From a climbing bum to a sought-after expedition photographer, Jimmy Chin shares what it takes to have a dream job and to live your passion.

JIMMY Chin was wrapping up the day’s shoot on the Tetons, a mountain range in America’s northwest, when he heard loud rumbling sounds.

In a flash, a gigantic mass of tumbling snow and ice came hurling down and swept him away. Chin watched 100-foot trees getting yanked out as he was lobbed 2,000 vertical feet down the mountain by this force of nature. Just as he thought he was going to be ripped apart, the avalanche slowed down and tossed him out like a rag doll.

Though badly shaken, he survived.

Risking life and limbs, schlepping loads of camera gear uphill and hanging off a rope thousands of feet above – these are all in a day’s work for Chin, one of today’s most sought-after adventure photographers.

Caught in action: Alex Honnold free-soloing above the clouds on Mt Kinabalu.

Chin not only crafts heart-stopping images, he also makes kick-ass videos of extreme adventures. He climbs and skies professionally as well. Chin’s photos have made the covers of international publications like National Geographic, Outside,Climbing, and Men’s Journal.

Outdoor companies like The North Face (TNF) and Patagonia knock at his door for commercial shooting gigs.

In 2004, Chin was named National Geographic’s Emerging Explorer. Over his 12-year career, Chin has amassed a string of accolades and awards, including the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Foundation’s travel journalism award in 2010.

Last year, he teamed up with alpinist Renan Ozturk and sports climber/photographer Tim Kemple to set up Camp4 Collective, an independent production company that cranks out expedition videos for companies like National Geographic, Outside and TNF.

As a sponsored athlete for TNF, the leading global outdoor brand, Chin gets to go on epic expeditions to remote corners of the planet. His audacious adventures so far have included first ascents on alpine towers and big walls in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range and India’s Garhwal Himalaya; climbing the north face of Mt Everest alpine style (no fixed ropes and camps) and skiing from Everest’s summit.

Chinese American Jimmy Chin is one of the most versatile and sought-after expedition photographers today.

In 2009, Chin joined renowned alpinists Conrad Anker and Kevin Thaw, big wall expert Mark Synnott and Alex Honnold, and descended on Sabah’s Mt Kinabalu for a big wall expedition. They rappelled down Low’s Gully and clawed their way up a 762m granite wall over a few weeks.

“The job never gets boring!” says Chin, 38, in an e-mail interview.

“I could be melting water in a portaledge at 20,000ft (6,096m) and getting ready to lead a tough pitch in the Himalayas or trying to keep from getting stabbed by knife-wielding Libyans in the Ennedi Desert. I’ve seen a lot of different things go down, some amazing feats of human athleticism and serious life-threatening injuries,” he says.

And how does one define adventure photography? It is about going where few dare to go and seeking that “impossible” shot?

“It’s about getting a shot of something that inspires people, shows the infinite human potential and spirit, and opening people’s eyes to a different world,” Chin explains. “I think creating an image from a situation that few others could be in is also pretty cool.” 

World-class climbers Cedar Wright and Kevin Thaw scaling one of the world’s tallest freestanding sandstone towers — in Mali, Africa.

When I first tried to get hold of Chin for an interview in September, he was on an expedition and off the grid till early November. On average, he goes on two to three expeditions a year , each one lasting between three and 10 weeks.

“There’s a lot of travel, planning and adapting to different environments, and making the best of whatever fate decides to hand over. The amount of time I actually spend with my camera up to my eye feels so minimal. So, when it happens, I am trying my best to share the experiences, the adventure,” he says. 

In between expeditions, Chin travels for speaking engagements, works on post-production and shoots different assignments. He also makes sure to find time to train, climb and ski to stay in shape.

“Photography has allowed me to follow my passion, and it has become a passion,” says the easy-going Chin, who explains he didn’t set out to become a lensman.

His raison d’etre

Born and raised in Minnesota, Chin is the second child of Chinese immigrants. He was a straight-A student who swam competitively, played violin for 15 years and is fluent in Chinese. He studied international relations at Carleton College in Minnesota.

During a semester break, Chin got hooked on rock climbing after a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, in Southern California. Skiing was another childhood passion. After graduation, he decided to take a year off to climb, ski and travel. Chin ended up living out of a car for almost seven years, taking on part-time jobs to support a climbing bum lifestyle.

In 1999, whilst on a climb in Yosemite National Park, Chin toyed with his friend’s camera, took a photo and sold it for US$500. He bought his first camera after that. The rest, as they say, is history.

