As a professional photographer and filmmaker, relies on his versatile collection of gear to meet the demands of his work. In the past, he often turned to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to find used cameras and lenses. But numerous last-minute meetup cancellations and alarming stories of friends getting scammed pushed him to seek out a more reliable option.

Thatā€™s when he decided to give a try.

He began trading some gear that was collecting dust in his closet and found the process easy and smooth: no need to coordinate in-person swaps with strangers from the internet. Plus, the option to trade took some pressure off his wallet. Creatives can save up to 40 percent on retail prices, which is a big boost whether youā€™re on a budget or want to allocate the savings toward other business expenses like travel, accessories, or more camera gear.

ā€œOne of the biggest hurdles for me in photography has always been how expensive gear can get,ā€ Shainblum explained. ā€œIā€™d often delay buying lenses because of the steep price tags. But trading and buying used gear changed everythingā€”it opened the door to experimenting with new lenses and exploring different styles of photography.ā€

Shainblum also got the buying confidence he wanted from MPB. As the leading reseller of used digital cameras and lenses* in the United States, MPBā€™s online platform is a trusted resource for photographers and videographers to buy, sell, and trade equipment. Every item on the platform has a free six-month warranty and is 100 percent MPB Approved, meaning product specialists thoroughly inspect and photograph each piece and document any imperfections before itā€™s listed. Creatives can explore a , read in-depth reviews of popular models, access valuable how-to guides, and directly on the site, starting with a free quote.

A hallmark of MPB is its commitment to making visual storytelling accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level or budget. By offering trust and consistency in what has traditionally been a fragmented market, MPB is fostering a circular resale economy within creative communities. This approach not only supports sustainability but also strengthens the sense of connection and community.

Tammy Oler, vice president of marketing at MPB, describes a circular economy as one that works to minimize waste and pollution by circulating products and materials for reuse. Oler explains that MPB puts this model to work by buying, selling, and trading used gear. In addition, MPB was the first camera reseller to transparently , while also publishing its goals and progress.

ā€œOur sustainability efforts are linked directly to our purpose: to open up the world of visual storytelling in a way thatā€™s good for people and the planet,ā€ Oler said. ā€œWe make it easy and worthwhile to give unwanted gear a new life, which puts affordable used gear into the hands of more creatives.ā€

is the largest global platform to buy, sell, and trade used photo and video equipment. MPB provides a simple, safe, and circular wayā€”for amateurs to pros, with any budgetā€”to trade, upgrade, and get paid for gear.

*MPB is currently not buying or selling film or analog cameras, with occasional exceptions.

The post The Best Platform for Buying, Selling, and Trading Used Camera Gear appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Itā€™s a great year for planet-watching. In addition to this weekā€™s stellar views of Mars, stargazers can admire multiple ā€œplanet paradesā€ā€”the simultaneous appearance of several planets in the night skyā€”in 2025. Arguably the best parade of the year commences on January 18, with Venus and Saturn appearing within 2.2 degrees, or roughly two pinky-widths, of each other. The parade will continue into mid-February, with two additional planet gatherings to follow later in 2025.

Planet parades ā€œarenā€™t super rare,ā€ according to , ā€œbut they donā€™t happen every yearā€ either.

Hereā€™s how to make the most of 2025ā€™s celestial shows.

How to View a Planet Parade

First, letā€™s talk planet-watching basics. You can generally see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury with the naked eye. Uranus is sometimes naked-eye visible, but only under the darkest skies. Neptune is too small and dim for us to see unaided. A telescope can significantly enhance your view; if you donā€™t have one, check out the public stargazing nights at your .

I use the stargazing app ($12.99 for the “plus” version) to navigate the night sky. And another astro hack: You can tell the difference between a planet and a star because the former glows steadily while the latter flickers. Some planets, like Mars, even have a noticeably pale-orange tinge.

The great thing about viewing planets is you donā€™t have to travel far. Unlike fainter interstellar sights such as the northern lights, the brightest planets are visible even in light-polluted cities. That means you could catch this yearā€™s planet parades by stargazing from your own backyard.

Here are dates of the yearā€™s major planet parades, with tips on where and when to look, plus recommendations for a handful of national parks with surreal cosmic views.

The Best Times to See the Planet ParadeĢż

Technically, this monthā€™s planet parade is already on show. Six planetsā€”Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, and Marsā€”have been visible up in the sky throughout January. The parade will continue into mid-February. That said, peak observing begins this weekend, as Venus and Saturn will appear exceptionally close in the southwest sky soon after sunset on January 18, according to .

On January 21, Jupiter and Venus will become even more radiant as they climb high in the evening sky with the moon staying below the horizon until after midnight. The lack of lunar light will make it easier to spot the planets and see more stars.

Another highlight of the yearā€™s first planet parade: after sunset on February 1, Venus and the crescent moon will appear close together in the southwest sky for several hours before plummeting beneath the western horizon.

This monthā€™s spectacle will be visible each night, weather permitting, from mid-January to mid-February between sunset and 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. You can use a stargazing app to determine exact timing for your location.

More 2025 Planet Parades to Watch for

Late February

Januaryā€™s interstellar gathering will be the easiest to watchā€”and therefore the one not to miss this yearā€”but a late-February parade, which will be best viewed around February 28, introduces a new twist. Mercury will join the party, creating a rare gathering of all seven of our neighboring planets in the sky at once.

But the late-February viewing will be much trickier than this week. At the end of February, all planets technically will be up at the same time at dusk, but Saturn will set soon after the sun does. It will also largely get washed out by the sunā€™s glow, which illuminates the western horizon for up to 90 minutes after sunset. Given its close distance to the sun, Neptune, which will hang near Saturn, will also be close to impossible to spot, even through a telescope.

To see this late-February planet parade, watch the western horizon right after sunset on February 28. Thatā€™s when Mercury is most visible, with the luminous planet Venus above it. Jupiter, Mars, and Uranus will be high in the south-southeast sky that night, too.

Mid-August

After February, weā€™ll have a lull in major planet gatherings until mid-August, when Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, and Mercury will simultaneously parade in the pre-dawn sky. Mercury will reach its farthest distance from the sunā€”the period when itā€™s most visibleā€”from August 19 to 20. Look for it in the pre-dawn sky on August 20.

Mercury will rise over the east horizon, with Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent moon nearly aligned over it. Saturn and Neptune will also be close together, above the western horizon, with Uranus overhead.

Best Places to View the 2025 Planet Parades

Video of skywatching in Loreto, Mexico, on January 12 by Stephanie Vermillion. This timelapse has views of Venus, which is very bright and distinguishable, and Saturn just above it and harder to distinguish from stars. The video was taken the day before the full moon, so its bright glow is washing out most stars.Ģż

The planets will be spread across the sky for most of 2025ā€™s planet parades, meaning they will not be in a straight line, but appear from east to west. For best viewing, seek a wide-open vista with minimal obstructions to the horizon; a hilltop or large field would work well. Again, since the brightest planets can be seen even in cities, you donā€™t have to travel to see them.

