It wasn’t the first time photographer Renan Ozturk climbed Mount Everest. But his summer 2019 summit proved more memorable – and well-documented – than any before. The acclaimed climber managed to capture a 360-degree continuous panoramic image of the mountain, providing a rare view of the summit known as the roof of the world.
The 39-year old Turkish-American mountaineer and filmmaker began this trek on assignment for National Geographic. The remarkable images he captured demonstrate why Ozturk is in demand as one of the world’s premier climber-explorers.
Indeed, Ozturk is featured in multiple award-winning documentaries, most notably Meru, Sherpa, and Mountain. He has also done commercial photography for Apple, Google, and Nike. He is an expedition climber for The North Face and received National Geographic 2103 “Adventurer of the Year” award for his first ascents and visual storytelling.
Renan Ozturk Operates State-of-the-Art Machinery
Ozturk’s latest Everest expedition and its resulting photographs represent a new dawn in the exploration of landscapes like Everest. His images come 116 years after a British Captain captured what is believed to be the first image of Everest, from afar, during the 1903 British expedition to Tibet. Ozturk’s new images offer a rarely seen bird’s eye perspective.
The explorer operated a specially modified drone designed to fly in thin-air to capture the high-altitude images. Ozturk ran extensive tests prior to the expedition. He knew that the drone would struggle to gain altitude, at the mercy of brutal wind. He calculated that the drone would have just enough battery power to fly 6,000 feet, hover for a minute to capture 360-degree shots, and then rush back.
His resulting mosaic photograph consists of 26 images that create a 360-degree continuous panorama. Ozturk notes that people have tried capturing aerial photos of Everest, starting in the 1950s, but could not get a detailed enough photo from a high enough and close enough point. “Honestly, it’s a triumph of technology,” he says humbly. “We just took it to its full potential.”
From Paintings to Film
Much of Ozturk’s fame comes from his career in photography and cinematography. But the climber actually began as an expedition climber and landscape artist.
He spent many years in the Himalayas and national parks around the globe. Typically, he would create his paintings on expedition, carrying cotton canvases on his back.
The climber, photographer and filmmaker describes himself as someone who “lives to tell stories about our connection to the natural world…constantly searching for projects that move him – films that have a strong visual identity matched with some deeply compelling human element.”
Renan Ozturk Brushes With Death
Though successful and impressive, Ozturk’s career has not been easy. Just five months before Ozturk and his fellow climbers planned to climb Meru in India, Ozturk had a near-fatal skiing accident. He suffered a shattered vertebrae and a cranial fracture.
Although full recovery would prove to be a demanding task, Ozturk recalls how Meru motivated him. “I was dead-set on [climbing Meru]. Of course, there was a chance I wouldn’t be ready, but I saw there was a glimpse I might be able to do it, and for me, at that point in my life, I was willing to throw down all the cards for it.” The documentary about this climb went on to win the 2015 Audience Choice Award in Sundance Film Festival.
Ozturk’s grit and love for exploration have taken him to rare places around the globe – places that fans can see along with him, through his striking stills and video.
