CRAZY MOUNTAINS MONTANA, USA

This piece entitled “PSALM One, verse Three” was taken during the 2008 Primal Quest Challenge in Montana.  I was acting as photographer/documentarian for Team Nike-ACG/GoreTex which finished it’s nine-day race in 8th place.  Awaiting their return from a 40 Kilometer trek through the Crazy Mountains near Bozeman on day four, I was delighted to snap this shot just before the sun started it’s decent over my shoulder.  That experience along with this photo became very significant for me.  The thought of documenting an outdoor journey was the inspiration for all my subsequent cross-country trips.  And this shot was the control image for developing my workflow, equipment calibration and print prototyping, which followed.

About John:

John Hlavacs is owner/operator of his design consultancy called LIGHTSPEED SOLDIERS, which focuses on Athletics, Inspiration, Spirituality and an overall pursuit of Health and Human Potential. The bulk of his time is spent on Photography, Illustration, and Design.  In addition, he is currently working on a book about Athletes and Angels, and still finds time to Dabble in such arenas as Raw Vegan athlete nutrition, coaching youth sporting teams, and developing training programs for runners, family and friends.  A self-proclaimed kid-at-heart, here is Johnny in his own words:

I’ve lived in Portland for fourteen years having moved from Ohio in 1996.  Growing up in Cleveland, my earliest memories were either playing tag in the yard, or drawing some tiny picture.  In high school my focuses were Art, Academics and Track & Field.  It seems Art and Athletics were always there.  I graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Industrial Design, before starting my career with Nike as a Footwear Designer…  Where I enjoyed the perfect blend of Art and Athletics for twelve years.

In 2008 I started a new company and a new life, which can best be described as a journey of geographic, if not, self-discovery. For the last three years I have spent most of my time traveling the American highway system with a camera and sketch pad documenting the adventure.  This “Lightspeed Soldier Lifestyle”, as I like to call it, led to a considerable increase in my Faith and in my overall health, while yielding a wealth of beautiful imagery.  Losing myself in the American landscape, I took to the practice of recording the beauty of God’s creation with my Camera or pencil.  Largely removed from the digital world, my time spent outdoors afforded me an opportunity to reconnect with a more truthful expression of myself as an Artist, in the form of Photos, illustrations and essays

It seems that now, my life is built around the notion of creativity and beauty.  When it comes to Photography, I think the word ‘Fidelity’ (Faithfulness or Accuracy as it is defined) best describes my approach.  Though a photograph rarely ever captures the full beauty of a moment or place, my hope is always the same:  That the Truth of that moment be conveyed and preserved with Fidelity.  So the viewer may experience the sense of that place, even if only for a moment.

more at:
www.LIGHTSPEEDSOLDIERS.org