If you want to take your observation to the next level, however, these five national parks offer stargazing events and wide-open viewing areas for enjoying the show. See more locations and tips on what to bring here.

SOUTH: Everglades National Park

Spot the planets from the highest viewing deck in Floridaā€™s Everglades National Park. The parkā€™s 70-foot Shark Valley Observation Tower overlooks up to 20 miles of the Everglades, with open 360-degree vistas. The tower stays open 24 hours a day.

The safest way to visit this gator-country attraction at night is via the parkā€™s free ranger-led , which runs January 13, 19, 21, and February 4, 5, 18, 19, 26, and 27.

SOUTHWEST: Canyonlands National Park

Grand View Point in Canyonlands National Park made our list of best scenic viewpoints for a reason. This perch looks out upon a sweeping panorama of water-carved sandstone, and, as a Dark Sky-certified park, Canyonlands remains open 24 hours a day. The lookout lies at the southern end of Island in the Sky drive, just off the road on a paved path, with a second perch a one-mile trail away. Be careful in the winter; it can get icy. from $30 per private vehicle

WEST: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is one of the best places in the country for stargazing and planet-watching, with lookouts open 24 hours like the panoramic promising sparkly nightscapes above. Add to your astronomical awe by attending one of several night-sky events: a free on January 18 or 25, a with telescopes on January 24, or the parkā€™s from February 21 to 23. from $15

EAST: New River Gorge National Park

In the eastern U.S., try the New River Gorge, which is also open around the clock. The recommends a handful of stargazing spots, including the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, or take the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk, among other options. The main overlook at the Grandview Visitor Center is especially promising in winter, with minimal overhead foliage and expansive vistas. The park is free to enter.

MIDWEST: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

in North Dakota has all the conditions for picturesque planet-gazing: wide-open views, awestriking scenery, and minimal light pollution. The park, again open throughout the night, includes several starry-sky viewpoints. Try Riverbend Overlook to watch the constellations and planets float above the Missouri River, or hit up Painted Canyon Visitor Center to marvel at the shimmery nightscapes above the badlands. While youā€™re here, keep an eye to the northā€”when conditions align, this is a great national park to spot the northern lights.

Stephanie Vermillion is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų’s astrotourism columnist. Recent articles for ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų include this account of her three top nighttime adventures, an excerpt from her new book, 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The Worldā€™s Ultimate ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶųs After Dark; the scoop on where to find the darkest skies in North America for aurora hunting and stargazing; and nine places to see the most dazzling northern lights in decades. She is based in Cleveland.

Ģż

The post The Yearā€™s Best Planet Parade Will Be Visible Starting January 18 appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

While visiting the lodge at Idahoā€™s Sun Valley Resort a few years ago, Colombian-American photographer noticed something disconcerting about the pictures lining the walls. In the images, which date back to the ski hillā€™s opening in 1936, nearly everyone was white. ā€œThatā€™s when I got the ideaā€”how cool would it be to re-create these, except centering people of color?ā€ Jaramillo says.

With the support of the resort and a grant from the nonprofit , Jaramillo began work on a project called , tapping a team of other creatives to source clothing and props to reshoot 13 of the original photographs. Models included friends who are snow-sports athletes, Colour the Trails founder , and Indigenous activist Quannah ChasingHorse. ā€œWe wanted people who are living the mission of this project,ā€ Jaramillo says. She hopes that A New Winter, which goes on display at the Sun Valley Museum of Art in January, inspires a broader conversation about diversifying the slopes. ā€œI believe that art directly influences culture,ā€ she says. ā€œIā€™m doing this for all the young Black and brown girls and boys out there who donā€™t see themselves when they walk into a ski resort.ā€

The post Reimagining the History of Skiing, One Photo at a Time appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Weā€™re minimalist travelers here at ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶųā€”we don’t want any extra weight slowing us down as we explore the world. What we do like are practical gifts that make traveling easier, more convenient, and more fun. So our travel editors are revealing the items on their wish list this seasonā€”and the gifts they’ll be giving to their favorite travelers.

I’m definitely adding that water bottle and the Hipcamp gift card to my wish list. ā€”Alison Osius

1. Best Gadget

AirFly Pro ($55)

At first, I was skeptical of this tiny gadget. As a lightweight packer, I refuse to schlep more chargers or adapters than absolutely necessary to survive a long-haul flight. Yet this year, my husband, tech-savvy guy that he is, insisted we try the AirFly Pro Wireless Audio Transmitter/ Receiver on our trans-Atlantic trip to England. Usually, I just use the freebie headphones flight attendants hand out. But our vacation happened to fall during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, which we watch obsessively, and I instantly became a convert to this gizmo: a pocket-sized, 15-gram transmitter that plugs into your seat-back audio jack and Bluetooths to any wireless headphones on the market.

We watched game after game on the planeā€™s live TV app, and time flew by. Since we had no cords to mess with, bathroom breaks were easy, and we streamed from two screens in tandem, each able to listen with both buds. The AirFly Pro has a nice 25-hour battery life as well, and now we never fly without it. This is the perfect stocking stuffer for any frequent flyer. ā€”Patty Hodapp, senior contributing travel editor

2. Best Fanny Pack

Yeti Sidekick Dry 1L Gear Case ($40; strap is an additional $10)

Fanny packs, in theory, should make hands-free travel easier, right? Not always. My entire life Iā€™ve searched for the perfect pouch, only to be disappointed in the wild by their size, or lack of pockets, or uncomfy straps, or performance in poor weather. Enter the Yeti Sidekick Dry 1L Gear Caseā€”officially everything I need and more, available to use alone or with a strap.

The waterproof technology of the exterior has kept my stuff dry on brutally rainy trips in Iceland and Ireland, and is made from similar material to that of whitewater rafts, so it can take a beating. The case also floats if I accidentally drop it in water (been there, done that on a recent fly-fishing trip). And its internal mesh pockets ensure my passport, wallet, keys, phone, lip balm, and other gear stay organized.

Iā€™m partial to the one-liter option because itā€™s the ideal size for me. But if youā€™ve got a camera or bulky layers to protect, you may want the three or six liter. Donā€™t forget the Sideclick Strap (sold separately), which attaches to the bag so it doubles as a belt or sling. Now, you can carry your gear in comfort, worry free.ā€”P.H.

3. Best Personal Item

Longchamp Le Pliage Original M Travel Bag ($205)

I always try to carry on when Iā€™m flying. This means that my personal item has to be incredibly efficient at holding a lot but must still fit under the seat. I have spent hours searching for the perfect backpack, but nothing has ever held as much as my nylon Longchamp tote bag does, or held up to wear and tear the same way. I jam this thing with shoes, my laptop, chargers, food, my dopp kit, you name it. The wide-top shape of the bag allows it to hold more than any other while I can still cram it under the seat. It easily attaches to my Away Carry On Suitcase, too.

