2019, Tripp and his roommate Zach Bjur, both alumni of the College of Charleston, set sail around the world. A philosophical discussion about understanding life better, turned into a two-year expedition they called Apparent Winds. The expedition became an awareness initiative centered around the impact of climate change. Tripp and his crew met people in seaside communities around the world to discuss how they were working to restore and preserve the environment.
We got into a discussion about perspective, about really understanding life. Through the course of that, we realized that – to better understand something, to understand this world – it would help to actually go around it.
– Tripp Brower
Jennifer Hitchcock, Art Director for the College of Charleston Alumni magazine, found Ian through Wonderful Machine and noted the work he’d done for Outside Magazine as the style choice for the shoot.
The main shot I am looking for is an opener – a beautiful wide image that depicts discovery, adventure, and dramatic light.
-Jennifer Hitchcock
The trickiest part of the project was finding a location to shoot. Tripp was out at sea for long periods of time without internet and cell service, so his communication with Ian was sporadic. Ian agreed to meet Tripp and a writer during an eight-day period when the SV J. Henry would be docked at a yacht club in Tiburon, California.
To fulfill the shortlist of “must-have” images that included Tripp sailing, Ian planned to have someone sail him alongside the SV J. Henry to photograph Tripp in action. The challenge was then securing a second boat.
I reached out to half a dozen friends who have boats or have access to boats and no one was available that week! I looked into renting a boat but that wasn’t in the budget.
Ian’s backup plan was to position himself onshore and capture photos of Tripp as he sailed past. Going against this less than dynamic idea, Ian met Tripp for their initial shoot as soon as he arrived in San Francisco. It was a beautiful sunny day and Ian spent about two hours photographing Tripp sailing on the boat.
After exhausting every possibility to get a second boat, a stranger came to the rescue the day before Tripp was scheduled to go back out to sea. At the dock of the yacht club, Ian met a gentleman named Daniel who was busy tying up a little skiff. Ian explained the situation he was in to Daniel and asked if he could sail him out to get the images of Tripp from the water.
Daniel said absolutely, in exchange for drinks at the bar afterward.
Unlike the initial shoot, the day Ian went out with Daniel on his tiny skiff it was windy, mostly cloudy and the water was choppy. They were getting pummeled – waves were crashing into the boat, mixing with sawdust, oil and all sorts of gunk from the bottom of the boat. As Ian focused on not falling out of the boat or dropping his camera in the swill, Daniel was making small talk. Daniel builds docks for a living, and wasn’t phased by the turbulent water. Keeping his eye on the prize, Ian successfully got his at-sail shot.
Thankfully I had a hard case which seals up completely, it’s an SKB that’s pretty bombproof, and so any gear I wasn’t actually shooting with was sealed up.
Ian enjoyed working with Tripp on this rare assignment. Besides having fun, he was able to get to know Tripp and his girlfriend Kiera. While cruising around the bay, they talked about their adventures at sea and connected over a love of literature, which led to exchanging books at the end of the shoot.
Tripp and Kiera were super welcoming and friendly. A big part of their voyage is about education, and they were very professional in the sense that they knew this publicity was part of the job.
Reflecting back on the shoot, Ian wished he’d spent more time on the skiff with Daniel. As the sun began to set, there were changes in the lighting that were magical and Ian thought there was room to play in hopes of getting a slightly better shot.
The reality was that Daniel was doing me a huge favor by piloting me out there on his own time and I didn’t want to abuse his hospitality.
Documenting Tripp’s excursion on the SV J. Henry for the College of Charleston combined two things Ian loves – meeting new people and going behind the scenes to capture compelling images.
I’ve always loved a good adventure and I think my enthusiasm for their journey absolutely came through and made them enthusiastic to share their world aboard the J. Henry.
See more of Ian’s images on Instagram
Credits
Client: The College Today
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