Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Weiss.
Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up in Miami, I wasn’t exposed to mountains. Moving out west a few years back changed things. Over the past few years, my interests in mountaineering and photography have skyrocketed and over the past year I’ve combined the two to form “Jason Weiss | High Altitude Mountain Photography.” Instead of photographing mountains from the ground up, I aim to capture unique compositions from up high. Few people photograph from the summits of high mountains, and even fewer photograph sunrise from the summit of a peak. This often means I’m climbing in the middle of the night in order to reach the summit by sunrise. Many popular images we see are taken from the same locations, so I love exploring lesser-known areas and capturing views that few people have documented.
Based in Colorado, I primarily photograph our beautiful state but also love to explore other mountain ranges as each location has its own aura. Some of my favorite places include the Himalaya in Nepal, the Canadian Rockies, Alaska, Glacier National Park, the Sierra Nevada, the Tetons & Cascades, along with so many other incredible spots. Within each of these mountain ranges, I do my best to photograph them from rare vantage points.
I sell my images as fine art prints and showcase my art at juried fine art shows across the country. I participate in about ten to fifteen shows per year and then also showcase my work at art galleries in Colorado. My dream is to have my own gallery in one of our beautiful mountain towns. The art shows are akin to a mobile art gallery and can be a rewarding experience. They are an incredible amount of work but you have the chance to get your artwork seen by many. Despite being in the early stages of my artistic career, I was awarded three “Best in Show” related awards in the last year, which I’m incredibly grateful for. At the age of 27, I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Initially, I was doing photography work as a hobby in addition to my corporate job in the financial services industry. In early 2022 I departed the corporate world to focus on photography full-time. It was a difficult decision to leave the job given it was a great company and work environment, but sometimes you just have to go for it. We often have these built-up mental hurdles in place, but if we can get past them we give ourselves the chance to step outside our comfort zones and achieve great things. And the corporate world will always be there.
I lost my mother to cancer late in 2020 and nearly lost my own life in an armed robbery in 2021, which certainly put things into perspective. I didn’t want to look back on my life and regret never having tried to pursue my passion so I figured why not? There were a lot of emotions at first, but over time, you get past the butterflies and settle into things. Time certainly helps. It hasn’t been easy breaking away and starting my own business but it’s led to a new chapter in my life with some incredible experiences over the past year. I’m incredibly grateful for how things have gone thus far and I’m eager to see how my portfolio evolves over time. This is just the start so I’m excited to see what the future holds. Lots of big adventures to come!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I combine mountaineering and photography. Opposed to photographing mountains from down low, I shoot where few dare to go: atop the highest peaks at first light. I often climb for hours in the night in order to shoot sunrise from a summit, capturing rare compositions from up high. Without the aid of a drone or aircraft, I carry all my climbing and camera gear for each objective.
Most images we see are taken from the ground up. Photographing from the top down reveals beauty you often cannot find down low. The caveat to this is the work required to get to the top of a mountain by sunrise. The majority of my images required pulling an all-nighter as it usually isn’t feasible to sleep on the summit of a peak. Thus, if you want to be on the top to photograph sunrise, you have to start climbing very early (i.e. at midnight) to ensure you don’t miss sunrise. While there can be some hardships involved, the experiences are incredibly rewarding.
As an example, I recently spent a month in the Mount Everest region of Nepal and one image I was after was to photograph sunrise from the summit of Island Peak, which stands 20,305 ft. tall. In order to be on the summit by sunrise, we started climbing at 11:45 p.m. the prior evening, which meant having to withstand frigid conditions up high for hours in the dark. At 20,000 ft. there is roughly 45% of the air pressure relative to sea level, which presents difficult shooting conditions. Without supplemental oxygen, you’re very tired but need to keep focus. Your hands are numb, your camera batteries die within minutes in the cold and your body is worn out given you’ve been climbing for the past 6-7 hours. You’re also tied into a snow anchor on a precarious snowy ridge with steep drop-offs on each side. You must not let your camera and tripod fall off into the abyss. Everything is hard… But so worth it. It was perhaps the most spectacular view I’ve ever had and this experience encapsulates everything I love about mountain photography. Hard work pays off!
There is hardly a better feeling than watching the sunrise over a sea of mountains. It’s hard to articulate the beauty of the sublime transition from darkness to dawn to sunrise. Capturing these fleeting moments from up high and bringing them back to inspire others fires me up every time.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite author is Eckhart Tolle. “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” are two incredible books and I’d encourage anyone to check them out as they’ve impacted my life in a big way. Not surprisingly, I’m also drawn to outdoor adventure books. As of late, I’ve become very interested in high-altitude mountaineering and loved Ed Viesturs “No Shortcuts to the Top.” Big fan of Jon Krakauer’s books as well. I recently climbed a few 6,000-meter peaks (19,685+ ft.) in Nepal and my goal is to climb 7,000 m and 8,000 m peaks in the next few years. There are fourteen 8,000 m (26,250+ ft.) peaks on Earth and to not only climb one but to photograph sunrise from the summit of one is something I dream of doing one day. As you would expect, books in this realm appeal to me greatly.
There are also some incredible outdoor documentaries. A few favorites are “The Alpinist”, “Meru,” “Free Solo,” “Dawn Wall,” and “Valley Uprising.” The Alpinist, which covers Marc-André Leclerc’s amazing life, moves me every time.
Photography-wise, I enjoy listening to the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast hosted by Matt Payne. Matt interviews photographers from all over the world, and is often a wealth of information!
Apps also play a big role in making the climbing and photography possible. Studying maps of mountain ranges can be incredibly helpful when planning a mountain photography trip. My favorite app to use is FATMAP, which has an awesome interface and is similar to Google Earth. CalTopo and Gaia are terrific as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jasonweissphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jasonweissphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasonweissphotography
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Jf5dX4ELE
Image Credits
Headshot photographed by Chris Denu