The Longchamp has been on a lot of plane trips with me over the last 15 years and still looks great. It folds down to nothing when you arenā€™t using it and also makes a great beach, gym, or day bag once you get where youā€™re going. Be sure to order the shoulder strap with it, or you can to get the extract size, color, and straps you want, which is what I did. ā€”Mary Turner, Senior Brand Director

4. Best Extra Layer

Patagoniaā€™s Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket ($179)

I have had a version of this Patagonia rain jacket for years, and I take it on every trip. The jacket is super lightweight and packs down to nothing. Itā€™s great for rain protection or when you need an extra layer for warmth in cold or wind. I bought mine a size up so that I could easily layer underneath it. The Torrentshell comes in menā€™s and womenā€™s versions. It lasts almost forever, too.ā€Äā.°Õ.

5. Best Gift for Long-Haul Travelers

Resort Pass (from $25)

ResortPass, which allows you to pay a fee to use hotels for the day, is the perfect gift for travelers. Maybe thereā€™s a hotel that you canā€™t afford, but youā€™d really love to spend a day there, or you have a long wait for your red-eye flight home from Hawaii after checking out of your Airbnb. This is where ResortPass becomes wonderfully handy. You can chill by a hotel pool instead of hanging out at the airport.

I searched for day passes in my hometown of Santa Fe and found some great deals, starting at $25, at beautiful properties. ResortPass partners with more than 1,700 hotels around the world and that list is constantly growing. Itā€™s easy to purchase . How much I would have loved this in my backpacking days, when sometimes I just needed a little TLC and a hot shower . ā€”M.T.

6. Best Day Spa for Travelers

Olympic Spa (gift cards from $100)

If you’re ever in Los Angelesā€”for a few days, overnight, or during a long layoverā€”there’s an amazing women-only spa in Koreatown, and Iā€™ve been telling everyone about it, because it is that good. doesn’t look like much from the outside, and the website isn’t going to convince you. But let me testify: this is a spotless oasis that will leave you blissed out after a couple of hours. There are three pools (saltwater, mineral water, and cold plunge), three saunas (herbal steam, red clay, and ice, the last of which was novel but not that cold), an oxygen-therapy room with a charcoal ceiling, andā€”my favoriteā€”a salt halotherapy room where the warmth thoroughly seeped into my bones.

All that would be enough, but a friend recommended the Goddess treatment ($220), and that put me over the edge: a masseuse scrubbed nearly every inch of my body, from my ears to between my toes; plied my muscles down to overcooked-noodle consistency; and moisturized me to a seal-like slickness. After I spent 105 minutes on the table, the masseuse had to guide my limbs into the bathrobe and slippers. I am returning the next chance I get. Somebody get me a . ā€”Tasha Zemke, managing editor, ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų

7. Best Phone-Camera Accessory

Joby GorillaPod Mobile Mini Tripod ($17)

I work with ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Onlineā€™s astrotourism writer Stephanie Vermillion, and this past fall she recommended a tiny tripod that pairs well with smartphones. She uses her mini-tripod when shooting the northern lights and other dark-sky scenes that require long shutter-speed times with no vibrations. But honestly, Iā€™m just tired of long-arming photos of myself and friends in beautiful places. I can tuck this accessory into my daypackā€”itā€™s about the size of a large iPhone, and weighs the same as two Hershey chocolate barsā€”and then set it up, adjust its flexible legs, pop my phone into its rubber jaws, set the timer, and take a snap thatā€™s not a blatant selfie. Just what I’m looking for. ā€”T.Z.

8. Best Gift for Nervous Flyers

Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 ($349)

Listening to music while flying helps lessen the anxiety I often feel, especially during takeoff, landing, and periods of turbulence. I was gifted these excellent noise-canceling headphones a few years ago, and they were comfortable over my ears and even looked cool, but, sad to say, I left them in the seat-back pocket on a leg to Paris. I’m going to have to replace them, but I have a plan to avoid paying full price: by going to Boseā€™s amazing , which sells returned products at a significant discount. The brandā€™s tech team fixes the defects, and you’d never know the items weren’t brand-new. You also still get a year warranty. The only catch is that the item you’re seeking may not be available immediately. I just checked the shop for headphones, and they’re sold out, but upon the click of a button, Iā€™ll be notified when the next pair comes upā€”and you can believe Iā€™ll wait.Ģżā€”T.Z.

9. Must-Have for Star Parties

BioLite HeadLamp 425 ($60)

I always travel with a headlamp, and not just for camping and being outdoors. Headlamps are tiny and easy to pack, and Iā€™ve stayed in cabins at the Red River Gorge or in Tahoe where the rooms were so dark I needed a light to find my socks. I still have the original Biolite 330 headlamp from when it was introduced five years ago at an affordable $50: it is super light (2.4 ounces), bright, and functional; is USB rechargeable; and has an integrated design that puts the lamp flush into the headband for simplicity and comfort. It also has a strobe light for rescues and red lights for night missions.

Compared to white lights, low-intensity red ones minimizes pupil dilation, allowing better night vision; red light is also less disruptive to wildlife. Red lights are essential for star gazing, and these days everyone is going to dark-sky parks and peering at the stars, meteors, and northern lights. Recently, looking for a headlamp for my stepsister as she went off to an astrophotography class in the Tucson desert, I picked the 425. ā€”Alison Osius, senior editor, travel

10. Best Travel Pants

The prAna Koen Pant ($95)

When I went to Abu Dhabi to see my nephew graduate from high school, my luggage was delayed for three days out of a five-day trip. So I wore the same mahogany-colored Title IX capris nearly every day as well as on all my flights, and came back loving them more than ever, which is some testament. Sadly, I later lost those red pants. Yet I hit on a match: the Koen. I bought the Koen capris (two pairs), then the Koen shorts (also two pairs), and then the pants: my new fave travel pants and apparently fave anything pants, since I just wore them to the hospital for a finger surgery.

They are lightweight, silky, stretchy, and wrinkle free, and work for anything from hiking to around town. The front pockets are flat and unobtrusive, with hidden zippers, yet deep enough to hold a phone securely if you need a quick stow, like when juggling items in the airport. The pull-on waist is ideal for comfort and upright cat naps, since it lacks zips, snaps, or external ties. The Koen is overall sleek in its lines. I am psyched that it comes in regular, short and tall versions, and am getting the long ones for my older sister, who is taller than I am and travels 70 percent of the time for her work. Don’t tell her, because itā€™s a surprise.ā€”A.O.

11. Best Gift for Campers

HipCamp gift certificates (starting at $75)

Wasnā€™t it Clint Eastwood, he of The Eiger Sanction lore, who said, ā€œI would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earthā€? No, wait, Steve McQueen. Point is, with digital for booking a campsite on Hipcamp, you can give that experience. A card ushers someone into an expanding community with sites across the country and in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. And these sites are not just for a tent in a grassy lot. They are for a yurt in the middle of a flowering meadow; they are for camping, glamping, RV spots, cabins, and canvas. The gift card never expires, nor will you ever run out of places.ā€”A.O.

