Can You Hear the Music?

Eric Bennett

As a full-time nature photographer, author, and conservationist, I hope to share the value that wilderness has in its pure, unaltered state. In a world where we are disconnecting from nature more and more every day, I can’t think of another pursuit more worthy of my time and energy. I believe that if I can capture a scene in the right way, my photographs will inspire others to protect the last few wild places we still have left.

I currently live just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah with my wife and three children. While much of my photography is focused on the incredible scenery near my home, I have traveled to over thirty countries to capture the diverse and remarkable beauty of all different environments.

bennettfilm.com

As a skateboarder in high school, I had an eclectic group of friends to say the least. Apart from our mutual love for skateboarding, many of us had other random talents and hobbies that we would practice when we were too hurt, tired, or hungover to skate. One of my closest friends was an incredibly gifted musician, and was capable of playing virtually any song on the cello, piano, and electric or flamenco guitar. Just for fun, I would find the hardest songs I could and challenge him to play them, only to watch in disbelief as he learned them in a matter of minutes.

While I am by no means a gifted musician by any stretch of the imagination, I too enjoy playing the guitar—but for a different reason. I first picked up an instrument, not just to try and replay the songs that others have made, but to play the songs I was hearing in my head. As a teenager, I found immense satisfaction in coming up with my own riffs and finding ways to string them together into melodies. I was constantly writing my own lyrics as well (they sucked). I was always dumbfounded that, despite my friend having so much skill as a musician, he never ever once wrote a song of his own. He didn’t even feel the slightest desire to try.