Elizabeth Aydlette: Looking Through a Lens
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| Voss, Norway |
Risk taking is a critical part of the human experience. The uncertainty of adventure enriches our experiences, whether we meet our expected outcome or not. Knowing our future or refusing to abandon the comfort of routine distract from experiencing life to the fullest. Before studying abroad, I didn’t stray from my routine and I didn’t often explore the unknown.
After finishing my spring semester at Winchester University, I took a month to wander across Europe. During that month, I spent a week in Voss, Norway, a skiing hot-spot and an extreme sports getaway. It’s also a beautiful location perfect for photography. I planned my trip to Voss specifically to meet up with some photographer friends of mine and take a photo shoot hiking trip. This was extremely out of my comfort zone, because I don’t like the outdoors and I don’t like being cold. I also would rather die than possibly risk the life of my precious camera while hiking through the frozen wilderness. But I was lured into the adventure by the promise of finding landscapes I couldn’t capture at home in Charleston, South Carolina.
When I arrived in Voss, I met up with my friends and we spent the night charting our path up the mountain. We planned to start at my hostel on the fjord and travel up the side of a mountain, stopping to spend the night at the top before returning to the ground. Along the way, we could either travel the path beside the waterfall up, follow the road, or make our own path using a hiking trail map. It was just after breakfast when we set out to hike up the mountain. We were all loaded up with photography gear, snacks, a change of clothes, and a small amount of medical supplies. It was early April and most of the snow on the mountain was beginning to melt, but it wasn’t melting much and not very quickly.
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| Vangsvatnet Lake in Voss, Noway |
The first quarter of the hike was simple enough until we came to the end of the road. From there, we could chose the hiking path, the road, or the waterfall path. With all of the hiking party being eager to see what the snowy mountainside had to offer photography wise, we quickly agreed on the waterfall path. This may not have been the wisest decision. While parts of the waterfall were still flowing, the waterfall had frozen where it hit the mountain. When the flowing water hit the ice chunks, it sprayed along the walking path and froze there.
We’d already hiked a few miles up the trail at that point, and right in the middle of the icy walkway
was the perfect cascade of sunlight through ice crystals that lit up jagged patterns on the rocks.
Down the gap between the mountains, the water was white from agitation and rocks broke through
the rushing river like mountains through the clouds. I wanted that shot. I needed it. I tried to scout
out the best route to the spot. I tossed my backpack safely to my group and strapped my camera
around my neck. I dug my heels into the ice and inched my way across the path. I had to hook my
elbow around the metal railing that separated the walkway from the ravine to keep myself from
falling. Picking up my feet led to a shift in balance that sent me slipping back to where I started.
Stubbornly, I gritted my teeth, grabbed a hold of the rail, and heaved myself back to my feet.
Through trial and error, I figured out that letting my feet slide like skates let me keep my balance
while also moving steadily and quickly.
was the perfect cascade of sunlight through ice crystals that lit up jagged patterns on the rocks.
Down the gap between the mountains, the water was white from agitation and rocks broke through
the rushing river like mountains through the clouds. I wanted that shot. I needed it. I tried to scout
out the best route to the spot. I tossed my backpack safely to my group and strapped my camera
around my neck. I dug my heels into the ice and inched my way across the path. I had to hook my
elbow around the metal railing that separated the walkway from the ravine to keep myself from
falling. Picking up my feet led to a shift in balance that sent me slipping back to where I started.
Stubbornly, I gritted my teeth, grabbed a hold of the rail, and heaved myself back to my feet.
Through trial and error, I figured out that letting my feet slide like skates let me keep my balance
while also moving steadily and quickly.
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| Bordalsgjelet Gorge in Voss, Noway |
It took a few minutes of struggling, but I finally came to rest at the perfect location to take pictures
of the waterfall. While my hiking party stayed back, I was looking through the lens at a winter
landscape that mimicked something out of a fantasy novel. Out of all of the people in my group,
I had been the least excited to trek up the mountain, but there I was, clinging to safety with one
hand and using the other to click the shutter of my camera. Slowly, the rest of my friends slid
their way up the path and found purchase enough to stop and take pictures as well. The fear
of “what if” faded pretty quickly after that. Why should I imagine the worst possible outcome
when I was in this magical place that I’d never see this exact way ever again?
of the waterfall. While my hiking party stayed back, I was looking through the lens at a winter
landscape that mimicked something out of a fantasy novel. Out of all of the people in my group,
I had been the least excited to trek up the mountain, but there I was, clinging to safety with one
hand and using the other to click the shutter of my camera. Slowly, the rest of my friends slid
their way up the path and found purchase enough to stop and take pictures as well. The fear
of “what if” faded pretty quickly after that. Why should I imagine the worst possible outcome
when I was in this magical place that I’d never see this exact way ever again?
Looking back, I realized that this moment, on the side of a snowy mountain, looking at the most perfect example of nature being the best artist, is when I made up my mind to be a nature photographer. But more importantly, this is when I really understood the benefit of stepping outside my comfort zone. This was just the first of many adventures I had over my month of backpacking, each just as exciting as the one before. Without this first stepping stone, I don’t think I would have had the confidence or drive to explore without my friends in the coming weeks.
Now that i’m back home, I still hold that risk-taking spirit with me. I’m willing to do just about
anything to get the shot I want. I’ve gone on location shoots, photographed underwater, held fire,
and more all for the perfect picture. I have a portfolio full of pictures and clips and a resume that
I’m proud of. I wouldn't have had any of it if I hadn’t taken that first risky step on the ice in
Norway.
anything to get the shot I want. I’ve gone on location shoots, photographed underwater, held fire,
and more all for the perfect picture. I have a portfolio full of pictures and clips and a resume that
I’m proud of. I wouldn't have had any of it if I hadn’t taken that first risky step on the ice in
Norway.
Elizabeth Aydlette is a Junior Mass Communications major at Lander University. She plans to
graduate from Lander in 2020. She spent three months studying at Winchester University in
Winchester, England and spent another month backpacking across Europe. Elizabeth plans to
make a career out of travel photography and nature documentation.
graduate from Lander in 2020. She spent three months studying at Winchester University in
Winchester, England and spent another month backpacking across Europe. Elizabeth plans to
make a career out of travel photography and nature documentation.