"I do the same thing over and over, improving bit by bit. There is always a yearning to achieve more. I'll continue to climb, trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is." — Jiro Ono, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
I've seen it once but know the gist of it by heart. The stubbornness is something I recognise.
Reaching high altitudes takes you to the extremes — mentally and physically. The air gets thinner, every step becomes an exhausting exercise. Paradoxically I thrive the higher I get. For me, experiencing the grandness of this world doesn't happen on a beach with an infinite horizon. It happens on the climb, when the mountain doesn't restrict the view — it gives infinity a fixed point to start from.
I never liked the descent. But it's equally important. How else would you reach the next peak?
This image is from a three-year global commission for Swarovski Optik — some of the most extraordinary locations I've ever worked in. This particular frame: Ecuador, just under 5,000 metres. 2007. Never cracked the 5k mark. That's for another adventure.