Issue Two of RANGE Magazine will launch in just about two weeks (January 21), and we are busting at the seams trying to keep the articles and artwork a surprise. However, we want to give our online community an in-depth look at the image-maker and adventurer who shot the cover photo for the upcoming issue, Meg Haywood Sullivan.
We adore Meg’s outdoor lifestyle photography and her passion for creativity, so featuring one of her personal works on the magazine cover truly felt like a perfect, yet natural match. The photo, which will be released this Thursday, January 8, captures a serene, snowy landscape from her travels to the Japanese Alps, setting the tone for the new issue’s winter vibe. Lucky for all of you, Meg’s partner in crime, Charles Post, got the inside scoop on her artistic style and how she first got into shooting snow.
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Meg Haywood Sullivan is widely recognized as one of the outdoor industry’s most loved female photographers. Her photographs have been published in acclaimed publications, including The New York Times, NationalGeographic.com, ESPN and Transworld Snowboarding. She’s also widely known for her role in front of the camera as a model and adventurer, featured in work produced by Teva, Without Walls, adidas and Nike. We’re sure everybody would love to know her secret. Is it a healthy dose of wanderlust, an intense passion for capturing the landscapes she explores and the people she meets along the way, a particular outdoor activity that keeps her stimulated and charged, or a deeper aim to create art true to herself and the lens through which she perceives the world?
Q. Instead of diving into the heart of our curiosity, why don’t we start with the basics? Tell us a little about you, where you’ve laid roots and where you lay your head.
A. First and foremost, I’m a New Englander through and through. More recently, I settled on the West Coast, serendipitously due to a faulty transmission in my cherry red F150 named Daphne. However, the travels that ended up bringing me to California were largely due to my upbringing, which exposed me to the open road. I grew up traveling the country in my family’s VW bus. My mom is a painter and my dad is a photographer, so I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Those early years really taught me to see the world with open arms and an adventurous spirit, which primed me well for my career in photography. Before moving out West, I studied photography at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but after a year of it, I decided that it was time to head to the mountains and pursue my education at the intersection, combining of environmental studies and photography. After many years of bouncing from Massachusetts to Brooklyn, Bozeman to Bellingham and Encinitas, I finally set some roots in the Bay Area. I really love it there. I’m drawn to this place because of the marriage of technology, creativity and access to the great outdoors.
Q. Many of us recognize your snow photography. Can you tell us about how you started shooting snowboarding, and how you managed to make a name for yourself in a male-dominated world?
A. I was once told that with a pursuit of passion, doors open. It really all started when my friend Aaron Robinson, a pro snowboarder, nomad and wanderer, took me under his wing and introduced me to the world of snowboarding. He only had two nickels to rub together, but was doing everything in his power to make his dream a reality. He embodied passion and showed me that if you want something bad enough, things fall into place. With this sentiment in mind, I committed myself to photography in the mountains, and a life defined by the perpetual chase of snow. Now six years later, so much has happened.
Q. Looking back on the last five years, what moments stand out as the most formative and memorable?
A. I’ve hitchhiked across British Columbia, crashed couches for weeks on end, slept in sub-zero conditions, and lived day to day with little income at times and big dreams. Along the way, I found solace in that I was following my dreams, and inspiration from the great riders and photographers I was able to work with along the way. With 2015 around the corner, I’m excited to embark on new journeys and projects in the works. And also, frankly, it’s nice to finally have a place to call home, a place where I can re-charge and plan my future.
Photos courtesy of Meg Haywood Sullivan
CHARLES + SYDNEY