I turn 27 today. This is a number I’ve put far more thought into than I probably should, for more reasons than I can even begin to describe, but alas, here we are. To be honest, there’s a part of me that believes life truly begins today…
I’m excited to announce that today is also the day that I am introducing an incredibly special project to the world - my latest short film, To See the Sky. As many of you know, I embarked on a journey of a lifetime to Patagonia this winter, working on a project about a dear friend and a very special human being, Lorenzo Sympson, and his love, wonder and admiration for the Andean condor - the world’s largest flying bird.
Filmmaking is a funny thing, and to be honest, I’m not a filmmaker, not yet. As I said to Ed Kashi years ago, as a college kid in a college classroom listening to him compliment my photo portfolio in front of classmates, “I’m not a photographer, but I take photographs.” At that point, I had been photographing birds for five years or so, and my portfolio was quite nice to look at, but for me, until I dove head first into this craft and made it the epicenter of my life, I wasn’t a photographer. And I still haven’t. The same can be said for film. I’ve learned some stuff about cameras and techniques, a bit about people, quite a bit more about birds and animals and conservation, but as for the art of filmmaking itself, I’m still very green. Like anything, it’s a process, and a process that I’m embracing each and every step of, no matter how minuscule. There will be good days and bad days, and some right in between, but as long as you’re telling a story you’ve done something.
This film will forever hold a place in my heart. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of and beyond thankful for each and every one of the people who played a part in bringing to life. And even after the 600th time watching the same frames again and again, they still carry the same fuzzy feelings as they did initially. If nothing else, this film is a collection of some of the greatest moments of my entire life, and for that I owe the world. For Lorenzo, it’s a seldom told story seeing the light of day, and most importantly a reflection of a life’s worth of work dedicated to the natural world. And I know, he’s proud of it too.
With that I’ll say, stay tuned! I cannot wait to share a trailer with you all this summer, as well as more info on when / where to view the full film when it finds a home online. With any luck, it’ll be showing at a film festival or two near you this fall.
I want to take a moment to thank my good friend Everett at Method Design Co. for the beautiful custom title design and logo work. This was a process that we worked hard to pull together, I couldn’t be more happy with the final result. Appreciate you, Ev!
And to my friends both at home and in Argentina, thank you. You know who you are. None of this would be possible without you all.
Saludos.