12. Best Soak With a View

Mount Princeton Hot SpringsĢż (gift cards from $50)

The old mining town of Leadville, Colorado, sits way up there at 10,000 feet, and itā€™s cold. Luckily within an hour you can reach any of half a dozen hot-springs resorts, some of the nicest in the state or anywhere, to warm your bones. My sister used to live in Leadville, and when I visited we often took our young sons and let them play and soak..and maybe even slow down a little. The mountain-ringed Mount Princeton Hot Springs, in Nathrop, has geothermal springs, an infinity pool, natural creekside pools, and a view of the Chalk Cliffs on the 14,197-foot peak the property is named for. It that work for day passes, lodging, and dining.ā€”A.O.

13. Best Water Bottle for Travel

Katadyn BeFree 0.6 L Water Filter Bottle ($40)

I sure could’ve used this lightweight collapsible filtered bottle last summer for mountain hiking. On one trip with an eight-mile approach followed by a day on a peak and then the dread march out, I filled my bottles time and time again from a stream near camp, thirsty and getting careless when my filtration system took time. (Luckily I got away with it, or rather without giardia, this time.) Filtering at a rate of up to two liters of water per minute, the Katadyn is a fast and light (two ounces) system that would also be perfect for the trail runners and bow hunters in my household who don’t want to carry heavy water bottles. I would like to take the Katadyn hiking and traveling, since itā€™s light, packable, and makes for safe drinking.ā€”A.O.

14. Best Reading App

Everand Subscription (from $12 per month)

Whether traveling by car or air, I always download a series of audiobooks from my Everand (formerly named Scribd) app before going. With a library of more than 1.5 million ebooks and audiobooksā€”plus a collection of magazines and podcastsā€”to choose from, I never run low on options. Often, Iā€™ll base my pick on the destination: Desert Solitaire for a trip to Moab or A Walk in the Woods for a hiking adventure in Maine. Every time I board a flight, I pop in my earbuds and am fully entertained until we land. Or, since I like to sleep on planes, I might set Everandā€™s sleep timer to 30 minutes, and drift off by the time we finish takeoff. I love the app so much that Iā€™m getting a subscription for my 14-year-old stepdaughter this year, too. ā€”Abigail Wise, Digital Director

The post 14 Best Gift Ideas for the Traveler in Your Life appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

For the past couple years Apple has rolled out big releases at their annual Apple event, including the Ultra Watch and Emergency SOS, that were especially important for people who love to play outside. This year was more muted for us outsiders as the big news focused on Appleā€™s version of AI, called Apple Intelligence, which is launching on their phones in beta this fall.

We didnā€™t get an Ultra Watch 3 with a better battery life (which weā€™re still hoping for), and we didnā€™t get an announcement about any new satellite features (even though weā€™re very excited about the previously announced ability to when iOS 18 launches later this month).

What we did get were several big improvements to the iPhoneā€™s cameras and two smart health updates. Plus, AirPods get noise canceling and the new Apple Watch has its largest face ever.

Camera Control Button

We started covering the iPhone in ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų years ago because itā€™s long been the best pocket camera that you can haul along for backcountry adventures. Every year Apple rolls out new camera features that make it significantly better, and this year weā€™re most excited about something called the Camera Control button.

The Camera Control button, which comes on all the new iPhonesā€”16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Maxā€”sits on the right side of the phone. With one full press, it immediately brings up your camera. Another press takes a photo. More importantly, a soft press gesture on the button brings up a menu that offers a host of manual controls including aperture and exposure adjustmentā€”letting you play with depth of field or optimize the brightness of something in the shadow or highlightā€”as well as the ability to adjust your zoom range.

A quick demo we watched made the ability to access these features with a button look surprisingly similar to how you might quickly and deftly control a high-end mirrorless camera. Older iPhones offer the ability to change things like exposure, but with a dedicated button youā€™re able to control these important aspects of your photograph significantly faster, which allows for more creative picture making in fast-moving situations.

Improved Camera Features on the iPhone Pros

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max come with a new in addition to a 48-megapixel standard 24-millimeter camera. This increased resolution for the ultra-wide camera means that when you want to take sweeping landscape shots youā€™re going to get significantly more detail and resolution. As we pointed out last year in our review of the iPhone 15ā€™s 48mp camera, all that extra detail and resolution is particularly nice when you want to make a print to hang on your wall, or if you want to adjust the color and tone in Adobe Lightroom and not totally ruin your photo.

Last year only the iPhone 15 Pro Max came with a 5x telephoto lens, but both the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have that higher-powered zoom that allows you to get close to a subject without losing photo quality.

We love to shoot in RAW, but shooting in this uncompressed photo format takes a lot of processing power and caused some earlier iPhones to have a slight shutter lag. Now, thanks to a quad-pixel sensor in the 16 Pro and Pro Max that can read data twice as fast, thereā€™s zero delay between when you press the button and when you take the photo, which is immensely helpful when photographing action.

High-Res Slo-Mo Video

In many music videos, commercials, films, or other pieces of high-end video, youā€™ll notice that slow-motion video is often used to add drama and intrigue by giving the viewer more of a chance to focus in on the action. To help shooters create this effect, the new 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max now offer the ability to shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second (fps), which is a high-enough frame rate to slow down a mountain biker or skier slashing a turn, or a runner sprinting by on the track. Once the video is shot you can adjust the playback to full-speed, half-speed option, quarter-speed, or one-fifth-speed, which corresponds to 24 fps.

Sleep Apnea and Hearing-Loss Monitoring

Health monitoring has long been a part of Apple devices and for this go-round they introduced two smart and important advances. First, using the accelerometer the new Apple Watch Series 10 (along with the Series 9 and the Ultra 2) can now monitor small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, something they call breathing disturbances. A new algorithm then analyzes the breathing disturbance data so that the Apple Watch can notify its user if the data indicates consistent signs of sleep apnea. Apple says that this feature was only launched after being validated in a clinical trial that was ā€œunprecedented in size for sleep apnea technology.ā€

The sleep apnea information that the watch provides is not meant to be a diagnosis, but instead helps a user identify the problem and consult with a physician. According to Apple, more than 1 billion people worldwide suffer from sleep apnea, but most donā€™t get a diagnosis. If left untreated, sleep apnea can create an increased risk of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues.

To address hearing loss, which affects 1.5 billion people around the world according to the World Health Organization, Apple, via a software update launching this fall, is going to be able to offer a scientifically validated hearing test via their AirPods Pro 2 headphones. That test will result in a personalized hearing profile that will turn the AirPods Pro into a Apple says that this feature was also validated via a clinical trial.

