She’s photographed kayakers traveling from Mongolia to Russia, skiers gliding down the Barnard Glacier in Alaska, surfers on the Great Barrier Reef, paragliders soaring over the Himalayas and storm chasers in the American West. But in 2020, Australian adventure photographer and film director Krystle Wright started one of her most extreme adventures yet—staying in one place.

After being nomadic for most of 2019, Krystle found herself back home preparing to undergo surgery.

“Last year was one of my worst traveling years. I felt like I changed time zones every bloody week. I knew I had to stop, but I didn't know how. So I had a surgery done, which meant two months minimal recovery. Recovery is an interesting time because it forces you to stop and deal with uncomfortable feelings. Then, the pandemic hit—and I know all of us have been on an emotional roller coaster.”

Like many photographers, Krystle is a freelancer who's used to saying "yes" to everything.

But the global lock-down forced her to stay put for the first time in a very long time. With time to relax and reflect, she came to some monumental conclusions.

“I've come to realize I definitely don't need to travel as much as I have been. I'll gladly wind way back. I'm looking to create my own home for the first time since 2011. I feel human again. And it's nice to stop thinking, "I'm home for three days, and I’ve got to do this, this and this. I'm sure that's going to happen to me again here and there, but a lot less of it. It's nice to be still.”

For six months after surgery, Krystle barely picked up a camera. But she then got a call from the Queensland State Library asking her to be one of five Australian photographers to collect photo portraits and interviews with people coping with the economic fall-out of the pandemic. “The Australian economy has taken a huge hit. So rather than stay coastal where most of the attention is always focused, I went rural—up to 12 hours west of Brisbane—to connect with communities that often get forgotten about.”

While on the road, Krystle took the opportunity to follow one of her recent interests—storm chasing. Her 2018 short film about storm-chasers in the American Midwest, Chasing Monsters, was featured in the 2019 Mountainfilm Festival. “With storm chasing, I want to continue to educate myself because I'm fascinated by the world we're surrounded by.”

Since Krystle began pursuing adventure photography nearly a decade ago, her passions have led the way.

"Isn’t the point of life to understand the world we're in? I don't want to be blasé. I don't want to sit there and watch the news and be stuck in the same routine every day. I like being excited. I like being fascinated.”

While taking on extreme adventures, Krystle has suffered several accidents and bodily injuries—but she believes the reward continues to outweigh the risk. “I know there's always risk with what I do, but you know what? There are no guarantees in life. I could play the safest life possible and still not be guaranteed a long happy life, so I try to manage my risk where I can. Sometimes, I have to accept that certain things are out of my control."

During an expedition, Krystle was given a badge that read “Curiosity over common sense” and has taken it on as her personal slogan.

“When it comes to curiosity over common sense, it doesn't mean you can be a moron and be excused for it. It means having a curious sense of the world around you—and not trying to overthink and reason everything. Gosh, if we try and reason everything we do, nothing makes sense.

There's something nice about wanting to get out there. And if the only way to do that is by sporadically saying, "Screw it. I'm going to buy a ticket to wherever, or I'm going to drive a couple hours to make an image." Let your curiosity drive your photography because if we overthink, then we hold ourselves back.”

While Krystle finds her career choice extremely rewarding, one of the biggest rewards has been failure.

“There have been a couple times when I was on the verge of bankruptcy. I had maxed out my credit card, to the point where there was zero left on my account. And I had 20 bucks in the wallet. I knew I had to survive for a week on that, so I walked in the grocery store and bought a carton of eggs and bagels. I made it work.

But I can tell you, I've bawled my eyes out while calling my sister asking, "What am I doing? I'm half a world away, I've run out of money. How is this career going to make any sense?"

At those times, you have to think, 'Okay go get published. Go find a quick $50 job, or submit to a newspaper.' I knew I could build my way back up bit by bit. I had done it before, so I'll do it again. The thing with photography—it's not easy, but it's worth it.

You do have to build a good support network around you, like friends and family who believe in you. You're going to fail again and again and again. But you learn all your lessons through failure. You find where your limits are and how to push those limits.

What's the worst case if you really fail and hit rock bottom? For me, I go home. I suck it up. I find a way to pay the bills and build my way back up. Then, I try again. That's what photography has been for me—and it's still worth it."

To learn more about Krystle, visit her website or follow her adventures on Instagram @krystlejwright. You can access her Storytelling for Change webinar and the entire series by becoming a PWB Member.