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What is the most beautiful place
you have ever been?

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And, when you were there,
did you take a picture of it?

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Here's a place that tops that list for me.

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This is Mesa Arch

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in Canyonlands National Park
in Utah at sunrise.

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It's the traditional homeland

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of the Pueblo, Ute,
Paiute and Navajo people,

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and when you are there,

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it is absolutely stunning.

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The sunrise illuminates
the bottom of the arch orange,

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and then behind it you see the buttes
and clouds and cliffs.

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But, what you might now see
from my photo here

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is the 30 people behind me
who are also taking photos,

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and these are just the committed people,
the sunrise people, right?

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So when you think about that,

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there must be hundreds if not thousands
of photos of Mesa Arch taken every week.

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I've been sharing my photography
on Instagram for years,

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and it started to become
really interesting and funny even

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just how many similar photos
of the same places

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I've started to see online.

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And I was participating in it.

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So this made me wonder,

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why are we taking photos
in the first place?

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Sometimes I visit a popular landmark --

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this one is Horseshoe Bend in Arizona --

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and I see all the people
with their phones and cameras out

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who snap a photo

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just to turn and get back in the car,
walk back to the trailhead.

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And sometimes it seems like

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we are missing the point

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of going to this place
to experience it for ourselves

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or to see it with our own eyes.

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When I'm behind the camera,

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I notice the smallest details:

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the layers of light in the mountains

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as the light fades at the end of the day;

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the shapes that nature so expertly makes,

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abstract and yet completely perfect.

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I could go on and on here musing
about the intricacies of this planet

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and the way that it makes me feel.

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Photographing the beauty
and complexity of this world

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for me is like making a portrait
of someone that I love,

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and when I make a photograph,

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I have to think about
what I want it to say.

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I have to ask myself
what I want it to feel like.

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When you're communicating
through an image,

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every creative choice matters.

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Sometimes, I plan to share my images,

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and other times I take them
just for myself.

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I currently host a video series
on the future of the outdoors,

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and for one of the episodes
we wanted to explore

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the relationship between
photography and outdoor spaces.

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I learned about the research
of Kristin Diehl and her colleagues at USC

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who studied photo-taking's
effect on enjoyment levels.

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They found that, when we were
behind the camera,

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when we're the ones taking the picture,

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we enjoy our experiences more, not less.

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But it wasn't true all the time.

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If the person took the photo
solely with the intention of sharing it,

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there was no increase in enjoyment,

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because they didn't do it for themselves.

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So this points to
an important distinction:

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photography can enhance your experience

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if it's done intentionally.

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The intention piece is what matters.

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As a photographer, I've really
had to check myself on this.

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When does it help me
to have my camera out?

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And when do I just need to put it away?

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On a trip to Alaska, I had the opportunity
to photograph Alaskan brown bears.

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I was on a boat with
four other photographers,

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and we were all having our minds blown

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at the same time

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in such close proximity to these animals.

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And it's an emotional experience.

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Being eye to eye with these bears
gave me a feeling of connection

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that transcends words,

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and having my camera with me
in this case enhanced that.

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We were all creating independently,
but also all completely in the moment,

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both with nature and with each other.

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I so clearly remember capturing
the water droplets

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and the motion as the bears swam

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and the cute cubs following their mothers.

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That group and I will have
that experience together

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and these images to look back on
time and time again,

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and photography is what enabled us
to share this in the first place.

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Other times, I choose
to leave the camera behind,

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and I think that choice ultimately
improves both my experience

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and my work.

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I recently flew to
the South Pacific island of Tonga

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to swim with humpback whales.

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I noticed myself feeling pressure

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and a certain obligation
to take the camera with me,

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when sometimes I just wanted
the pure experience itself.

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And the experience is seriously amazing.

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You're talking about being in the water

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with a curious baby animal
the size of a station wagon

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while you are surrounded by particles
that float around you like glitter

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and the mom swims gracefully below you.

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There were times, obviously,
when I did take my camera with me,

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and those were really amazing
to capture as well,

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but the set-up is pretty big.

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It's like this big box.
This is what it looks like.

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And so this is between me and the whales,

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and at times that feels like a block
between you and reality.

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Is there a difference
when it's just your phone?

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Last year I went to Ularu
in central Australia,

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which is this massive rock
that towers over the desert.

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This is sacred land to Anangu,

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who are the Aboriginal
people from this area

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and the traditional owners of the land.

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There are particular spots in Ularu
that you cannot photograph professionally

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because they are culturally sensitive,

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equivalent to sacred scripture to Anangu.

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So because of this, most of my photographs
are from either far away, like this one,

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or from specific angles in the park.

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You could say that some of the most
interesting and beautiful visuals in Ularu

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are located in these sensitive areas,

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but the request not to photograph them
is an explicit and direct invitation

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to learn more about the land,
its importance, and its people.

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Isn't that what we should be doing anyway?

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So my visit to Ularu
quickly became not about me

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but about connecting with the place.

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Ironically and unsurprisingly,

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I have found that presence and connection

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also happens to make
for more compelling images.

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We can probably all point to social media

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as being a good place to share the images
from our travels and from our lives.

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We not only share pieces
of the world that we have seen,

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but also parts of our
day-to-day experiences,

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and if we're applying intentionality
to the photos we take,

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then hopefully we're sharing
intentionally too.

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For me, allowing people to see pieces
of my story and my perspective online

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has reminded me that I'm not alone.

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It's helped me build support and community

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to do the same for others.

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Let me be clear:

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I am not trying to discourage you
from taking photos.

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Even if thousands of people
have been to whatever exact location

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and taken whatever exact photo,

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I encourage you to get out and create too.

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The world needs every
voice and perspective,

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and yours is included.

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But what I'm trying to show you
is that the phone or camera

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doesn't have to stay out all the time.

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What I'm trying to encourage you to do

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is to put it away, just for a moment,

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a moment for you.

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So let's go back to Mesa Arch,

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the way that the rock glows orange

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and the lovely layers of blue
in the background.

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What if the next time
you were somewhere amazing,

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you couldn't bring your camera or phone?

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What if you were not allowed
to take any pictures at all?

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Would it feel like a limitation?

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Or, would it feel like a relief?

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So what can we do?

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Well, the next time you feel the impulse
to take out your camera or phone,

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or, in my case, once you realize
you have already pulled it out,

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first, stop, pause,

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take a deep breath,

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look around. What do you notice?

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Are you experiencing
this moment with someone else?

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Remember that this moment only comes once.

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Photography can be part
of a beautiful experience.

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Just don't let it be a block
between you and reality.

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Be intentional,

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and don't lose a beautiful,
irreplaceable memory

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because you were too focused
on getting the shot.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)