Portraits of Adventure

Revealing Human Connections Behind Outdoor Experiences.

Adventure is found beyond the distant worlds in the folds of National Geographic. My early perspective was anchored in the belief that real adventure was reserved for those who could afford to travel and experience rich, dramatic landscapes. People who wore Patagonia, explored undiscovered places, and lived in a constant state of life or death seemed to hold the monopoly on what adventure meant. For years, I imagined those faraway extremes, but what expanded my understanding of adventure was not distance. It was people.

Shared experiences, personal challenges, unexpected conversations, and a growing appreciation for the familiar wild have all reshaped how I see the outdoors. With each person, I discover and rediscover the unique, personal relationship we have to the environment around us. Each encounter reinforces the importance of maintaining a strong connection to our natural world. That relationship has nothing to do with a brand or societal expectations - it grows out of our individual and collective journeys as we move through the landscape.

A woman wearing a white bicycle helmet and riding gear, holding a bike handlebar, standing outdoors with trees in the background.

Portraits of Adventure is a portrait of belonging. It invites people to see the outdoors not simply as scenery but as shared ground that connects us beyond status or difference. Adventure is for everyone, and the project seeks to highlight individual experiences that collectively bring us together. In these moments, nature places us side by side, revealing our common search for meaning. What began as portraits has become a larger conversation between people and place. It is a living record of curiosity, resilience, and the importance of protecting our environment.

An older man in hiking gear sitting on a wooden structure in a forest with fallen leaves, holding trekking poles, wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt, camouflage gaiters, and a red backpack.

At the same time, the project does not compare or rank what counts as adventure. It is not about placing someone on a pedestal or suggesting that one approach is more legitimate than another. Instead, it seeks to uncover our connection to place. How does someone raised among cornfields discover awe. What grounds a person who was born in the mountains in contrast to someone born by the sea. How does someone learn to appreciate what they have before seeking the exotic spaces that feel distant or unattainable? Are we shaped by our surroundings, or do we shape them through what we choose to see?

A woman wearing a teal headscarf, black top, and a watch, standing on a beach with sand and ocean in the background, overcast sky.

Portraits of Adventure documents these stories. The project expands how we define the outdoors and challenges the perception of places like flyover states. While it reaches beyond the American Midwest, the same message carries through. All spaces, regardless of elevation or landscape, offer value and meaning. Whether a flat city park where you climbed your first tree, a muddy trail in late fall, or a river bend you have visited for decades, these places shape us. They reveal how people explore new things, find reflection, belong, and experience joy in landscapes that society might dismiss as unremarkable or unproductive.

What matters is not the scale of the place. A person who finds purpose on a five-acre loop is not less of an adventurer than someone trekking across the Andes. In many ways, those who find depth and beauty in modest, accessible spaces show us something profound. They remind us that after the moment passes, nothing needed to be purchased. Adventure is a way of noticing. It is a willingness to see meaning where others might walk past. It is an opportunity to slow down and notice life in motion. In the end, the landscape supports the story, where the story is human.

A woman and a shirtless man stand on a forest trail surrounded by trees, with the man holding a camera and the woman leaning against a tree.

As the project continues to grow, partnerships help bring these stories to new communities and give voice to perspectives often left unseen. Each collaboration strengthens the wider culture of exploration and ensures these stories continue to unfold.