The Best of the Rest

Two other updates of note are the large screen on the Apple Watch Series 10, and the launch of the AirPods 4 that come with active noise cancelation. The watch screen is important because itā€™s actually the largest screen of any Apple watch, including the Ultra 2, and it provides even more real estate to see important information. For AirPods, we love that Apple bought incredible noise cancelation to their more affordable headphones so that you can spend less but still get a feature that allows you to hone in while traveling and working.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Apple Eventā€™s New Products appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

The Western States Trail Ride, also known as the Tevis Cup, was born in 1955 out of a simple question: Could modern-day riding horses travel 100 miles in 24 hours? Several riders set out from Lake Tahoe, California, and journeyed southwest through the Sierra Nevada to the town of Auburn, proving the answer to be a strong yes. In the years and decades that followed, equestrians would retrace the trip as an annual race, testing themselves on a grueling route with more than 35,000 feet of elevation change along rugged mountain trails.

Damien Maloney, a Los Angelesā€“based photographer, learned about the event from a neighbor and was drawn to the competitionā€™s Old West ethos, so different from the strict equestrian tradition he knew growing up in Waco, Texas. ā€œIt was interesting to see a horse culture that isnā€™t fussy or fancy,ā€ says Maloney. ā€œItā€™s humans and horses, and everyoneā€™s having fun, but itā€™s still really hard. There isnā€™t any pageantry.ā€ In the summer of 2023, he set out to document that unpretentious spirit, capturing horses and people as they navigated the dusty trails.

The post Experience Frontier Culture at Americaā€™s Oldest Endurance Horse Race appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Climber and photographer Cory Richards’s most famous photo was the result of an event that nearly ended in tragedy.ĢżIn 2011, he was caught in an avalanche while descending from the first successful winter summit of 26,362-foot Gasherbrum II. He took a self-portrait of his distraught face, framed by goggles and a snow-crusted beard, that later appeared on the cover of National Geographicā€™s 125th anniversary issue. For years afterward, he continued to have a prolific mountaineering and photography career. Richards struggled with PTSD after the avalanche, and is now an advocate for mental health in outdoor athletes; he speaks candidly about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, as well as the trauma he experienced climbing.

Below is an excerpt of Richards’s forthcoming memoir, ,Ģżout July 9, from Penguin Random House. The events in this chapter begin in the winter of 2016, following Richards’s divorce from his first wife and a months-long assignment for National Geographic in Angola, while he trains and climbs Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.Ģż

The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within

By Cory Richards

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The TV is on, but Iā€™m staring at a pair of fake eyelashes on the windowsill. I donā€™t remember where they came from but I see that theyā€™ve been there long enough to collect dust. Divorce is confusing. In death there is finality. In divorce the living become ghosts and itā€™s easy to be haunted. Africa was brutal and illuminating. As difficult as the whole process was, I came home tired but hopeful and ready to move on, but moving on will take time.

There are days that I donā€™t leave the apartment and watch TED Talks between champion bouts of Family Guy reruns while looking at my phone and willing it to ring. Life isnā€™t bad, it just feels empty, like Iā€™ve lost something and I donā€™t know what it is or where to look. It isnā€™t just the void of my marriage but something deeper and formless.

Depression is sneaky and sometimes we only really see its depths once we climb out. Itā€™s hard to realize how deep you are when youā€™re transfixed by the crumbs on your belly. I also feel a strange sense of guilt for being depressed at all and at the same time it feels impossible to escape. People of all walks of life have experienced deep despair; some people just have to get up and work in spite of it in order to survive. I know it could be much worse and I feel more guilt that my legs just wonā€™t move. Telling a depressed person they need to get out and be active is like telling an insomniac they just need to count some sheep and go to sleep. I look at the eyelashes again.

On a Tuesday the phone finally rings and Adrian Ballinger asks, ā€œWhat are your plans this spring?ā€

I donā€™t even have plans for the rest of the day. ā€œI donā€™t know,ā€ I say. ā€œWatch Family Guy?ā€

Iā€™ve known Adrian for a decade. Heā€™s handsome with dark features, light eyes, and freckled skin thatā€™s seen too much sun. His ears are big and his cheeks seem stretched between his angular jaw and cheekbones. Heā€™s relentlessly optimistic and laughs loudly and often and loves coffee. We like to call him ā€œStick,ā€ which is short for ā€œStick Bugā€ because heā€™s tall and skinny, and I can vaguely see him on the other end of the phone when he says, ā€œDo you think itā€™s time?ā€ I know exactly what he is talking about but look at my watch anyway.

Four years ago, after far too much alcohol and too many hours awake, weā€™d made a plan. Iā€™m listening to his British-Boston accent bending rā€™s into wā€™s and staring at myself in the mirror with the phone to my ear. Heā€™s talking about climbing Everest without oxygen and Iā€™m happy he canā€™t see the body Iā€™m living in.

The toothpaste splatters block one eye and Adrian waits for an answer. Before fat Cory can say anything, athlete Cory hidden underneath speaks up and says, ā€œYes.ā€ I pause. ā€œBut Iā€™m, like, chubby and smoking a lot of cigarettes.ā€

ā€œYou have until April.ā€

The next morning I call my friend and mentor Steve House and ask if heā€™ll step in as my coach. Heā€™s one of the best and most respected alpinistsĢżin the world, and if anybody can give me a shot at this in three months, itā€™s him. He agrees and I hang up the phone and then go to the gym and stay there for three months. I bike or walk up hills slowly, keeping my heart rate below 150 beats per minute while breathing through my nose. Steve says it will increase my aerobic capacity and mentions something about ā€œfat adaptation.ā€ I think Iā€™m fat enough, but he explains that the term refers to teaching your body to use its fat stores by training fasted on long endurance days. At altitude itā€™s hard to eat, so itā€™s important that my body knows where to look for energy when Iā€™ve run out of candy bars and burned through my love handles.

Iā€™ve called myself a professional athlete for a decade but I finally understand what it means. Thereā€™s no glitz aside from crawling into my bed knowing that I trained as hard as I could. The only glamour is sleep. There is no time to smoke or drink or fuck. But because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Iā€™m more hopeful because Iā€™m driven by purpose. A certain amount of loneliness is necessary in the service of an objective. Itā€™s different from the vacuum of depression. I think if Iā€™m going to be isolated either way, I might as well use it as a space to grow toward something.

Some days Iā€™m embarrassed at how slow I have to walk to keep my heart rate low. When I do burpees, my torso jiggles, and I check the mirror every morning for bigger muscles and a smaller belly. Steve tells me to be patient, to train slow to go long, and reminds me, ā€œIt never gets easier, you just get faster.ā€

I wake up at 5 A.M. and pull on long wool socks and insulated running tights and stack on all my warm layers. I fill collapsible jugs with gallons of hot water for added weight in my backpack and scrape thick ice off my windshield without gloves. I listen to AC/DC and Rage Against the Machine while driving through the darkness to the trailhead. When itā€™s snowing, my headlights make the flakes fly past in streaks of white and it looks like Iā€™m in Star Trek. On these days, the trail is empty and I see no one for hours. They are the same trails and the same day over and over and over.

