Words and Photos Bring the Lives of Oregon Athletes into Clear Focus

Some of Ben Kitching’s favorite childhood memories are from camping and road trips to national parks. It was in those places he became enthralled with stories of adventure. He poured through pages of Backpacker Magazine and watched videos of climbing, and got his first taste of the backcountry on a whitewater canoe expedition to Alaska as a Boy Scout. “There were endless possibilities around each turn of the river. I’d never felt more alive in my life,” he said. Exchanging experiences as a collegiate athlete and admission to a prestigious medical school program for his camera, Kitching works as a professional photographer in Central Oregon. His Oregon Outdoor Athlete Project, a multiyear pursuit to create 100 athlete profiles, is a way to find an intersection between his love for the outdoors and his livelihood.

Using stacked images, he uses negative spaces of his photographs to help emphasize the action in a secondary image, resulting in visual storytelling that conveys more about a subject than a traditional environmental portrait. In interviews with his subjects, athletes share their personal stories. “Sports bring out emotion and nature adds another dimension,” Kitching said. “There are so many stories to tell, and I love telling them.”

Learn More about the Oregon Outdoor Athlete Project

The following interviews have been edited from their original format for clarity. Visit oregonoutdoorathleteproject.com to discover more athletes and read their full interviews with Ben Kitching.

Listen to Adam Short’s interview with Ben Kitching on The Circling Podcast at BendMagazine.com/podcast.

From a Few of the Athletes

JT Hartman: Whitewater Kayaker

“The whitewater community is incredibly tight-knit just by the nature of what we do. The bonds that you form with these people, even on an easy chill day on the water, are different. There’s a certain amount of inherent connection and trust that you have to have with somebody to put yourself in these situations and feel ok about the potential outcomes. Struggle really bonds people…[on the river] that point of commitment, realizing that your only option is to continue downstream is in my mind one of the most peaceful moments…Realizing whether you’re afraid or not, you know what needs to happen. You have to put trust in yourself that you’re going to know how to handle the situation and continue. There’s a lot of beauty in that, that comfort with the point of no return. It’s humbling, continuously. You’re not going to win against the river.”

Erica Raggio: Ultrarunner, Climber and Skier

“I still remember the first time I ever ran three miles. I thought it was the greatest thing I could ever accomplish. Then, I just kept running farther and farther. Running became this thing that made me feel independent and powerful. It made me feel strong. It made me love who I was. For a while, I thought a 50k was the hardest thing in the world. It was brutal. It was so hard but, your body adapts if you just keep pushing it. My latest race was a 100 miler I did this year. I felt like I was able to almost unlock a new part of my brain where I was able to acknowledge the pain I was experiencing but not let the pain control me. I think the idea is that you always have more to give than you think you do, whether it be emotionally or physically or mentally. I think your biggest competitor ends up being yourself.”

Wyatt Pace: Waterfall Hunter

“People say, ‘Don’t go chasing waterfalls,’ and they are wrong. For me, it’s all about the adventure and the journey to get there…a whole day of strenuous adventure. It feels like modern day exploration, going to places that don’t exist on your apps, on your maps. There is data out there that suggests there are crazy amounts of falls that haven’t been mapped out yet. There are probably more off-trail waterfalls than the trailed ones. I would say more than half of them aren’t known to the public. The crazy part is discovering and exploring those places. The first couple of steps are always the hardest, looking back [asking] ‘What shenanigans am I about to get into? Is it worth it?’ [But] this is almost my spirituality at this point…being out here, soaking in some negative ions is the closest I come to a higher power.”

Ann Hazelnutt: Climber

“When I found climbing, I was about 16 years old. There is this grit and tenacity that comes with trying something that maybe seems impossible. I think that mentality really transfers to the rest of my life. I think climbing has given me so much confidence. I want to be outside, hearing the birds, just being outside all day. There’s something really special about that. The connection and getting dirty. Understanding that we’re just animals on our own quest. It really puts a lot of the climbing experience into perspective. I just feel like a superhero when I’m climbing slab. I love how creative you can be on it. On top of that, it’s just a mental challenge. It’s scary, that moment where I feel like I believe in myself and something’s possible, it’s just a fun way to learn. It’s just puzzles and it’s your body and it’s playing. It’s being a kid again.”

Anna Soens: Mountain Biker, Skier and Boater

“Skiing has been the most empowering adaptive sport that I found. I can ski anything on this mountain that anyone else can so it’s kind of liberating that way. I can go fast. I can cruise around. I don’t feel disabled when I’m skiing.It’s a challenge. It’s rejuvenating. It’s being able to disconnect and kind of reset. It reminds me to be in the present. I think slowing down is a big piece of it. The non-negotiables that nature gives you are always changing and dynamic. I think that’s what keeps it interesting. You never know how it’s going to go. I’m always pushing myself and trying to find steeper skiing, more technical terrain, and I think there are always ways to push yourself. You value and cherish every time you are out there.”