Tales by Light (2015) s01e03 Episode Script

1
Every powerful photograph,
has a powerful story behind it.
Krystal Wright has made her name
as an adventure
sports photographer.
This takes an iron nerve,
instinctive timing
and a willingness to travel
to the back of beyond
all in the pursuit
of the perfect image.
She travels to
the blue waters of Vanuatu,
seeking the clarity
and light she requires
to capture the immersive
world of freediving.
That's what's
going to make people
sort of question well
how did you take this?
She then ventures
to the canyons of North America
where she will
encounter athletes
who appear to walk on air.
I can relate
to the mental challenge
that this sport does pose.
You know when I'm photographing
I tend to not think about
anything, you just do it.
Finally Krystle
takes to the skies
over the flooded salt
pans of Bonneville
to capture a sport that has
had an impact on her before
As an
adventure photographer
it's a lifestyle
that I live and breathe.
Though perhaps
it's also a mixture
of passion and obsession.
There's an insatiable
desire in me
to explore with
the camera in hand.
To try and capture
a fleeting moment
that encapsulates
the soul of that place.
Free diving
is an adventure sport
that has a captured
Krystal's imagination.
Former vice world champion
free diver Yoram Zekri
will be the subject of a
specific underwater image
Krystle hopes to capture.
Freediving for me,
it's my way of life.
When you free dive
you hold your breath
but it's not just a
question of metres or time,
it's just a question
of sensation,
how you feel inside you.
When you free dive you
are part of the ocean
and it's like you are
dissolved in the water.
Krystal
and Yoram have travelled
to the tropical
islands of Vanuatu
in search of the deep
clear waters she needs
to accomplish her vision.
Almost a year ago
I came up with this concept.
I was in the Mediterranean,
just got this idea
why not photograph at night?
We had a go, I got a nice shot
but it wasn't the shot that
I really really wanted.
And uh, the main thing for
the shoot to actually work
is you need clear water.
So we're going to head out
to the blue hole today.
Ooooh yeah.
Oh man look at that.
That's not so clear
as when I come last
time in September.
September it was like
15 metres deep
and you can see
the rocks at the bottom.
Yeah.
Now it's like
cloudy but we'll try.
The water
visibility is crucial
to achieving this photograph.
Krystal needs to do a test
dive during daylight hours
so she knows the exact distance
she can get from Yoram
and still maintain a clear
image once darkness falls.
Ooohh it's fresh.
When you come up
with a specific shoot,
you need to know
the environment.
So this morning was great
just to get in the water,
get a feel, what does
it look like underneath,
what's the distance I
need to work with tonight.
First I'm excited because
I just see the blue,
I'm like ah perfect!
But, as we get in the water,
there is just
sediment everywhere.
Sort of sat here for a few
hours going, oh what do I do?
But patience.
Right now as I look down there
I'm seeing pretty
much the bottom now.
So that means we've got close to
20 metres of visibility.
I just want to jump in
there and start shooting
but I have to be patient
and wait for the light.
The image that's been playing
on the back of my mind
for about a year now
it's really simple.
And that's the
thing I was taught
when I first got
into to photography -
keep it simple.
Krystal envisages
a single shaft of light
piercing down into
the dark depths below.
A canoe arrives from
the local village
to help direct her light
exactly where she needs it.
The thing
we need to do tonight
is keep the canoe
over the deepest part
and Takow -
the torch is just directly down.
The idea is
we get a light beam
coming straight down
and I'm just going to get Yoram
just swimming up through
that with a mono fin.
And with, you know, shooting
on a 14mm underwater
is just the blackness.
I think it's going to be good.
Yeah?
Again,
I think we just
it's just not
quite black enough.
Be patient!
A few minutes!
But then we
still need that light
more directly down,
that's the problem.
Maybe if
we fix on the wood?
Yeah or even here you know.
Attach it so it's on the water
and you tape it like
you want, straight.
Yeah.
With the
light-source secured,
it's time to embark on
the shot that Krystal
has dreamt of for over a year.
I think
with the blackness,
that's what's going to make
people sort of question
like "how'd you take this?"
and "where is it?"
When people look at my images,
there's a lot of space.
And a lot of space
because it creates mystery,
it creates questions.
You know I want viewers
to ask questions.
I don't want the
obvious to be there,
it's like they've
got to look at it
and try and put the
pieces together.
Ahh, who
would have thought
that you're shooting
the whole night
and you know I
couldn't figure out
how do you get the
fins to light up
because the beam's
directly down,
I could only see Yoram's torso.
Funnily front on all
I had to get him to do
was just swim diagonally back
and I was finally light
up the whole body.
It's a simple shot, you
wouldn't think so much
can go into one
thing but for me,
for my own sanity
and my own soul
yeah it's just this fulfilment.
I think that's why I'm
addicted to photography
because there is no
end or being the best
it's just continually
how do you grow,
how do you evolve
and how do you keep
pushing yourself
to make unique and
hopefully incredible shots.
Ever the nomad,
Krystle packs her bags
and departs the tropics.
The continuous travel
for her craft has meant
she no longer holds
permanent residency
for any one country.
She is now heading
back to a land
famous for its
adventure sports -
the United States of America.
Krystle is seeking a very
special type of athlete.
People who confront their fears
and appear to walk on air
Having left Vanuatu,
the tropical blue waters
and the incredible
green rainforests,
we're now here in this canyon
in North America,
you know 2000 foot walls
and it's a stark contrast
to where we just were.
Slack lining is a sport
in which we take a one inch
wide piece of webbing
and tie it between two
objects and then walk on it.
And the practice of high lining
is taking that activity
up to high elevation
such as the canyon
we are in right now.