When itā€™s too cold to train outside, I spend five or six hours on the treadmill with a backpack, reading King Leopoldā€™s Ghost or The Looting Machine. Sometimes I watch Game of Thrones on my phone and fantasize about marrying Daenerys Targaryen. Who hasnā€™t? Anything to pass the time. Anything to keep my mind occupied. When Iā€™m frustrated, Steve calmly reminds me that ā€œitā€™s better to be consistent than talentedā€ and I say, ā€œIā€™d like to be both.ā€ He laughs and replies, ā€œWouldnā€™t we all? Control what you can. Fuck the rest of it.ā€

My legs get faster. My heart rate goes down. I climb 9,000 feet on Monday and 11,000 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

After three months my muscles arenā€™t any bigger, just tighter, and Iā€™m disappointed because I look nothing like the men and women I see on the cover of the magazines in the grocery store when Iā€™m buying arugula. I sit on the floor and listen to my brittle tendons crunch as I roll them out and wonder why growth and improvement always hurt so much. The burpees start to feel less like torture and more like release and the crumbs on my slightly smaller belly are quinoa instead of chips. Iā€™d kill a bunny for some chips.

By the time I get on a plane to Nepal in early April, my brain feels different. Everything seems brighter and the clouds of depression have parted around the summit in my head. I wonder if this is how a phoenix feels as I look at the shrinking flames around my feet and hope the lack of oxygen at the top of the world will starve the fire completely.

After ten days of acclimation, Adrian and I traverse the broken terrain of the Rongbuk Glacier and listen to ice crack and break as boulders crash down from the fresh glacial scar and the ground under my feet feels new. Itā€™s broken and unsettled, toppling over itself and uncertain where it fits.

Two hours later we perch on the broad spine of a broken black slate and drink tea while we stare up at the mountain. I see exposed ice and small tendrils of snow swirling off a dark ridge. But the swirls arenā€™t small because the mountain is still five miles away and the ridge is 10,000 feet above us. We finish our drinks and Adrian drives us toward advanced base camp at 21,000 feet. He walks in long strides and tucks his thumbs in his shoulder straps as I struggle to keep up, questioning if Iā€™m strong enough to do what weā€™ve come here to do.

After two days in advanced base camp, we start the pulse of acclimating, climbing high, sleeping low. Climbing higher, sleeping low. Sleeping higher. Climbing higher. Itā€™s the rhythmic demystification of the Himalaya and the same method Iā€™ve used on every high mountain. I remind myself that every climb feels impossible until you stand on top. So I memorize the steps and colors of the ropes and crevasses and always try to run under the big hanging ice cliff that guards the saddle of the North Col.

Ten days later, we sit in a hot tent at 23,031 feet and sweat. The interior can get to 75Ā°F during the day and plummet to āˆ’20Ā°F overnight. We drink Soylent, a supplement mix that tastes vaguely like pancake batter, while making Snapchat videos that fulfill our sponsorship commitments and tell the story of the climb in real time.

The idea to use Snapchat as a real-time storytelling tool came from Adrianā€™s girlfriend, legendary rock climber turned Himalayan star Emily Harrington. Now #EverestNoFilter is trending on the platform and hundreds of thousands of people are following the climb. Thousands of messages of encouragement, music recommendations, trolling, and the occasional picture of breasts flood our inbox. The connectivity of social media feels satiating and it also seems to blur and confuse motivation. But social media is ubiquitous now and at times it seems more important than the climbing itself. The premise of telling the story in real time is to offer an unfiltered and authentic look into what an expedition like this takes, but I quietly question how anything on social media can be authentic.

#HairByEverest begins to trend because my unwashed, sun-bleached hair makes me look homeless and Adrianā€™s looks like heā€™s just been electrocuted. People start posting pictures of their babies with wild hair and tagging it #HairByEverest and I like the playfulness of it all.

Itā€™s May 24, 2016. Iā€™m 36 years old. My alarm goes off at 12:30 A.M.Ģżbut Iā€™m already awake because ā€œsleepingā€ at 27,224 feet is like ā€œmeditatingā€ at a Metallica concert. Adrianā€™s headlamp comes on first and I shield my face for another minute of staring at the tent ceiling. It occurs to me that I spend a lot of time staring at different ceilings.

Eventually I sit up and start the stove, exhaling clouds that collide with the steam rising from the water. I wonder about matter changing form and how heat can make liquid levitate. Invisible currents make the vapors rise and swirl in the light of the headlamps. I look again at the ceiling and see all my breath from the sleepless night frozen in a sparkly frost. Gas becomes solid. I wonder if the altitude is getting to me and vacantly drag a finger in a line, watching the crystals fall onto my sleeping bag and melt.

Iā€™ve been awake for 18 and a half hours, minus the 30 minutes when I managed to hang somewhere between sleep and wake, trying to forget about the sharp stone jabbing my left ass cheek. It will be five and a half more hours before the sun rises. I unzip the door just enough to see the thick stars of high places. My eyes trace along the uneven edges of the last 1,811 feet of Everestā€™s northeast ridge rising above me as a heavy black triangle.

I tuck back in and watch the steam in the tent and remember the past five months and the 36 years before that and everything that brought me to this place at this time as Adrian and Pasang and I prepare to leave for the summit. Pasang has joined the summit push for the sake of safety in numbers. Everything is done in silence. I no longer think about which boot or glove goes on first because I know it doesnā€™t matter. The only thing that can get me from here to there is my breath.

We leave the tent together and follow our familiar circles of light. The route climbs shallow snow to a steep series of wide granite cracks that lead toward the ridge. We check in with each other every half hour. Can you feel your fingers? Toes? Are you drinking? Eating? How does your head feel? Lungs? Are you slurring? Are you vomiting? Whatā€™s your name? Where are we?

Gradually the gap between Adrian and Pasang and me widens and I stop communicating by voice and start calling to them over the radio. After three and a half hours, the space between us has widened far enough that I feel alone and all my concern of not being fit enough has been swallowed up in the darkness. Iā€™m not behind them, but ahead.

Adrianā€™s voice comes over the radio in slurs and tells me that heā€™s too cold and moving too slow to continue. He and Pasang are turning around.

ā€œAre you sure?ā€

ā€œYes,ā€ he says quietly.

ā€œDo you want me to come with you?ā€

ā€œNo. Keep going.ā€

The communications are short and labored. But this was always the plan. If one of us couldnā€™t and the other was still strong, weā€™d separate. The teamā€™s doctor, Monica Piris, whoā€™s monitoring our climb from advance base camp, takes over the conversation. Sheā€™s spent many nights just like this, sleeping on the uneven floor of a dining tent curled up next to a tangle of cords and radiosĢżand solar batteries to keep it all going as her team plods through a dangerous and foolish darkness. Itā€™s her job to keep us safe, to keep us moving, to keep us alive regardless of whether weā€™re climbing up or down.

I half hear her voice as I fumble with a rope. ā€œAdrian, I need you to get back to the tents at high camp as quickly and safely as possible. When youā€™re there, please put on oxygen to get the blood flow back in your hands and feet and brain.ā€ An indistinguishable mumble, half wind and half words, fills the air and I realize that Adrian is riding too close to the edge.

