Image by Ben Sturgulewski
Driven by a passion to capture the unique perspectives not yet thought of, Krystle Wright is a pioneering photographer and director from Australia who's accelerating awareness of the world's most extreme sports and athletes. On a continual quest to challenge herself mentally and physically, Krystle consistently brings attention to the demanding adventures and landscapes the public is rarely exposed to.
Krystle's assignments have covered all seven continents in over 55 countries—from the Australian outback to the Antarctic. Her images have been published in National Geographic magazine, Outside magazine, The Times, GQ, Red Bulletin, and the Huffington Post. She's also a regular contributor to the @NatGeoTravel Instagram account.
To share her latest adventures and lessons learned, Krystle joined Photographers Without Borders (PWB) Founder Danielle Da Silva as part of PWB’s ongoing “Storytelling for Change” webinar series. Below are edited excerpts from the discussion, which touched on Krystle’s experiences storm chasing, her journey from sports photographer to adventure photographer, career advice for aspiring freelancers, how to kit-out your vehicle for adventure photography and what home means during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Danielle Da Silva: You have a tagline “curiosity over common sense”. What does that mean to you? And how did that come to be a thing?
Krystle Wright: I never said that until I did a project with Garmin where I went to Norway to free dive with orcas. Someone on their team made me a little patch with a hand-sewn orca and message that said “Curiosity over common sense”. It's one of my most favourite gifts. But when it comes to curiosity over common sense, it doesn't mean you can just be a moron and be excused for it. It's having a curious sense of the world around you without trying to overthink and reason everything. Gosh, if we try and reason everything we do, nothing makes sense. We have to let curiosity drive our photography because if we overthink, then we hold ourselves back.
Images by Krystle Wright
Da Silva: What are some realizations you've had during COVID19 regarding travel and otherwise?
Wright: When that pandemic hit, I know all of us have been on an emotional roller coaster whether we’ve wanted to or not. I was a freelancer—and I feel like most photographers these days are freelancers. It's tough because we're always taught to say yes to everything. You can say no later, but you never do. You say yes to everything, and you take on too much.
The fear is, "Where's my next job coming? How am I going to pay the bills? How am I going to live?" Freelancers have the drive to work, to create, to be relevant. Personally, I was caught up in a cycle, and I didn't know how to stop it. Last year was one of my worst traveling years, because I was almost changing time zones every bloody week. It's almost like I needed the pandemic to actually reset.
I've come to realize that I definitely don't need to travel as much. For the first time since 2007, I finally got to be home for the first winter change on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. I've always come home and appreciated it, but I'd forgotten the little things.
Images by Krystle Wright
Da Silva: What’s your advice for freelancers?
Wright: All I can say is don't sell yourself short. When I started my career, I did shifts for free because it was work experience. You know when it feels right and when there's going to be return from putting yourself out there. And then you know when companies are being downright cheap to use you and your social media and your skill set as a photographer. But you deserve more. You deserve to be paid.
I keep going back to social media because it has replaced a lot of traditional marketing, but companies still have a budget for marketing. They should be paying for your work. It’s so easy to go, "Oh, I love your idea! I'll do whatever it takes to make it work." But at the end of it, you don't get paid. When you really stand your ground and tell what you're worth, stick to it. People will have more respect for you. But I know it's tough to fight for what you're worth.
You can watch Krystle's entire webinar by becoming a PWB Member. As a Member, you'll have full access to all Storytelling for Change webinars that feature notable photographer storytellers from around the world.