Despite the lack of formal training in photography, Chin has a knack for composition. In an interview with Bill Hatcher, a photojournalist and author of The National Geographic Field Guide To Adventure Photography, Chin revealed how Chinese calligraphy taught him the fundamentals of composing within a frame. Drawing Chinese characters “demanded attention to detail, and an eye for balancing the different symbols inside the frame.”

“When I started shooting photos, I didn’t really think too much about composition; it came naturally,” says Chin.

Mind-blowing experiences

Chin looks up to noted photographer-climber Galen Rowell. Dubbed the father of modern adventure photography, Rowell, who died in a plane crash in 2002, pioneered a unique style of “participatory wilderness photography” in which the photographer is an active participant.

One of Chin’s most memorable expeditions was the 2002 trek across Tibet’s Chang Tang Plateau with Rowell, Conrad Anker and alpinist/writer Rick Ridgeway.

“That trip stood out because I got to spend time with three of my heroes and mentors. I learned a ton on that trip,” he says.

The team traversed 442km of a never-explored corner of northwestern Tibet, hauling a 113kg rickshaw each, to track the migration route of the rare and endangered Tibetan antelope. Sponsored by National Geographic Society Expeditions Council, the mission aimed to protect the antelopes from poachers and conserve the species.

Not all of Chin’s expeditions are a success story, though.

In 2008, he teamed up with Anker and Renan Ozturk to tackle an insanely tough route on the northwest face of Meru Peak (6,310m) in India’s Garhwal Himalaya. They spent 19 gruelling days on the wall but were finally forced to turn back 100m from the summit.

“The expedition was amazing because it was such a spectacular failure. I’d never tried so hard on something and failed,” recalls Chin.

For 20 years, the route called Shark’s Fin eluded the attempts of some of the world’s top alpinists. “We barely got off the mountain. I will always remember it as being one of the hardest trips of my life,” Chin says.

I learnt that Chin was off the grid in September because he was attempting Shark’s Fin the second time with the same team. They nailed the summit this time around.

Hard knocks

Over the years, Chin has had somereallyclose calls. The Teton avalanche definitely takes the cake.

“I shouldn’t have lived, but I did. I got pretty banged up but I walked away from it,” he says. After the experience, Chin took a month off and went surfing in Mexico to “recover”. In an interview on National Geographic Live! Chin talked about the accident and the aftermath.

(NG Live! are short documentary clips featuring behind-the-scenes stories on explorers, photographers and adventurers)

“In your 20s or even early 30s, you have no sense of mortality... it’s important to do what’s meaningful to you, and you don’t want to take your time for granted,” he said on NG Live!

“The toughest part is surviving something and feeling like you have to go straight back into the mountains because it is your job and there are a lot of expectations of you,” he tells me. It took Chin a while before he felt like going back to the mountains.

“But eventually the draw of being up high brought me back into the hills.”

Downtime of sorts

Chin supports non-profit organizations like the Khumbu Climbing School in Nepal and Machik, an NGO focusing on building sustainable communities on the Tibetan Plateau. The Khumbu School is an annual initiative to equip the local Sherpas with alpine climbing and survival skills for high-altitude expeditions.

Home for Chin is at the base of Teton Pass (2570m) outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Chin owns a 3ha property framed by mountain peaks. Wolves, elks, moose, cougars and bears are the odd visitors.

“It’s rare I get to spend more than two weeks at home, so home is usually a vacation for me. I am surrounded by friends and family here, and it is an unbelievably beautiful place to play outside,” says Chin. “It’s nice to have a bit of time to catch up with friends or just going skiing or climbing for fun.”

By far Chin’s favourite way of recuperating from a big expedition is to go surfing in some place warm.

“It’s amazing to be in the water, feeling the ocean ... and there is no pressure to perform.”

Career high

For many writers and photographers, making the cover ofNational Geographicmagazine is like nailing the summit of one’s Everest. Chin has done both, literally. His photo assignment on Yosemite’s climbing culture graced the front cover of the magazine’s May 2011 issue.

“I’m not going to lie; I was really happy... It was certainly a life goal to get a feature cover story in that magazine,” he confesses.

So has he reached the height of his career?

“It’s hard to define what is the pinnacle. Is it based on fame, notoriety or the amount of money you make?” he asks rhetorically. “I’m far from it. There is always something more to do, to learn, to experience. There’s endless potential to seek as an athlete, a photographer, a filmmaker. I’m pretty excited to keep exploring.”

Any pointers for aspiring adventure photographers?

“No try. Do!” he says, simply.

“It takes a lot of gumption and tenacity to live the life you want to live,” says Chin. “Nothing comes easy. So if you feel you are taking a big risk in life, and throwing yourself at something you’re passionate about because you can’t imagine life without it, you’re off to a good start!”

Words to live by, for sure.