ā€œAre you sure you donā€™t want me to come down?ā€ Mumble. Monica answers instead. ā€œCory, how do you feel?ā€

ā€œGood. My left pinky is tingling.ā€

ā€œKeep fucking going! Adrian and Pasang will be safe. Go now. Go fast. Iā€™ll talk to you in half an hour.ā€

The radio goes silent and I turn off my headlamp and sit. I listen to the breeze brushing across me and feel the wet collar of my down suit against my face. I am alone. I have no oxygen and no backup and no safety net other than my body and an honest accounting of myself. There are five other climbers somewhere on the route, but I canā€™t see or hear them. My life is apprehended in the confluence of breath and wind.

An hour later I approach the legs of a lifeless body hanging upside down in a tangle of rope. Tufts of loose feathers push through the torn suit, fluttering. I think of all the friends and people Iā€™ve known who are no longer and lose count because my brain is too slow. I think of all the bodies Iā€™ve seen on this climb and all the others in various states of decomposition and wonder again at matter changing form.

Sometimes they have faces. Sometimes they have mustaches and beards and eyelashes. Sometimes theyā€™re hooded and hidden, as if theyā€™re sleeping. Other times they have fingernails and their exposed flesh is yellow and black. Their skin is freeze-dried against bones that stick through, mummified after they took off their mittens in their final delirious moments. Their body and brain became confused and lied, telling them that they were warm and safe to shelter them from an opposite truth. Hormones and chemicals saturated their minds, creating a definitive hallucination to comfort them as they took their last breaths. This is the agreement you make with high mountains. Here the sliver of space that separates life and death is immediate, implicit, and yet totally incomprehensible.

My fingertips scream from cold as I unclip myself from the rope, reaching over the body and connecting myself to the line on the other side. I take a single step and walk further into life than the body behind ever made it.

When the sun finally rises, the summit pyramid is washed in fluorescent pastels and my pinky doesnā€™t tingle anymore. I take out my phone and try to film, annoyed at the intrusion. But the battery dies from the cold, and Iā€™m relieved that the final steps will be just for me.

I donā€™t know how much time passes between this and the moment I sit down on the summit. An hour? Two? When I take the final step, there is nothing and no one and literally everything on earth is below me. I reach as high as I can and touch space. There is no place left to go. In some fundamental way, Iā€™ve exhausted the search outside myself for anything that might make me whole. But I canā€™t see this now. For seven minutes I sit in silence and my awkward mind is literally the highest point on the planet.

After 40 hours without sleep I walk into advance base camp. The air feels thick and humid here. My heartbeat is slow and my mind is too tired to race, unable to comprehend the place Iā€™ve been and how something so powerful can be so brief. Iā€™m exhausted but restless and forget to go to bed. The world already knows what happened because, up until the final steps, theyā€™d watched me. For his part, Adrian is as outwardly excited as everyone else but I can see how much he wanted it and how much it hurt to fail so publicly. I can see how much humility is required to let me shine. The depth of his character is revealed behind his skinny, chiseled face. He is more resilient than I ever could be.

A week later weā€™re in New York City and 2.3 million people are watching Adrian and me, with slightly gaunt eyes and sunburned faces, sit across from Gayle King on CBS This Morning. I wonder if the cameras can see the dry flakes of skin peeling from the tip of my nose. Later in the day, we sit across from Charlie Rose at his iconic wooden table and tell the story of the climb until he refocuses the conversation on what Iā€™d disclosed about my mental health.

Just before the summit push, my anxiety peaked. I was overwhelmed by the climb, attention, and exhaustion. And, because there was no one else to talk to, I told a million people on Snapchat because thatā€™s what the world does now. Iā€™d matter-of-factly disclosed that I was bipolar and anxious and depressed and that everything was getting to me. I talked about being scared of the climb. Scared of failing. Scared of being scared and what that meant. Sending the videos into the world, Iā€™d wondered if I was oversharing in the pursuit of attention. But even if Iā€™d wanted to recant, it was too late. By morning my public persona had begun its transition into a spokesperson for mental health and the story behind the now infamous self-portrait from Gasherbrum II was slowly seeping out. Private became public. Superhuman became human. And, through the conceit of ā€œno filter,ā€ something mysterious became less so, inviting everyone into a much more real experience.

So when Charlie asks, I open up and speak candidly about the avalanche, PTSD, and bipolar because it seems natural. I can feel that itā€™s somehow important to break down the wall around me.

More interviews and TV follow. More press. More questions. More answers. When we finally unload a heap of tattered duffels on the curb at Newark Liberty International four days later, the expedition has generated over two billion media impressions.

I say goodbye to Adrian and Emily and walk to the gate, equally relieved and uncertain to be flying ā€œhome.ā€ The world has shapeshifted again and I feel far away from the mountain, where things were less noisy, less frantic, more basic, and more meaningful. When the nice lady in a silk scarf with wings on her blue lapel leans over my seat and says, ā€œWelcome home, Mr. Richards,ā€ I wonder what she means because home is somewhere in a tent where the only planes are the ones that fly overhead and up there the captain is saying, ā€œIf you look out the window to your left, you can see Mt. Everest.ā€

After the divorce, the success of #EverestNoFilter is intoxicating. I float through days and weeks and am filled up when strangers thank me for speaking so candidly about my brain. While climbing Everest without oxygen is special (less than two percent of summits), itā€™s not new. Itā€™s been done. For me, the accomplishment and celebration seem to be centered around something else. Suddenly my weaknesses are being celebrated as my strengths and I wonder if Achilles might have lived forever if heā€™d taken more care of his heel. And still Iā€™m filling the inescapable space inside of me with the mountain itself because from it I can speak truths that Iā€™ve held onto for too long.

I also know once the shine wears off, an emotional deflation will ensue and the comedown will be equal to the high. The next four years of my life will be devoted to trying to regain the same summit. Iā€™ll stand there again, but it will never be the same.

The post Cory Richards Was Too Depressed to Get Off the Couch. Then, He Summited Everest Without Oxygen. appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Malik Martin, better known as , has carved a niche for himself in the outdoor industry as a photographer and filmmaker. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and now living in Denver, Martin filmed and appeared in the project Black Ice, a documentary about a group of Memphis rock climbers who learn to ice-climb in Montana. Heā€™s also the subject of a short film, , about his friendship with mountaineer Conrad Anker, and the host of ā€”a series for ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų TV in which he interviews influential people in the outdoor world while the pair walk on treadmills in a park.

Martin began his career as a photojournalist. In 2017, at age 27, he started freelancing for the in Memphis. His photos of the raw energy and tumult during the protests that led to the dismantling of Confederate statues garnered him a promotion to a full-time position. In 2018, while photographing the opening of the nonprofit climbing gym Memphis Rox, he decided that he wanted to participate, not just document, and began climbing indoors. Soon after, a Colorado road trip that included hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park ignited his interest in the outdoors and a passion for nature photography. Today, Malik not only captures stunning visuals but sparks important conversations about diversity and inclusion in urban and outdoor spaces.

Martin discussed his unique journey in a series of interviews with ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų.

ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Can you share some insights into your youth? How did those early years influence your career path?
Martin: I was adopted by my grandmother when I was two and moved to Salt Lake City, because she felt it would give me a better chance at life compared with Memphis. My elementary years were spent experiencing extreme racism, being one of the only Black kids in my school. The mountains were there, but they were no more than something to look at. I never thought about hiking or climbing them, even though I did camps as a youth. These experiences didnā€™t directly influence my career, but they gave me a fighting spirit and taught me to never be afraid to speak truth to power.

What led you to become a photojournalist?
I wanted to make a living off my camera. Initially, getting booked for birthdays and baby showers was cool, but I needed something more dynamic. I remember walking into the Tri-State Defender without an appointment, to show the lead editor my portfolio, and saying, ā€œI want to be a photojournalist.ā€ He looked over my work and responded, ā€œI think you already are.ā€

What do you focus on in your work?
Things I love. When you shoot things you love, you can never make them look bad.

Youā€™ve mentioned living in a tent for a period of time. What led to that situation, and how did the experience shape you?
In May 2016, I chose to live in a tent to escape a bug-infested apartment run by a slumlord. I realized I could cut back on expenses like rent and utilities to focus on my art. For the next six months, I camped and couch surfed, investing in myself rather than paying rent. I had an extra $1,000 a month that I could put into camera equipment instead of bills. This period taught me the importance of betting on myself, especially during times of uncertainty.

What about the experience in Rocky Mountain National Park made you fall in love with nature?
I donā€™t know, it just felt weird and I kind of liked it. Initially, I thought maybe the thin air was giving me a natural high, but it also made it hard to breathe, yet I couldnā€™t stop moving forward. I had never felt such euphoria. The mountains spoke to me in a way the city never could. They taught me about silence, depth, and the wildness of spirit.

How did you meet Conrad Anker, and how has that relationship influenced your career and personal growth?
I met Conrad at Memphis Rox during Global Climbing Day, organized by the North Face, in August 2018. He immediately helped me with technical skills like rigging ropes and positioning myself on the wall to capture great shots. Conrad has been like a mountain dad to me, profoundly changing my life and career trajectory. After observing my coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, he invited me on a trip to clear my mind. This trip turned out to be a two-week expedition where I climbed the Granite Peaks in Montana and the Grand Teton in Wyoming with Jimmy Chin.

What projects are you currently working on?
My current project is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Ainā€™t Free. Itā€™s my first completely independent film and focuses on the challenges of accessing the outdoors when you live in a concrete jungle. It questions the notion that the outside is free by highlighting barriers like a lack of gear and knowledge needed to safely navigate the backcountry.

When did you start writing poetry? Is it a hobby or have you considered publishing your work?
I’ve been writing poetry my whole life, walking around in third grade with Edgar Allan Poeā€™s book of poems. Over the years, it took me a while to find my style and approach. Poetry is more than a hobby; it’s a crucial mode of personal expression. It allows me to convey emotions and experiences that may not always come through in my visual work. I haven’t had anything published. There are just some things I keep private.

Weā€™re all aware of the lack of diversity outdoors, and obviously you stand out. Can you discuss the impact of imposter syndrome on pursuing aspirations, particularly in environments where you might feel out of place?
Iā€™m supposed to be here. In the early stages, I was adjacent to the big names, but now Iā€™m becoming one myself. I used to look at all these great names on posters, admiring their achievements. But now my name is on the poster, too. Iā€™m doing great things, and Iā€™m supposed to be here.

You are. But how do you react when someone doesnā€™t feel the same?
I have tried to join groups of people that have the same interests as me and havenā€™t been offered a seat. So why not build my own table? While theyā€™re at their table enjoying themselves, Iā€™ll be over here, gathering nails, hammering the wood, sanding, and building chairs. They’ll look up and see that while they were busy excluding, I created a space for me and whoever else to thrive, share ideas, and eat.

A Poem About the Poet

As someone who has grappled with stuttering, Iā€™ve often sought solace and inspiration in the words of great orators like Maya Angelou. Her mastery of language has guided my own pursuit of expressive power. Martin shares a reverence for Angelou, too. Speaking to him inspired me to write a poem in her style.

Malik the Lens, Malik the Light

In Memphis beats a heart, unquiet
A spirit fierce, refusing to deny it.
Malik, with a camera as his sword
Cuts through silence, his unspoken word.

From humble streets to mountainā€™s breath
His journey sings, defying death.
With each snap, a new world unfurls
Canvas of dreams, his lens swirls.

Poet first, through streets he roamed
Each photograph, a verse, a tome.
To the stars, his gaze now cast
In every frame, his future, his past.

He built a table, long and wide
Inviting all to come, reside.
By firelight of stars and flash
His community, his mosaic, his bash.

Through cityā€™s pulse and natureā€™s calm
Malik moves, his soul his balm.
A Martian, they say, in jest, in mirth
For he brings the heavens down to earth.

Photographer, wanderer, seeker, friend
On each journey, he finds his mend.
Through lens and heart, he charts his course
With natureā€™s power, his endless source.

A Walk in the Park with Malik Tha Martian is .

The post A Q&A with Outdoor Filmmaker Malik Tha Martian on Creativity, Belonging, and Confidence appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Wzrd

After working in the bike world for more than a decade, Emma May started making her own frames in 2019. Each bike has a few signature design features, including a steel frame, a rigid or low-travel fork, and a long chainstay. Other elements, from the number of water-bottle holders to the vibrant paint jobs (courtesy of Mayā€™s partner, April Lockwood), can be customized. Wzrdā€™s mission is personal. ā€œI came out about a year into Wzrd,ā€ May says. ā€œAnd I had so many queer people in the bike industry reach out to meā€”not just to buy something but also to talk about being queer in the industry. I donā€™t want to just be a brand that sells bikes. I want Wzrd to be a welcoming space for queer and trans people.ā€ ā€”Miyo McGinn

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The Wall of Death, a cylindrical wooden stage where talented riders pull off all sorts of stunts on motorcycles, was once a mainstay of American carnivals. Only a handful are in use today, passion projects for a few dedicated fanatics. ā€œYouā€™re not going to make too much money doing this,ā€ says New York City photographer Jay Kolsch. ā€œYou have to maintain it while youā€™re on the road, and build it up and take it down everywhere you go. It has to be something you care deeply about.ā€

Kolsch went to a carnival in upstate New York to document Danny Weilā€™s Wall of Death over several days in the summer of 2022. At the time, a back injury prevented Weil from riding the Wall heā€™d built in his Florida backyard, but he continues to feature it in carnivals up and down the East Coast. Initially, Kolsch was drawn to the discipline and athleticism involved in riding the Wall. But ultimately, he decided on a different approach. Instead of focusing exclusively on the flashy motorcycles and death-defying riding, ā€œI also wanted to give space to the Wall itself,ā€ Kolsch says. ā€œItā€™s beautiful to see this imperfect thing someone built with their own two hands give joy to a bunch of children and thrill all these people.ā€

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