There is a stirring new short film that inspires me – it’s shot in black and white and in the mountains. I know what you’re thinking, “No way, Rob loves black and white mountain imagery?!” Who’da thunk it?
I love color as much as the next guy/gal – colorful designs, dramatic fiery sunsets, earthly greens, browns and deep blue skies, can all effect me deeply. But there is something about a black and white photo or film that touches me even deeper. Especially when the subject matter is of mountains and adventure.
I think this tendency of mine may have to do with my propensity for things that are classic, historic, or original. I love rock music but mostly the old stuff, and I love the blues even more because it was the origin of rock (and jazz and country and a lot of other genres). I also love classical and Spanish, as it heavily influenced the early blues movements.
When it comes to photography, and my love of adventure and wilderness, I have always marveled at the early explorers. Maybe that’s where my deep connection with black and white images originates. All the old images of adventurers from many decades ago were in black and white. Some of the imagery that piqued my young sense of adventure were of John Muir in the California Sierras, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton in his Antarctica adventures, and early mountaineers dressed in wool, leather, and furs.
This amazing new film, ‘The Ridge,’ is only 3 minutes, but it’s a single continuous shot that follows a series of ridges on Denali. It was shot for an upcoming film, ‘The Sanctity of Space,’ by Camp 4 Collective, and directed by Freddie Wilkinson and Renan Ozturk.
I can’t wait to see the full film!
Take a look at ‘The Ridge’ below, and be sure to click “HD” and go full screen.
This is often what my dreams are made of…
Let me know what you think in the comments.
More information:
On Instagram: @sanctityofspace
On Vimeo: Camp4collective
Website: Camp 4 Collective
Black and white has always fascinated you, as I have several older pencil and pen & inks to prove it. The best part of this film is that it combines shadow and light in the form of majestic mountain tops. It shows that being close to the sky is a comforting place for you.
It’s great to hear from you, thanks for chiming in Val. Yes, I dig the B & W. And yes, one the things I love most about climbing and high peaks are the heights and grandeur of the views from extreme positions. I love looking straight down through pure air below me. I never thought about it being closer to the sky, that makes a lot of sense.