It wasn't until I started climbing that I realized the incredible impact my photography could have on people. While my climbs are rarely on the hardest routes or in the most remote areas of the world, climbing always brings about an opportunity to show life in a different light. Bringing the beauty of the mountains to the average person is usually my focus. I know I've taken a good picture when people see it and begin to understand why it is we climbers go to the mountains in the first place.

My profession is shooting and producing documentaries. So I've always had some type of motion picture camera with me, whether climbing ice in New England, the West Rib of Denali, Gasherbrum II in Pakistan, or the North Ridge of Everest. Not until after taking part in the 1999 Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition did my still photography receive so much exposure.

My ultimate goal is not only taking these pictures, but showing them to the public; it is conveying to people an inspiration to go out and tackle their own Mount Everest. While it's never easy to explain in words just why we go climbing, it is usually quite easy to convey our enthusiasm with the power of a single frame.