Jarett Juarez was born and raised 20 minutes up the coast in Tillamook, Oregon. This is what helped shape his deep rooted love and respect for our coastal community. On most days, he is up at dawn searching for waves or trying to capture the perfect morning light. His afternoons are spent exploring the maze of Coast Range logging roads in hopes of discovering new peaks to climb or trails to traverse. Evening are usually reserved for campfires with friends and camping in his VW bus. He loves this area and it shows in his photography. I think that is what makes it so special and why we are stoked to be working with him.
His gift is the ability to capture the true essence of our home. Through his daily travels to take photos, he sees firsthand the stress that is being placed on our environment. We worked together to come up with the idea of “Summit to Sea” and it’s based primarily on our discussions about wanting to raise awareness of protecting our community. Our hope is that it encourages you to do your part by picking up that bottle you see left on the beach, or trash dumped on the side of the road. Every bit helps!
We are thrilled to work with Jarett both on this series and also as our in-house photographer. The vast majority of photos on our website and Instagram are his and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his generosity. Please go to his website and social media sites to view more of his amazing photographs. You can also find him during the summer at many of the coastal farmers markets selling his images. Just look for the beautifully restored teal and white Volkswagen Bus he calls Roxy.
Here is a quick interview we did with Jarett for “Summit to Sea”, enjoy!
Moment Surf Company: Did you have a moment when you knew you wanted to do photography for a living?
Jarett Juarez: Ever since I was a little kid, I have always had a camera in my hands. What started out as a fascination soon grew into a passion. I started making money with photography my sophomore year of high school, it has always been my main source of income but more importantly, my drive that wakes me up in the morning.
MSC: What was your inspiration for your design with Moment Surf Company?
JJ: When we came up with the idea for a campaign called "Summit to Sea" I wanted to create a design that tied in the natural landscape that I grew up in, incorporating the literal elements of the view from the summit of the mountains to the rolling waves of the sea that shaped and is still shaping me into who I am today. I decided to step out of my "boundaries" as a photographer and merge three separate images I had shot into one seamless image that captured the essence of "Summit to Sea" To answer the question straight forward, my inspiration was this incredible place that I so proudly call home.
MSC: How long have you been making a living with your photography?
JJ: As I mentioned above, photography has been my main source of income since I was 15. After I graduated high school and moved out on my own, I needed to make more money than I was so I worked a number of various jobs from framing houses and pouring concrete to serving in multiple restaurants to working on an oyster farm. All of these jobs had one thing in common to me, which was the fact that I lacked passion for any of them. In the fall of 2013 I decided to put all of my attention and effort into building a career around photography. After almost two years of financial struggle and living in my van and friend’s houses, Now almost four years later, I am able to say that I have built a foundation for myself and my business where I can fully support myself with my camera.
MSC: What inspires your style of photography?
JJ: As an artist, the biggest factor is consistently finding inspiration. That inspiration is found in so many ways from other people's imagery to the natural elements of the environment you live in to just observing what inspired other people. It is always changing. Right now, I am very inspired by the outdoors and finding a balance between being outside as much as possible and having the ability to turn that into a tangible way of making images.
MSC: What makes living in the NW so special for you?
JJ: For me, the Northwest has always just been home. It wasn't until I started traveling to different places around the country and living in southern California that my appreciation for this region really became apparent. It is my (very biased) opinion that this place is one of the most beautiful sections of land on this planet. Being very outdoor driven my entire life, the seemingly never ending variations of landscapes always find a way to blow my mind. This place is so special for so many reasons and anyone who has spent any amount of time here, knows exactly what I mean. I believe that we are so blessed to be able to live and explore this area and that it is OUR responsibility to take care of it. I only hope that people who come here to enjoy everything it has to offer will love and respect it just as much as the people who live here. Enjoy your moments but leave no trace.
