En 2016, Stefanie Payne et Jonathan Irish ont parcouru les Etats-Unis d’Amérique, pendant une année entière. Mais attention, ce road trip, n’est pas un voyage photo anodin non, leur projet incroyable : explorer les 59 parcs nationaux des Etats-Unis, le tout en 52 semaines !

Jonathan Irish est un photographe de voyage installé à Washington DC, c’est un professionnel de la photo de paysage, du monde extérieur, de l’aventure. Il est représenté par National Geographic Creative. Il travaille régulièrement pour des médias tels que National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times, BBC, CNN etc. 

Avant cette majestueuse aventure, Stefanie Payne travaillait à la NASA comme créatif et communicante. Quand elle ne parle de l’histoire de l’exploration de l’espace par l’homme, elle écrit à propos de l’exploration sur Terre, avec des articles qui ont été publiés dans The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Travel Channel, The National Geographic Society etc.

The Greatest American Road Trip  a commencé le 1er janvier 2016 et a pris fin le 31 décembre 2016. Nous avons voyagé toute l’année sur les routes à bord d’un 4×4 SUV avec une remorque Airstream,. Les 59 parcs nationaux des Etats-Unis, en 52 semaines, soit environ un parc par semaine. Avec des parcs dans les Caraïbes, le nord de l’Alaska, les Samoa américaines dans le Pacific et partout entre, c’était un projet ambitieux, mais réalisable. Nous avons soigneusement planifié notre itinéraire et nous avons envisagé toutes les éventualités, pour pouvoir ainsi photographier le meilleur de chaque parc en une année.

De leur incroyable voyage, Stefanie et Jonathan ont ramené de magnifiques photos, mais aussi des vidéos, time lapse, 360° VR. Pour mettre en place leur road trip, ces deux aventuriers ont eu la chance d’être soutenus par des partenaires tels que : Fujifilm, National Geographic Travel, Airstream etc. Au cours de cette expédition, ils ont fait face aux magnifiques paysages qu’offrent les parcs nationaux des Etats-Unis. Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, la vallée de la mort etc. Des lieux riches et variés, qui renferment chacun leur propre faune et flore.

 

Découvrez un aperçu de ce projet photo colossal, à couper le souffle !

 

I sometimes wonder how many beautiful sunrises and sunsets we’ve seen this year. It’s an unusual year…one where we are spending the entire year doing nothing but capturing as much beauty as we can. This means we’ve been awake at 5:00 am more times than I can remember, and have stood open-jawed at more gorgeous sunsets than one should be allowed in a year. Needless to say, we’ve seen a lot of beauty this year and we never forget just how lucky we are to witness it. Here, @istefpayne takes in the setting sun at our campsite at Bear Glacier after an amazing day of kayaking among icebergs. • Kenai Fjords National Park (31 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16-55mm F2.8 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #findyourpark #NPS100 @natgeo @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @usinterior @airstream_inc #MHWAmbassador @mountainhardwear @reallyrightstuff

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

 

Next up: Alaska. We visited Alaska in the summer and spent a majority of the time in the backcountry (i.e. far away from any lines of communication). We saw all eight national parks up there and needless to say, we have some catching up to do. So let’s get right to it. First up, Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska. Glacier Bay reminded us of the Pacific Northwest…beautiful water and sea life with fantastic mountains. This park is also one if the best places to see humpback whales up close and personal. This one, in particular, blew our minds with endless whale slapping (right near the boat!) followed by some epic breaches out of the water. This is one of my favorite shots from the experience, as it really shows the power (and water displacement) this huge whale can produce. • Glacier Bay National Park (30 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF50-140mm F2.8 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #findyourpark #NPS100 @natgeo @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @usinterior @airstream_inc #MHWAmbassador @mountainhardwear @reallyrightstuff

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

Simply getting to your destination can be a lot of fun. In order to reach the Subway in Zion National Park, you have to literally walk over waterfalls. What a surreal and smile-producing experience to walk up these and several other cascading falls. It was all I could do to not spend hours photographing the many different falls along the hike. Someday, I will do this hike again without the intention of ever reaching the Subway but simply spending endless amounts of time photographing the waterfalls on the hike there. So much to photograph and explore, yet only one life in which to do it. -sigh- Those who say they are bored or uninspired need only to venture a bit into nature for the cure Zion National Park (19 of 59) Shot withFUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16-55mm F2.8mm lens #59in52 #onassignment #findyourpark @natgeo @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @usinterior @nationalparkservice @airstream_inc @goparks @reallyrightstuff #ad

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

It doesn’t get much better than this. We camped in a lot of incredible places last year. But this one, with this view just steps away, takes the cake. This is in the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park, and it is not an easy hike through the eight miles of ups and downs of elephant canyon to get here. But man oh man, this view is worth every inch of effort. This is a selfie shot of the first morning light illuminating the needles of elephant canyon. Absolutely breathtaking. For those of you looking to see this for yourselves, take note: you can reserve campsite CP1 (Chesler Park 1) in the Needles section as well, wake up early and walk out your back door to see this site. This was definitely one of the best campsites we found in any of the national parks. Just be sure to bring lots of water! • Canyonlands National Park (51 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16-55mm F2.8 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #NPS100 @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @airstream_inc @natgeo @visitutah #love #instagood