When you're approaching
the line for the first time
you have a little
bit of anxiety,
a little bit of fear because
there's a ton of unknown.
And then as soon as I step
up it's like pure joy.
And a little bit
of anxiety still
because there's
a 2000 foot drop beneath you.
When you're out there
and you find the perfect
balance and the line is still,
everything just drops away,
and you're floating -
you're one inch from flying.
The image
that I'm looking for -
it's combining a beautiful
landscape and the action.
And when you're here,
you can see it's these
beautiful featured walls.
I mean you're crazy not to
capture that beautiful feature
while placing the action
naturally in the image.
It's the perfect
combination to work with
as an adventure photographer.
It's funny I find that
a lot of adventure sports,
even though they're vastly
different to the eye,
when you compare them
they actually have
a lot of similarities -
freediving, high lining -
both solo sports, definitely
both huge mental challenges.
I do have a little bit
of a reputation
as a screamer.
Sometimes it really
helps me to scream
and a movement to stay
standing or to feel powerful.
Falling,
it's pretty minimal impact
but it takes a toll
mentally for sure.
Falling over and over and
over affects your psyche.
My sister made that beanie!
I can relate to
the mental challenge
that the sport does pose.
You know when I'm photographing,
I tend to not think
about anything
you just do it.
Ultimately it all comes down
to can you focus your mind,
clear out any distractions
and just be in the moment.
I had a friend
who actually said to me
"you know you're actually
a landscape photographer
"but you just happen
to throw action figures
into your landscapes."
At first I thought it was
funny but then I realized
it's so true because
it's not an adventure sport
unless you have an adventure
and therefore you have to be
in a really cool unique,
landscape.
You look out over the flats here
and it is desolate
but at the same time
it's actually
incredibly beautiful.
It's a strange contradiction
but I do love being out here,
it's different, it's unique.
The radiant
salt flats of Utah
are the perfect
canvas for Krystal
to portray
another dynamic sport
paramotoring.
Also known as
Powered Paragliding,
this adventure sport allows
an athlete to get airborne
without the need for elevation.
The freedom of flight being
achieved by the power
of a two-stroke engine
strapped to the pilot's back.
The interesting
thing for me is that
I was in a major
accident back in 2011,
that's why I have this scar
that runs up my forehead here.
And I actually haven't
flown that much
in the last couple years
so it does play on my
mind a little bit about,
you know, what happens
if you get hurt again.
But at the same time
I love being in sky.
Once you're up there
it feels amazing
and yeah I'm actually
really excited
to start taking images because
I think it's going to be
a really cool different image
that I've ever taken
for paragliding.
With me today
we've got Shane and Justin
and Shane's going to be
our pilot in the shot,
the focus, and Justin's going
to take care of flying me.
Once again
on that rehearsal.
- Yep.
- Arms are like that.
This is going to come up.
And your arms are going
to go in between there
once you're up there.
But it's going to try and
scoop you just like that,
so you wanna try
and keep your feet
kinda forward, keep runnin'.
And it's going
to be like full bore,
keep on running, okay?
Run like you're scared.
To capture the footage
of Krystal's flight perspective,
cinematographer Abraham Joffe
takes a second flight with
Justin, Krystle's pilot.
Suddenly -
over the flooded salt pan -
the unexpected happens,
their engine begins to splutter
and fail without warning
Bit of a hard landing mate?
- Yeah!
- What happened?
That was
pretty exciting.
We were just cruising around,
filming Shane
as soon as we got
out over the water
I thought you
were playing with me.
No no.
And then
you just see the water
just coming in fast.
Yeah.
I am a
little concerned
that the motor will
start properly.
We'll see what things happen
but I'm still going to go up,
I'm not just going
to sit there and go
what if, it's just
you just gotta try
and if it works out it does
and if not it doesn't.
The untimely motor failure
has cost Krystal the remaining
magic light of the day.
She decides she has no choice
but to settle in for the night
with her team.
The first flight
we had today,
it was amazing
but at the same time,
a tiny bit frustrating
because as we flew today
the landscape just kept
getting better and better
and by the end of the shoot
I finally found
the perfect location
but I couldn't quite
communicate to the others
what I wanted because
the motors are going,
it's super loud,
also my pilot Justin
was telling me
"we're running out of gas,
we've got to get back."
So I knew that was
going to be the outcome
because you know it's very hard
to nail everything
on the first shoot.
So with the shot tomorrow,
directly down looking at
these beautiful salt craters
and having Shane
performing some wing overs
or spirals
and combining this into
what I would think
is a beautiful photo.
The new day
has stillness in the air,
perfect conditions
for Para-motoring.
Having spent the night
dreaming of a perfect
sequence of shots,
Krystal has even more riding
on this precious last flight.
With the recent flooding,
you've got all
the salt build up.
So you've got these sort
of cool like crust layers,
it's almost
it's like reptile skin
like all these scales.
The wind's really still here
so we'll get perfect
reflections.
These sort of landscapes
change so dramatically
throughout the whole day -
from the sunrise to the sunset,
midday, you name it.
Woohoo!
There he goes!
Woah, woah, woah.
Hey how was that?
Beautiful!
I think we
nailed that one huh?
I couldn't
stop shooting,
the light just got
better and better.
That was amazing.
That sunset
was beautiful.
It was all perfect,
you've just got
to keep shooting.
Cool, alright guys.
Good job.
Beer?
Beer! Yes please.
Photography changed
my perception of the world.
My eyes are continually drawn
to the ever changing light.
My perspective is now
constructed of depths,
layers and dimensions.
In the pursuit of adventure,
I find myself
hanging off cliffs,
swimming amongst canyons,
trudging through the rain.
All in hope that I
capture something unique.
Through these travels,
my experiences continue
to shape my life,
and my journey.