{"id":22516,"date":"2017-11-23T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=22516"},"modified":"2018-07-31T10:27:50","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T17:27:50","slug":"the-story-behind-the-rei-holiday-photo-shoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/the-story-behind-the-rei-holiday-photo-shoot","title":{"rendered":"The Story Behind the REI Holiday Photo Shoot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before March 27, 2017, Whitney Anderson, Valerie Cleland and Vicky Ho were complete strangers. Though they shared a common bond as REI Co-op staff, the three met for the first time in Seward, Alaska, for our holiday photo shoot. They quickly discovered that sometimes a little adventure can be the best catalyst for creating lasting relationships.<\/p>\n

Located on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, Seward is home to only around 2,700 people. The quaint port city\u2014known for its stunning, rugged scenery\u2014provided the perfect photo shoot backdrop and inspiration for creating non-traditional, unexpected holiday traditions.<\/p>\n

\"Dora

After a day of scouting kayaking coves, the Dora’s passengers return to port in Resurrection Bay, Sewark, AK. (Photo Credit: Carina Skrobecki)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe wanted to show people a place in the U.S. that they might not normally think about, show them the wildest, most remote parts of our own backyard. We wanted to highlight the spirit of a small town,\u201d said Quinn Ianniciello, senior art director. \u201cSeward had something special about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The community opened its doors, welcomed Anderson, Cleland, Ho and the crew, and even offered them ideas for where to go and things to see.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The people of Seward] helped us in any way that they could,\u201d said Whitney Parsons, producer.<\/p>\n

\"Whitney

Whitney Anderson signs off at Kenai Lake. When your cellphones don’t stand a snowball’s chance, communication gets back to basics. (Photo Credit: Carina Skrobecki)<\/p><\/div>\n

At REI, we think it\u2019s important to highlight the faces of the co-op, and you\u2019ll see Anderson, Cleland and Ho throughout the holiday catalog. \u201cOur employees are the heart of the co-op,\u201d Ianniciello said.\u00a0 \u201cWhenever we want to find people who are experts at paddling and running and cycling and climbing and hiking, who better to look to than our own employees who live and breathe this?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a week this spring, the talented REI photography team documented the trio\u2019s excursions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did we not do? It was packed full of awesome experiences,\u201d said Anderson, who works as a manager at the Portland, Oregon store.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Photographer Carina Skrobecki documents a paddling adventure. (Photo Credit: Quinn Ianniciello)<\/p><\/div>\n

Some of the highlights? Snowshoeing on frozen lakes, paddling around Thumb Cove on Resurrection Bay, staying up late to catch the northern lights, boat rides and hanging out at a one-room cabin on the water. Oh, and making friends with local adventure dog Gus.<\/p>\n

\"Valerie

Valerie Cleland, Vicky Ho, Gus and Whitney Anderson in Seward, Alaska. (Photo Courtesy: Whitney Anderson)<\/p><\/div>\n

For three women who just met, they formed a fast connection. Anderson says a special aspect of working at the co-op is that whenever you meet other employees, they always feel like home.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be out there with two other super-strong, really adventurous women was awesome,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThere are a lot of times [when I\u2019m outdoors] and I\u2019m with the boys. It\u2019s very rare that I\u2019m with just a group of women. \u2026 I was able to be completely and utterly myself and let loose with those girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

During their time in Seward, they swapped tales of previous adventures and learned from one another. Cleland, a Seattle-based REI Outdoor School instructor, University of Washington grad student and, according to Anderson and Ho, a \u201csuper paddler,\u201d shared real-time kayaking tips while they were out on the water. Ho\u2019s live-in-the-moment attitude and excitement proved to be contagious. Anderson, who kept everyone laughing throughout the trip, shared stories from a recent cycling trip in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love about REI is that it brings people together who have a passion for the outdoors,\u201d said Ho, a Houston native who now calls Anchorage home. (Fun fact: When she\u2019s not working part-time at REI, Ho is an editor at the Alaska Dispatch News and writes a column about lessons learned the hard way in the outdoors.)<\/p>\n

\n

By the Numbers<\/h4>\n

11 shoot locations<\/p>\n

10 production crew members<\/p>\n

3 REI staff members<\/p>\n

1 adventure dog<\/p>\n

\n

In addition to the bond they created with each other, the three women also got to know the production crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crew was surprising. Not only how easy it was for all of us to bond and mesh with the crew, but to see their connection with each other was really cool. It was very obvious that these people were not only very passionate about what they do but they spend a lot of time together. They are a little family. It was awesome to be a part of that,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

\"Whitney

Whitney Parsons, Quinn Ianniciello and Carina Skrobecki. (Photo Credit: Quinn Ianniciello)<\/p><\/div>\n

One member of the team left a particularly lasting impression on Anderson, Cleland and Ho: Jim Gosnell, a senior tech advisor who has been with REI for 39 years. Gosnell makes certain the shoot happens accurately, safely and authentically\u2014whether he\u2019s double-checking that the gear fits properly or ensuring everyone adheres to Leave No Trace Principles during production.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of the most special people I think I\u2019ve ever met \u2026 just a genuine, kind soul. He made sure we were really well taken care of,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we were titling people, he\u2019d be the magician of the shoot,\u201d Parsons said.<\/p>\n

A telling example of Gosnell\u2019s thoughtfulness: One of the shoots took place at a cabin on a lake. Because of its remote location and the amount of snow, the crew couldn\u2019t drive their cars all the way up to the cabin. Instead, everyone trekked in about a quarter mile in deep powder with snowshoes. At the end of the day as the team wrapped up, Gosnell ducked out and placed lanterns along the path so they had light on their way out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention\u2019s worth a pound of cure. Every location presents its own challenges. I do what I can to keep the crew safe, secure and on track,\u201d Gosnell said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Whitney

Whitney Anderson, Valerie Cleland, Jim Gosnell and Vicky Ho. (Photo Courtesy: Whitney Anderson)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cNobody asks him to do any of this stuff. He just does it because he knows that it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

At the end of the trip, Anderson, Cleland and Ho wrote Gosnell a letter and a poem, expressing their gratitude.<\/p>\n

\"Vicky

Hilarity rules as Vicky Ho, Valerie Cleland and Whitney Anderson rehash the morning’s adventures over lunch at The Cabins at Kenai Lake. (Photo Credit: Carina Skrobecki)<\/p><\/div>\n

Today, the three women stay in touch and follow each other\u2019s adventures from afar. Though a simple photo shoot first brought them together, the trio\u2019s shared experience and love of the outdoors connected them in ways that will last far beyond their week in Alaska.<\/p>\n

The crew would like to thank the following people for their help with the photo shoot:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Bixler McClure, Seward Ocean Excursions<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Michael Brittian, Caption of the Dora<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Jeff Carpenetti, Kenai Fjords National Park<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Micheley Kowalski, Resurrect Art Coffee House<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Liz DeMoss, Seward Alehouse and Mom of Gus<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Gary Gasglow, Kenai Lake Cabin<\/em><\/li>\n
  • City of Seward<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Before March 27, 2017, Whitney Anderson, Valerie Cleland and Vicky Ho were complete strangers. Though they shared a common bond as REI Co-op staff, the three met for the first time in Seward, Alaska, for our holiday photo shoot. They quickly discovered that sometimes a little adventure can be the best catalyst for creating lasting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":22529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[388],"tags":[74,288,346,318],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-22516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-alaska","tag-featured","tag-holiday","tag-rei-staff"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/travel\/the-story-behind-the-rei-holiday-photo-shoot","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Story Behind the REI Holiday Photo Shoot","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/the-story-behind-the-rei-holiday-photo-shoot","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/the-story-behind-the-rei-holiday-photo-shoot"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Skrobecki_033017_0378_Hero-Crop.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/Skrobecki_033017_0378_Hero-Crop.jpg?fit=1500%2C700"},"articleSection":"Travel","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["alaska","featured","holidays","rei staff"],"dateCreated":"2017-11-23T16:00:22Z","datePublished":"2017-11-23T16:00:22Z","dateModified":"2018-07-31T17:27:50Z"},"rendered":"