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

We had some amazing camping experiences on our yearlong trip to visit every national park in the United States. This one, at Great Sand Dunes NP, will be one of the more memorable. Sleeping under the stars while tucked into the high dunes was just so great. We watched in awe as the sun went down, made a backpacker dinner while digging our toes into the sand, had a sip (or several) of whiskey as the stars started to dance in the sky, slept like babies on the soft sand, and woke up for a blissful sunrise with a cup of coffee in hand, all with the one you love. My very definition of perfection. • Great Sand Dunes National Park @greatsanddunesnp (47 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16-55mm F2.8 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #NPS100 #ColoradoLive @VisitColorado @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @airstream_inc

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

I have to admit, I am starting to become a little bit worried that I am going to become known as « that photographer who takes a lot of bison photos ». I guess there are worse things, right? Besides, I love these bison. They may be smelly, gigantic prehistoric beasts, but they have a certain grace and pride. I also love how they are communal and take care of each other in the herd. I’ve said before that early morning is my favorite time of the day, and this photo shows why. Beautiful golden light falling from the sky, peaceful creatures walking just feet away from me, and not another soul around. Bliss. • Theodore Roosevelt National Park (46 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #NPS100 @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @airstream_inc @natgeo

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

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One of my favorite @nationalparkservice rangers all year — David Nighteagle, a man with ancestral Puebloan heritage living and working in the park of his people. He is one of those special souls who looks deeper into the natural environment surrounding sacred lands and somehow finds a way to open that up to each visitor he engages with. I cannot imagine seeing Mesa Verde without his guidance and spirit!! 48/59 | Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado Shot with Fujifilm X-T1 • #59in52 #findyourpark @natgeo @natgeotravel @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #instax #XT1 @usinterior @nationalparkservice @airstream_inc @goparks #52places #roadtrip #nationalpark #NPSCentennial #mesaverde #coloradolive #parkranger

Une publication partagée par Stefanie Payne (@istefpayne) le

Badlands NP blew us away. I had been there a long long time ago as a young lad, and I remember loving it even then. So I was excited to go back and photograph it. And it didn’t disappoint in the least. Quite the contrary, I could spend weeks hiking to different locations and photographing the endless array of formations that stretch out into the incredible sunsets that often occur in this great state of South Dakota. This sunset almost didn’t happen, as the cloud cover was quite thick this evening. But the difference between a dud sunset and a brilliant one is usually razor thin. This sunset took my breath away. • Badlands National Park @badlandsnps (44 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16-55mm F2.8 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #NPS100 #hifromSD @southdakota #thegreat8 @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @airstream_inc

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

Woke up in the middle of the night and hiked up a hill of ice in the dark forest to get to this spot. Worth it! They don’t call it Dream Lake for nothing!! The sunrise on this particular morning in October produced an amazing technicolor orange mountainglow as you may have seen in @jonathan_irish’s photo of the same scene; of the photos I took, I like the softened palette. It’s just really, really pretty. • 43/59 | @rockynps in #Colorado Shot with Fujifilm X-T1 • #59in52 #findyourpark @natgeo @natgeotravel @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #instax #XT1 @usinterior @nationalparkservice @airstream_inc @goparks #52places #roadtrip #nationalpark #roadtripping #nps100 #nps100thanniversary #NPSCentennial @VisitEstesPark #rockymountain @visitcolorado #coloradolive

Une publication partagée par Stefanie Payne (@istefpayne) le

Woke up in the middle of the night and hiked up a hill of ice in the dark forest to get to this spot. Worth it! They don’t call it Dream Lake for nothing!! The sunrise on this particular morning in October produced an amazing technicolor orange mountainglow as you may have seen in @jonathan_irish’s photo of the same scene; of the photos I took, I like the softened palette. It’s just really, really pretty. • 43/59 | @rockynps in #Colorado Shot with Fujifilm X-T1 • #59in52 #findyourpark @natgeo @natgeotravel @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #instax #XT1 @usinterior @nationalparkservice @airstream_inc @goparks #52places #roadtrip #nationalpark #roadtripping #nps100 #nps100thanniversary #NPSCentennial @VisitEstesPark #rockymountain @visitcolorado #coloradolive

Une publication partagée par Stefanie Payne (@istefpayne) le

Bears on the move. It’s always fun when you see an old friend, especially one that is fluffy and brown and eats a lot of salmon. This bear is known and beloved to the lodge. Her name is Uno…which means « one » in Spanish, and she was given this name because she is missing part of her one ear (likely due to a fight with another bear). This season, Uno had some cute little cubs who follow her every move. With the high concentration of bears in Katmai, it is safe to stay by momma’s side. • Katmai National Park (32 of 59) • Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF100-400 F4.5-5.6 lens • #59in52 #onassignment #findyourpark #NPS100 @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us #myfujifilm #myinstax #XT1 @instax @travelalaska @airstream_inc #MHWAmbassador @mountainhardwear @reallyrightstuff #travelalaska @katmai_bears

Une publication partagée par Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) le

Pour en découvrir plus, rendez-vous sur le site de The Greatest Road Trip ! Retrouvez Stephanie Payne sur  Twitter, et découvrez le travail de Jonathan Irish sur son site.

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