Cannonball Cole and His Traveling Camera

Photos: World Nomads Scholarship - Colombia 2015

colemanlowndes — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 05:05:00 GMT

An unbelievable trip deep along Colombia's Pacific coast

Termales, Surf Town

colemanlowndes — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 08:27:00 GMT

After breakfast I made the full hike to Termales, 45 minutes on the hot beach hauling a tripod and a backpack full of gear. I was in search of some extra b-roll and possibly some follow-up interviews after getting a great one from Nestor and another surf club member, Santiago, the day before. I ran into Nestor and learned there would be another surfing class that afternoon, this time for kids younger than 5. I shot a bit of that class, watching as toddlers just learning to walk were becoming comfortable in the water on surfboards, sometimes 4 of them on a board at once, guided by an older member. Termales will truly be a surf town once this generation comes of age, and it was really special to watch the beginnings of it.

After the class I met a man named Davidson, a father who had two kids in the surf club. I got a great interview from him about how important the club is for keeping the community together. Without a motivation like the surf club, many young people leave the small beachside village to pursue underpaid and often dangerous jobs in construction in Medellin, the nearest city. Because of the surf club, the kids stay and maintain the traditions of the community of Termales. I was very glad to meet him, and after chatting with Jhonjairo again I called it a day and hiked back to El Cantil.

Surf Club El Choco

colemanlowndes — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 07:58:00 GMT

I had yet another stroke of good luck on the first morning waking up at El Cantil. As I was preparing for my 45 minute beach trek, loaded with gear, two fishermen rowed in to sell the morning catch. As we filmed them gutting and cleaning the fish right on the beach, I learned that one of the fishermen, Jhonjairo, lives in Termales and was going there next, his work day already done from being out on the water for many hours. He offered to row me in his handcarved, solid wood fishing canoe. I made it to Termales much sooner than I thought and I got to watch the coast glide by and chat with Jhonjairo about the area and artisinal fishing.

Once in Termales, I found Nestor on his porch shaving. He was preparing for the day and had a few things to do, so I explored the area by myself until he was available to do an interview and talk about the surf club a bit.

Termales is basically one stretch of road right along the coast with houses on either side. It didn't take long to see the whole town and soon Nestor was ready to show me around. He clearly is loved by all the kids in town, who kept running up to him to say hello or just walk with him for a while. He was reminding everyone that class was at 4pm and that they should be ready to surf!

Before class, Nestor and some older members of the club inspected and repaired boards and talked over the lesson plan for the day. Meanwhile, the kids either cleaned the clubhouse, practiced their balance on a tightrope outside, or joined in a big game of beach volleyball. Once class began, the kids hit the beach and were split into groups based on their level of experience. Some of the kids can really rip, even at 9 or 10 years old! We got some killer GoPro POV shots, and I included a screengrab in this post. I also swam out in the water with a GoPro strapped to my head to get some closeups. The class was still going as the sun was setting and we hopped on a boat back to El Cantil.

El Cantil & Meeting Nestor

colemanlowndes — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 07:12:00 GMT

We woke up and had breakfast at the eco-lodge in Utría before loading up some kayaks and paddling to the opposite shore to go on a hike. Fausto in the lead, we trekked through the jungle for about an hour before reaching a gorgeous untouched beach, where we of course took a morning swim.

Most of the day was spent on the water, traveling back to Nuquí to drop off Fausto and then continuing on to our next eco-lodge, El Cantil. We passed several coastal communities on the way, clusters of houses and docks that sit right along the water. The personal boats of the artisinal fishermen are parked right outside.

When we reached El Cantil, I had a stroke of good luck. I was unsure of how to originally approach my surf club documentary that would be filmed in Termales, a community about a 45 minute walk down the beach from El Cantil. I figured I would walk there the following morning to start looking for interviews and hopefully get to see a class. By chance, the head of the surf club and my eventual key interview for the doc, Nestor, was at El Cantil when we arrived. I met him and we walked along the beach toward Termales, chatting about the surf club and learning that there was indeed a class at 4pm the following day! We parted ways halfway to Termales as the sun was setting with plans to meet at his house the following morning and I snapped a quick candid portrait of Nestor in the evening light.

The Jungle Waterways Of Coastal Colombia

colemanlowndes — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 04:53:00 GMT

We were up before the sun and loading all of our gear into a tiny taxi cab outside of a small hotel in downtown Medellin. Brian, Gregg from WhereNext Productions, and I squeezed into the backseat and we sped off toward the airport. Once there, we boarded a small twin propeller plane that regularly ferries people back and forth from Medellin to the remote coastal fishing village of Nuquí. The flight was incredible, flying low over the rolling green Andes Mountains and getting birds-eye views of muddy winding rivers and small mountain settlements. When we landed in Nuquí we really knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. There was no phone service, and chickens ran around the small airstrip, ducking in and out behind a relic of a plane that once trafficked drugs out of Colombia.

Awaiting us at the airport was Fausto, who would be our guide and host for the next couple of days. He walked us around the village of Nuquí and told us a bit about the area and the community. We didn't stay too long because Gregg had scheduled a motorboat (lancha) to take us to Utría National Park, where we would spend the night.

The boat ride was about an hour and a half of Pacific waterways framed by pristine, dense jungle that spread all the way up to the beach. Speeding over the water knowing there was very little civilization or even human presence for hundreds of miles around was an unforgettable feeling.

We arrived at Utría National Park the only way possible: from the water. The deep jungle and mountainous terrain of the park is impassable, there is no road entering it. Its remoteness offered another new experience: being completely alone in a National Park. Aside from the two cooks tending the eco-lodge where we slept, our small crew, and the boat driver, the immense park was completely devoid of human life. After a long day of traveling, we enjoyed a beer on the beach at sunset and swam in the warm Pacific.

Photos: Cole

colemanlowndes — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 12:02:00 GMT

From One End Of The World To The Other

colemanlowndes — Sat, 5 Sep 2015 13:04:22 GMT

Hi there! I am an amateur filmmaker from the United States currently living in Mexico City. I left my job in Washington, DC and moved to Mexico in order to develop my craft and live in a new part of the world. Using the name Poor Bastard Productions, I produce documentary vignettes about unique individuals I find in Mexico. Winning this scholarship would be a truly special opportunity to take my work to a new level and bring me closer to realizing my dream of becoming a professional documentary filmmaker. The chance to work with a mentor like Brian is what excites me most about this scholarship opportunity (can't beat free travel insurance either, though!).

I am ambitious and a hard worker. I constantly seek out stories and individuals with the goal of building a library of compelling video portraits on my website, http://poorbastardproductions.com. I love cameras, I love editing, and I love connecting with people in a way that allows them to share their story and personality as accurately as possible. My experience so far as a filmmaker in Mexico and the fact that I can conduct interviews in both Spanish and English have prepared me to produce excellent work with World Nomads in Colombia. Thank you for considering my submission!

-Cole

Time Travel to 1864

colemanlowndes — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:10:55 GMT

I am a storyteller and amateur filmmaker. I have a passion for going out and using my camera to capture the world and the people in it, and this scholarship would give me the opportunity to do video work in one of the world's most striking visual settings, Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration. I am motivated and always excited to learn, so working with Brian and receiving mentoring on travel videography would be extremely meaningful to me. I hope to work up to being skilled enough to use my camera as my career and capture the world's stories professionally. Until then, I'll keep shooting as much as possible! Thank you for considering my submission!