Destination 3 Degrees and With My Own Two Wheels

One of the neatest aspects of a film festival is that you are not only surrounded by some of the neatest movies, but also, the actual folks who put their blood, sweat, money and hearts into it!

I was lucky enough to photograph Chris Aguilar a few times. He directed a neat movie called Destination 3 Degrees. The project began as a chronicle of the adventures of stand-up paddleboarders traveling between the Hawaiian Islands and blossomed into a great platform to raise awareness to the problem of plastic contamination. If you haven’t ever viewed how devastating plastic is to the environment, just google ‘plastic in the ocean’…it’s pretty depressing…

The first day I photographed Chris, he was promoting the movie and cause with paddleboard demo’s and lessons on the beach. There was also the opportunity to trade in plastic bottles for re-usable metal bottles. Two interesting facts I learned… 3 degrees is the difference in latitude between the Hawaiian Islands. And because of the ocean currents, even some of the most remote beaches are covered with plastic bags and bottles…I really like this image of the paddleboarder heading off towards the horizon…The second time I photographed Chris, he was sharing the message with Santa Barbara Middle School students:

Good luck to you Chris, the film, and most importantly, spreading the awareness of plastics! Another neat movie that provided unique photo opportunities was ‘With My Own Two Wheels’. I caught up with the filmmakers, Jacob and Isaac Seigel-Boettner at the Santa Barbara Middle School as they shared stories about the movie. Their goal is to show that the bicycle can be a tool that promotes change. The film chronicles the power of the bicycle for five individuals from different parts of the world.