The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the whole world, and we are all practicing social distancing. We want to use ViewPoints as a place of support. We are calling on the global community to stay home and stay creative with DJI. While we are facing a difficult time, we can turn it into an opportunity. Do something. Learn a new skill. Overcome a challenge. Whatever you choose to do, capture it and share it with the world. Add #StayHomeStayCreative to your social media post to connect with others making moments in the safety of their homes. Every Friday, we will reward one contributor with a DJI product to show our appreciation.
Our latest winner, Connor Naasz, is a photographer from California. A born traveler and adventure-seeker, Connor mixes the awe-inspiring elements of nature with clever plays on shot composition and photo editing to create often mind-bending images. While facing stay-at-home orders in his neighborhood, Connor reached out to a tiny traveling friend to document a magical journey from his own backyard. Welcome to the Backyard Circuit.
Q: What inspired you to start this series?
A: Over the past few years, I have really enjoyed getting outside and photographing my travels, which have taken me to some incredible places around the world. Due to the recent events, I was looking for ways that I could portray that same sense of adventure but from the familiarity of my own backyard. This quest got me thinking and I eventually came up with the idea of documenting a figure’s journey around the backyard on what I called the “backyard circuit”.
Q: Does the tiny traveler have a backstory? A name? A destination?
A: This is actually one of the questions that I get asked a lot! As it turns out, his backstory is just as mysterious as his sudden appearance on our social media feeds…. Is he a former office exec who, inspired by Indiana Jones, has always longed for a life of adventure? Or perhaps he’s the mythical mountaineer who is often whispered about among the hiking community. All I know for certain is that his goal in life has always been to complete the backyard circuit. I do like the sound of Tiny Traveler though – that might just stick!
Q: You’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from people who are in need of cheering up. How does this make you think about the power of creativity?
A: I just want to start by saying that I am extremely humbled by the number of positive reactions that I have gotten on this series and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has chosen to follow this tiny traveler’s larger-than-life adventures. It greatly impacts my work and I find that it has really pushed my creativity as I challenge myself to create new and unique compositions. Starting out, I had no idea of the impact this would have, but now seeing so many people around the world tagging me in their own tiny backyard adventures is incredible. The creativity of their shots just blows me away! Seeing all of this really showcases how we can all come together during a time like this and inspire each other creatively. It’s a really cool thing to see!
Q: Where’s the first place you – and maybe the tiny traveler – are going, once this is all over?
A: Once it becomes safe to travel, I’ll be hitting the road to the Eastern Sierras and you can bet that the lil’ dude is coming with!
