Into the Wild: Stunning Adventure Photos by Jeremiah Watt

Weather Ventures

Thrilling (and sometimes, vertigo-inducing) images by adventure photographer Jeremiah Watt.

Camille Mann and Stephanie Valera

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April 9, 2015

Heart-Stopping Adventure Photos

Scott Adamson, The Dagger, WI7, Maple Canyon, Utah. (Jeremiah Watt)

Perhaps no other field in photography features the full — and oftentimes, risky — participation of a photographer than adventure photography. And in his dramatic images of rock climbers defying gravity or skiers gliding down slopes, one can almost sense that adventure photographer Jeremiah Watt is one that truly participates.

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"I try to avoid any specific expectations when approaching a shot and really open myself to the experience so that I can, hopefully, bring that experience back in a set of images," Watt told weather.com.

Watt got into adventure photography after an internship in marketing for an adventure travel company. Living with and around the guides who were having amazing experiences traveling, climbing and skiing for work made him rethink his classes. "When I wrapped up the internship I returned to Black Hills State University, dropped all my business classes and signed up for the beginning photography course."

Today, he regularly shoots commercial work for top brands in the outdoor industry, and has become known for outdoor photos that set him apart, photos that are "more lyrical and graceful," according to a profile in Wired.com.

With shooting outdoor photos come, of course, challenges.

"Every shot offers its own particular challenge," said Watt. "I think in many ways a portrait up close and personal has as many challenges [as shooting] in a wild landscape, being the relationship between you and the subject is carrying the entire weight of the image. In a wild landscape the individual is almost secondary and their simply existing in the frame is often enough to make an impact."

The very nature of adventure photography also means challenges that are more unpredictable — caused by weather.

"Pretty much everything I get to do outside is dictated and affected by the weather," said Watt. "It determines the sports I’m engaged in and safety factors involved and, often, it’s a primary part of the actual image. There’s nothing better than storm light with its wild clouds and light gradients!"

To view more of Watt's work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram.