THE JOURNEY

Paddling Under The Light Of The Midnight Sun

PlanetVisible is a collaboration between three photographers and their passion in storytelling. Together they seek to Explore, Document and Share photography projects from around the world, with the world. Individually Jean-Luc Grossmann and Justin Hession work as professional photographers based out of Zurich, Switzerland. Karel Kukal, an early adopter of Stand Up Paddleboarding with extensive adventure travel experience completed the team.

The Norwegian archipelago situated north of Tromsø is renowned for its natural beauty and rugged mountainous coastline. Bathed in the light of the Midnight Sun it is a place that gives the chance to feel nature’s elements and to experience the iridescent light of a phenomenon that is by most unfamiliar. The Midnight Sun occurs from late May through late July within the Arctic Circle. The northern tip of Norway is then offering an opportunity for an extraordinary journey.

This was the setting for a self contained SUP adventure during the month of July. The team paddled under the Midnight Sun exploring the islands of Rebbenesøya, Grøtøya and Nordkvaløya in a region of pure untouched nature and very little civilization. To capture and document their journey the trio used both photography and a drone for stunning aerial still and video shots. Traveling with a relatively new mode of transport under the very unique light of the Midnight Sun, they seek to explore and share images from one of the most outstanding places on earth.

Check our blog posts for more behind the scenes images and stories:
Half way on our stand up paddle journey in northern Norway. https://planetvisible.com/half-way-on-our-stand-up-paddle-journey-in-northern-norway/
Be curious. Be adventurous. Be safe. https://planetvisible.com/be-curious-be-adventurous-be-safe

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ROUTE MAP

A TEAM OF OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS

Jean-Luc Grossmann

Jean-Luc confesses that the spirit of travel and adventure is strong within his soul. Born in Paris he has lived for the past 33 years in Switzerland where he works as a professional corporate photographer. He loves to discover foreign cultures around the globe and feels as much at home in the desert as he does on pack ice. His various trips have led him to countries as diverse as Greenland, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Namibia and Vietnam. Jean-Luc continues to explore all facets of travel and outdoor photography, encouraging others to discover the world around them and to be curious about the new and the unknown.

Justin Hession

Having traveled the world for 5 years as a backpacker in the 1990’s, Justin recognized his passion for adventure. After working on charter boats in the Caribbean his travels guided him from the depths of the Amazon to the foot of Mt Everest. He has kayaked the northern Alaskan rivers and road motorbikes across Mongolia in his constant quest for outdoor experiences.
With over 15 years as a professional photographer he has combined his profession with his love for adventure to push his storytelling in exciting new directions.

Karel Kukal

Karel was born in Prague and grew up in Switzerland. Besides to his travels and expeditions he works as a psychiatrist and accompanies patients on discovering their inner worlds. As a doctor in Zurich, he is part of a mobile crisis intervention team treating emergency cases in their homes. In his spare time Karel regularly retreats to the Alps, where he has trained in mountain and expedition medicine. Being a longtime lifeguard he is also a passionate water sportsman and loves to explore new and remote places.

IMPRESSIONS

We enjoyed the creative challenge of capturing nature’s essence on film and found it nice to be part of a team instead of the singular world of freelancing back home. To illustrate and document our journey we used both photography and a drone for aerial stills and video footage. The fact of being behind and in front of the camera was unfamiliar and exciting at the same time.
Working as outdoor photographers in northern Norway was a gratifying and inspiring experience. The photo studio and the flashlights turned into a huge photography playground lit by the giant spotlight of the midnight sun. With 24 hours of daylight, surrounded by these incredible sceneries it was easy to forget the time. Every evening, after a long and intensive day, as our cameras returned to their safe haven inside our pelican cases, we were saying to ourselves; ‘We love our job, this is what we live for.’

The images below are a selection of our SUP journey. Want to see more? Check our ‘selected pictures’ page : https://planetvisible.com/selected-pictures

SPONSORSHIP AND MEDIA COVERAGE

We firmly believe that working with collaborators and supporters enhances our ability to explore, document and share stories from around the world, with the world. We respect and appreciate different cultures and environments and enjoy the creative challenge of getting the right images. Journalistic freedom and integrity are amongst our core values. If you share our passion for combining photography and storytelling and would like to support our upcoming project, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Our sponsors benefit from high quality photographs and are free to use the full story and reports of our adventure. We are carrying professional photographic and filming equipment and intend to get coverage of our journey in various media channels such as magazines, newspapers, web and presentations. Our sponsors are mentioned in magazines, on this website and our social media networks.

If you would like to contribute to upcoming adventures with outdoor equipment, financial aid or need more informations about PlanetVisible please don’t hesitate to contact us at box@planetvisible.com

Typical outdoor photographic and filming shots: