Extremophiles Pushing the physical limits of photography
Biologists use the term “extremophile” to describe those organisms that thrive where most others fail. Whether that’s immersed in extreme heat, extreme cold, or extremely acidic or saline environments, these individuals seem to flourish among what would otherwise seem like incredibly challenging conditions. But at a time when the global population of photographers has never been more sizeable, competition for resources has spurred several subspecies of photographer; those willing to operate at the fringes of geography, looking to the edges of maps and the tops of mountains to seek out that next great image. As technology continues to facilitate cameras capable of copping heavier beatings from their wielders, these extreme photographers are continually able to push the envelope of both the camera’s physical capabilities and their own, often culminating in never-before-seen angles of the natural world, or even capturing a previously unknown phenomenon. But what does it take to thrive among these bitterly cold or utterly hot climes? How does one keep oneself alive when surrounded by carnivorous megafauna or thunderous ocean swells? And perhaps less obviously: is it worth the risk in the first place? At a time of such fierce competition, have the extremophiles found a niche? Or does the reward not outweigh the cost?
Photographus mountainsis
For most Australian photographers, the concept of a mountain is somewhat far removed from at least our physical existence. But for perhaps some kind of subconscious reason, mountains have been an incredibly popular subject for photographers throughout the medium’s history. Ever since Ansel Adams himself pointed his unwieldy, beast of a camera at the peaks of California, Utah, and Nevada have photographers continued with this vein of mountain-gazing. But in modern times, this almost sub-discipline has changed drastically. With the resolution of Adams’ camera now achievable from your average mirrorless camera, photographers are continuing to push the limits of their vantage points in the mountains. Perhaps at the forefront of this is Canadian landscape photographer Paul Zizka whose move from his home of Quebec City in Canada’s east to the sweeping vistas
