18
MAY/JUN 2019
“I don’t think I’d
be where I’m at
from a technical
standpoint and
creatively if I
didn’t live here”
P: Tara Kerzhner
Tommy Ford: Where did you get that hemp
latte?
Jesper Hilts: The Humble Beet! (both laugh)
TF: So, how was your winter?
JH: It was amazing! Probably the best winter
I’ve ever had, coaching for MBSEF gave me
a lot of structure, having to wake up a lot
earlier. I was always just so excited to see
the racers each weekend, mainly to see them
progress over the season. Actually seeing
that tangible progress was incredible. But,
not even on the technical level, in their overall
confidence as a racer.
TF: What level did you coach?
JH: I coached the U14 girls: 11, 12, and 13
year olds.
TF: Did you travel much?
JH: No, not much, some travel to mountains
like Mt Hood and others.
TF: With waking up so early on the week-
ends were you able to take a lot of sunrise
photos this winter?
JH: Actually, I took one photo this winter, of
the Old Mill. It was incredible sunrise and
about five degrees out.
TF: That’s cold, you really like harsh
conditions?
JH: I think if I’m suffering in some way it usu-
ally shows in the photo. If there is an element
of some type of adversity, if there is some
kind of unique adversity you can tell in the
photo.
TF: So, you’ve gone up to Canada, up in
the Banff area recently, but are you mostly
shooting around the Bend area?
JH: Yes, Banff was incredible, I loved it
up there and will go back anytime I have
a chance. Mostly I shoot around Central
Oregon.
TF: What’s it like being an Oregon photog-
rapher?
JH: Amazing, I don’t think I’d be where I’m
at from a technical standpoint and creatively
if I didn’t live here. The ability to go up into
the mountains in twenty five minutes is an
advantage over say, Alaska where there
are days of preparation and travel time. The
learning curve becomes a lot quicker. Once
you get that kind of momentum, it’s really
hard to stop.
TF: You’ve always said you could travel
further to Washington or California, but is
there a lot here to learn from?
JH: That’s one of the biggest things I’ve had
to tell myself. As a photographer you want to
go to Alaska, Canada, California, Patagonia,
Argentina, to the biggest mountains in the
world. I don’t really have that ability to do
that right now. You have to have a budget
for that, you need people backing you, paid
shoots and sponsors. You need to have an
audience for those photos. So, I just told
myself early on, not to worry about that. You
can dream about going to Patagonia, dream
about going to the Himalayas, and all of
these places you see in National Geograph-
ic. I kinda also feel like I need to be present.
In doing so, locally I can practice the craft
of photography on a low budget with a small
footprint thirty minutes away.
TF: What interested you in travel photog-
raphy? Seeing the world?
JH: When I was 21, I got hit with Lyme
Disease and that was heavy. The only way
to feel better was to go hike up into the
mountains. Lyme Disease kind of affected
my brain and my spacial awareness, just the
way I felt in an enclosed space. In my house,
in a grocery store, or in school. It just made
it really intense for me. I ended up hiking out
in the woods, just to not have to feel that feel-
ing; finding new little places, little streams,
looking for wild flowers. At the time I was
transitioning, looking for a career, something
to grasp onto. What I did know, being in the
mountains was therapy and I always knew I
wanted to create. I thought it was going to be
a filmer, doing some type of video work.
TF: Did you have some other photogra-
phers at the time that influenced you?
JH: I discovered Ted Gore and got into
his work. He’s ultimately who got me into
mountain photography. Once looking at the
imagery he was making, I was hooked. Now
I’m obsessed!
TF: Back to the Lyme Disease a little bit?
How long were you sick?
JH: Well, I still have it. It definitely affects my
life. but it got better. It took about four years
to get to a place where I felt comfortable.
Just comfortable in my body, in my brain,
and in my mind.
TF: At that time you spent a lot of time
perfecting your photography?
JH: Yes, I spent hours in front of the com-
puter learning and perfecting the processing
of my photos. I spent hours and multiple days
at a time learning the craft.
TF: How did you learn to use a camera? I
know your dad took photos forever?
JH: This is going to sound corny, like a Samu-
rai with his sword. They carry their sword
around with them everywhere. It became an
extension of their bodies and they were al-
ways ready for battle. It was pretty much the
same thing with my camera. I used my cam-
era so much I was able to see what was hap-
pening and change the aperture and shutter
speed by using my finger without even hav-
ing to look at the camera. And focus without
even having to look through the camera. That
was just a product of using the camera for
so long and so much. If you do anything a lot
you’re going to get very proficient.
TF: You’ve dabbled in painting a little bit,
but what drew you back to photography?
JH: I love that photography is still real. There
are still elements of the image being realistic.
With technology you can manipulate things a
lot more, change the color, ad rainbows and
lighting boults. That’s not what I’m doing or
will ever do. There is this creative freedom
that didn’t exist fifteen years ago. What draws
me to photography is you can capture mo-
P: Jesper Hilts
19