There is no place that I feel more alive, more connected to what is important, than the wilderness. Whether it is an icy mountain summit, a misty forest, or a rocky coastline, the wild places of the world feel like home to me. While my love for the outdoors precedes my passion for photography, I now could not imagine having one without the other. Add a car to the equation, and the result for me is the feeling of absolute freedom, where the possibilities are limited only by your imagination and willpower.
The roots of my passion for photography took hold nearly ten years ago, and the memories of messing around with my first point-and-shoot camera are as strong as if those moments happened but last week. Back then I knew next to nothing about photography, but the thrill of exploring wild, lonely lands and trying to capture the beauty of the landscape and the emotions that it stirred up in me made me feel alive like never before.
Since those early days of escaping campus at Syracuse University to go explore the nearby Morgan Hill State Forest, photography has taken me on a journey that my 20-year-old self could have only dreamed of. From exploring the wild coast of Washington’s Olympic National Park with my best friends, to countless trips and treasured moments with my dad, to a year-long solo road-trip odyssey through the American West and British Columbia, exploring and photographing wilderness has been the driving force of my life.
Each time I press the shutter and capture a singular moment in the wilds, something is awakened in me and I unequivocally realize that there is nothing else that I’d rather be doing. I hope that as you view my photography you'll feel the same sense of awe and wonder that the wilderness instills in me, and that you'll be inspired to set forth into the wilds and search for your own momentary awakenings.
Joey Priola
