An Exclusive Interview With Krystle Wright
She is extremely dedicated. She is the one who is looking for that right moment to capture the unique and right shot. She traveled the whole Earth in pursuit of that unique magical image. Deserts and profundity of the oceans, deserted lands, or jagged mountains were her playgrounds. Sometimes she has been waiting four and a half years to snap that shot that has established her famous. And afterward that she moved away to another corner of the world to wait for another impressive shot. She is a nomad, and she is famous. Her home is her backpack, and it seems her religion is her camera. And her name is Krystle Wright...
Cata CROITORU: Hello Krystle, It's a pleasure to have this Interview.
You are a well-known photographer. Deep divers, straight mountain wall climbers, flying parachutes over the salted desert - you beat them all. When the people want to see who the photographer behind a certain picture is, they discover you; you pictured sometimes covered in thick clothes, the head hooded and almost frozen, sometimes seen holding a dog in your arms, sometimes pictured with a swollen eye...
But who exactly are you, Krystle?
Krystle Wright: I define myself as an artist and a nomadic soul traversing the globe as I allow my camera to be the excuse in how I engage with the world around me. What I strive for is to be educated, and that education for me comes in the form of conversing with a diverse range of people from all walks of life and challenging myself through practical scenarios that test me both mentally and physically. Undeniably, I have a stubborn nature that drives my curiosity to see how far I can take my art and photography.
Cata CROITORU: You always wanted to take pictures? Did you dream of something else when you "will be a grown-up"? How did everything start?
Krystle Wright: It started as a gamble after high school on pursuing a career as a photographer. I was lost in which direction to head, except knowing that I had to pursue something involving creativity and being outside. It was my mum who suggested photography as I loved taking a disposable Kodak camera on my camping trips, and in her opinion, I came back with good images. Without any other competing idea, I figured it was worth a gamble to enroll in a university degree for a Bachelor of Photography. And whilst I hated my time at university, it propelled me down this path and that I will be forever grateful for.
Cata CROITORU: When you talk about yourself as a person, you define yourself as an "adventure photographer." What does it all really mean?
Krystle Wright: I never wanted to be pigeonholed into being a specific photographer, such as a surf photographer or a ski photographer. I wanted my options to stay open, and whilst there are pros and cons to any decision that I make, I love that by being an adventure photographer, I can switch between many different scenarios and sports. For those who do become specialized in these sports, there are great pros since it takes a lot of dedication and time to search out the top jobs, but ultimately for me, it was more important to keep the freedom and the challenge ever-changing between different landscapes.
My years are never the same as I switch from freediving to skiing to rock climbing to mountain biking and so forth.
Cata CROITORU: Your pictures are incredible, and your work, together with the subjects you capture, in the "specific moment," clearly amaze the viewers. How do you choose your future subjects? What makes you decide to go, say to Pakistan, or to dive in a blue hole of Vanuatu - to freeze a moment in time?
Krystle Wright: A lot of the time, it comes down to the athletes I collaborate with. There needs to be a trust established, and that in itself takes time to create, which means a lot of athletes I work with are very dear friends to me. Being an adventure photographer is a lifestyle rather than a job. I'll dream up specific ideas and talk them over with friends, and soon after, if the idea evolves, we are locked into conversations about logistics wherever that may be in the world.
Cata CROITORU: Let your mind pick a certain image that you took; please tell us the story behind that 'perfect shot.'
Krystle Wright: There will never be such a thing as the 'perfect shot' for me. I work extremely hard to create certain images or document spontaneous moments that unfold before me. Still, I always find myself at some point criticizing my work and figuring out how I can evolve from that image. As the saying goes, art is always unfinished. There is no endpoint to what I do, and that's why I love photography so much because it's about the process rather than 'the end result' that has me hooked.
Cata CROITORU: What is the meaning of the word "passion" to you?
Krystle Wright: To seek out a desire with an unapologetic nature. I can't always offer rhyme and reason for certain decisions that I make, but there are times when my passion leads me down strange paths just because it feels right for me to do so.
Cata CROITORU: On your website, next to your name, there is a small logo: a black-and-blue bird with its wings wide open. What is the meaning of it?
Krystle Wright: I collaborated and worked with artist Sarah Uhl as I admired her style to her art and felt that it would make a great fit for the logo I wanted. Because of my nomadic ways, the bird represents my restless spirit in traversing the globe. There are the mountains and the ocean through the wings as I feel greatly connected to these landscapes through my love of certain sports such as freediving and snow skiing.
Cata CROITORU: Krystle Wright goes from here to there, worldwide; now you are in Las Vegas, tomorrow you will be in a different place... So being such a nomad has a toll to take off from your existence?
Krystle Wright: Yes, it has absolutely taken a massive toll on my health in moving around so much. I dread longhaul flights as it's creating problems with my physical health, such as swelling in my legs thanks to previous injuries of breaking bones in my feet and ankles or causing misalignment in my back and neck. And as strange as it can sound to some, sometimes it feels like my soul is still somewhere in transit as at least once or twice a year, I wake up in fright with no clue where I am for a minute or two. It's difficult as I've created so much momentum that I'm perpetually thrown forward, but my goal is to slow down and take more time to focus on my health in the upcoming years and slow the travel down to a feasible amount that doesn't send me insane.
Cata CROITORU: You are not only a photographer, but you are also a film creator. The freshest movie was done in 2018, and it's called "Chasing Monsters." What is it about?
Krystle Wright: I convinced Canon Australia to allow me the creative freedom to create three short films about different photographers, but the twist being that no narrative would be used in the films. This is because photographers often don't have the ability to be there to explain their images to other people, and we rely on communicating through visual language, which I feel is a beautiful way to speak to others, especially when it allows for so much freedom to be interpreted. Chasing Monsters focuses on the work of Australian stormchasing photographer Nick Moir and his journey through the Midwest USA as he chased supercells and tornadoes. My hope with Canon Australia is that we have the chance to release the films online for free in February or March. Behind any amazing picture, there is a talented photographer, and next to the photographer, there is a gear that helped a specific bit of a second to be captured.
Cata CROITORU: What camera do you use? Is there any specific lens that you use the most? Once back home, do you adjust your creations with the help of software?
Krystle Wright: I use Canon equipment when it comes to shooting, and I keep my adjustments to a bare minimum when it comes to editing/post-production, as I like to shoot as much as possible within the camera. As I was taught early on, a great photographer will shoot full frame as I don't want to crop my images after the fact. In Lightroom, I like to make slight adjustments to my levels to match what I witnessed at that moment when taking the frame and perhaps b/w conversion.
Cata CROITORU: Do you have a "bucket list" for the future?
Krystle Wright: I recently wrote about how I cannot say no as so often, freelancers are taught to be in constant survival mode, which means saying yes as much as possible.
While that is a great attitude to have, I've encountered burnouts and look forward to the upcoming years to create a healthier place for my work and allow more time for space. Through this space, I can be at my most creative, and I want the opportunity to set my sights on larger-scale projects. There's no doubt in my mind that I still have locations I wish to visit, and that bucket list will never be empty for me as I always want to remain curious.
A pod of Sperm whales ascends to the surface in the Atlantic sea off the coast of the Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean.
All images taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.