I have great respect for women traveling the further reaches of Africa independently, more so when they are European (Finnish) women with the passion to tackle challenges of the African continent with determination. In my personal opinion, Europeans and more specifically Scandinavians do not frequently travel to the far reaches of Africa (we have not…
Destinations :: Paradise on the Gulf of Mexico
The sand along the sea coast stretching from San Destin to Rosemary Beach, Florida, glistens like crystallized powdered sugar. Beyond these beaches lie the crystal clear and intoxicating Aegean-colored waves of the Gulf of Mexico. There is no other sand like this wind-weathered quartz which originated in the Appalachian Mountains hundreds of miles away. Over…
Skyway to Highway, Overlanding notes from a bush pilot
It seems Ramona Cox was born for adventure. She won’t share the locations of her favorite fishing holes, but she’s quick to share her survival stories with other adventurers, whether they travel by land, air, or sea. The Hollywood, California, native has adventured through 50 countries, pushing the limits of her comfort zones and navigating…
Twisties, Curves, and Canopies: A Journey Through the Ozarks
It’s All in the Planning We had planned the trip for a couple of months, poring over the details, making inventories of what we had and would need for a long-distance moto journey across the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. I would need to bring a new set of tires for my BMW F 750…
Children of the Road, A Life of Unconventional Norms
Heidi and Jens, full-time overlanders for 15 years, are the real deal. They’ve crossed rivers in Mongolia, the Canning Stock in Australia, and the salt flats of Bolivia. Jens boasts a Unimog tattoo from a parlor in Shanghai; Heidi cooks Kashmiri curry and speaks five languages. We met in Oaxaca, Mexico, in one of those…
Want to Write for Expedition Portal and Overland Journal? Here’s How to Submit the Perfect Pitch.
Photography by Jack Mac By the time the most recent issue of your favorite magazine graces the newsstands or appears in the post, its pages were already well-imagined, copyedited, laid out, and finalized many months in advance. If we board our time machine, traveling to a time well before the issue was put together, we…
The Overlander Film Festival is Back in Spring 2023
Exploring the planet by vehicle is no easy feat; avoiding danger, navigating perilous roads, and dealing with dangerous animals and potentially hostile areas while motivating yourself and your companions through heat, sleet, and occasional suffering. Try doing all of that while filming the adventure – taking the time to maintain your precious equipment, plan content,…
Modern Explorers :: Chris Burkard
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Winter 2021 Issue. Chris Burkard is best known for his work as an adventure photographer. But in more recent years, he’s built a warranted reputation as an ultra-endurance athlete. In the summer of 2019, he set a new solo record on Iceland’s WOW Cyclothon, completing…
State Change :: A Sinuhe Xavier Photo Exhibition in Mexico City at LOOT MX
Sinuhe Xavier | LOOT MX State Change 09-09-2021 Publisher’s Note: We are excited to announce this gallery event in Mexico City, featuring Sinuhe Xavier. Sinuhe has been an essential member of our team, and has also been a luminary of creative visual storytelling for travel, vehicles, and overlanding. Sinuhe’s earliest photographs of Land Rovers in…
Rwandan Legacy
There is a mist that hangs over this small landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley. The clouds fall gently over the mountains, quietly holding the land and shrouded forests even when the sun shines. Rwanda is not the first place you would visit in Africa, but it’s a short distance from Tanzania or Kenya…
Weather a Dull Moment
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford. Typically, what do you do when the weather isn’t playing nice? Weather is the defining quality of a landscape, and aside from the extra effort involved, the wilder it is, the more compelling your photograph. It determines the two most pivotal landscape features: lighting and mood….
The Dark Night Rises: How to Shoot Night Skies
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford. When done right, starry-night-sky shots are impressive. Astro-photography can seem like a daunting genre, but trust me when I say it’s an easier task to undertake than you think. A few hundred shots in, that light will be shining as bright for you, and I’m here…
A Distilled Guide for Travel Photography
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Lisa Morris and Jason Spafford You’ve got the basics of composition under your belt, and with a good skill base, you continue your love of photography as a fun and creative outlet. Who doesn’t love visiting places tucked away off the beaten track, brimming with photogenic shots? When…
How to Shoot a Minimalist Landscape
Words by Lisa Morris, photography by Jason Spafford Arguably, location is the most crucial aspect to consider when shooting minimalist landscapes. Certain places seem to lend themselves to minimalist photography more than others. Indeed, it’s possible to create minimalism in many locations with a carefully selected composition and the right lens. However, shooting from…
Water You Doing Today?
Words By Lisa Morris, Photography by Jason Spafford I’m always drawn to photographing water, whether in the form of white-fringed waves crashing on the shoreline to a lake as still as a millpond or the sheer power raining down in a waterfall. Shooting water is a tonne of fun and easy to create results that…
Soft and Hard Light
Words by Lisa Morris, Photos by Jason Spafford Light isn’t something you can hold. You can’t touch it, or feel it – it lacks physicality yet bears a presence. So to take pleasing pictures, you need to start treating light as the subject – a shape-shifting object with the power to make or break the…
How To Shoot Into the Sun
Words by Lisa Morris, Photos by Jason Spafford The sun, a brilliant round disk of light and warmth, can be tricky to encompass in a well-balanced picture. Due to an acute intensity of brightness lies an inability to view it directly overhead. Although challenging, with some inexpensive equipment, the sun is a dramatic image-enhancing inclusion….
How to Photograph Fire
Words & photos by Lisa Morris Whether you’re wrapped up in the warmth of a crackling fire indoors, red coals gleaming from the ash below, or sat around a cosy camp as tongues of flame flicker, it’s hard not to be spellbound by the amber light. It’s easy to lose yourself in the snap…
How to Shoot the Northern Lights
Whether you’re off to the northern reaches of Canada or Alaska, the Nordic countries, or Scotland this winter, you’ll be tingling with excitement to recreate the northern lights from photography you’ve been drooling over for goodness knows how long. Latin for the northern dawn, the aurora borealis displays a solar-powered jig of shimmering green swathes…
How to Shoot in Hard and Soft Light
Light isn’t something you can hold. You can’t touch it or feel it—it lacks physicality yet bears a presence. To take pleasing pictures, you need to start treating light as the subject, a shape-shifting object with the power to make or break the ambience. What’s stirring in one moment can leave no impact on the…