Joe Klementovich features frequently on PBS for his multiday paddling trips with a purpose. As an ambassador for Rivers for Change, he paddles the free-flowing, mud-banked New England waterways to support the nonprofit’s mission of “changing the way people think about and interact with water.” Klementovich’s position is kind and intentional: Yes, we get outdoors for the fun of it, but it is important to “do a little good each time you go.” His conservation projects have included partners Patagonia, National Resources Council of Maine, and Canada’s global Atlantic Salmon Federation. His studio, based in North Conway, New Hampshire, offers creative work, filmmaking, and photography, with his portfolio including paddleboarding, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and fly fishing across North America. We caught up with him on the seacoast in Portsmouth to learn more on his expertise in documenting paddle expeditions and what a-day-on-the-river with him is like…(By Jennifer Belkus Goolkasian)
PL: Tell us about your attitude of getting out for the fun of it, but also “doing a little good each time you go.”
Klementovich: As a photographer and when making videos, I don’t want to do another story on so-and-so just climbed the biggest mountain. It is way more fun to have a purpose to tell a story as opposed to going out and telling the same old stories. So, that sort of translated into these multiday paddle trips. They were underpinned by, Oh, what kind of story can we tell that would be helpful for the river, the watershed, the people. Doing a little bit of good has a bunch of different faces. Some of that is collaborating with organizations like Seacoast Paddleboard Club to amplify their mission. A lot of the stuff I do falls in that bin, shining a light on some folks that are doing cool stuff.
PL: On a trip, you own team and individual responsibilities. How do you balance participation with your role as a professional who documents the event?
Klementovich: That’s a constant sort of tug of war. You want to be present, have fun, and enjoy the time whatever you’re doing. At the same time, you want to do the work and get great images. I front load things a little bit at the beginning of the trip. [Let’s take] a four-day river trip. I try to take blocks of time. I think, O.K. here’s the section of river that’s interesting. It’s beautiful. There are going to be some good images in here. I’m going to work this, get ahead, and make some images from this section.
PL: How about for emerging photographers; what recommendations would you give? Klementovich: For any photographer, any creative, the first and foremost priority is to be a good person. I don’t care how good you are at shooting. If you’re a jerk, nobody’s going to want to work with you; so, your business plan is flawed. Beyond that—getting into a specific answer for water or paddle sports—the more you do it without a camera the more comfortable you are with it. It’s fitness, being in that zone and then having your kit squared away. If you’re trying to get to the campsite before dark you don’t want to be the guy that’s like, Oh, hold on, we got to wait for it.
PL: What gear do you take on a paddling trip?
Klementovich: If it’s a wild trip and I don’t know what it’s going to be like as far as portages and river miles, I’ll bring a couple GoPros. A GoPro is great because you can stick it on your life preserver, press one button, and you’re ready to go. You don’t have to pack it and unpack it. That’s the single biggest hurdle of any kind of water sport. I have this great Pelican case that is hard fixed to the board. There are modifications needed to get that to work. I can unlatch it and open it. I can fit two bodies with two lenses in there and some batteries. I bring two bodies because it’s inconvenient to swap lenses and then you’re also opening up the sensor to all sorts of shenanigans. If I get rid of one body I can fit a drone.
Klemontovich’s lens choices:
First lens: 15-35mm zoom – Captures a wide landscape or whole group. Dramatic.
Optional second lenses: 70-200mm zoom; 50mm f/1.4 prime – Great colors and physical properties. With a 1.4 you shoot later at night or early in the morning [because wide aperture lets in more light].
PL: Which multiday paddling adventure stands out to you at the moment and why? Klementovich: Probably the most recent one, our trip down to Sandy River. What was fun about this is that me and a few friends have done these trips before and this was someone else’s. One of the women that joined us had paddleboarded once on a pond. By the end of the trip, she was looking for the class two rapids. There was this people component. When you throw random people together, personalities clash. That was not the case. It would be starting to get dark and we’d be like, Alright, let’s do this. We’re camping on this beach. It was a great crew that organically evolved. And then the river that we’re on is just beautiful, really a neat space. That river is one of the best Atlantic salmon habitats, but it’s blocked by several dams. Through Rivers for Change, they were able to pull together the Patagonia Freeport store and a couple other organizations to help us tell the story of our trip, but also get to a wider audience.
For any photographer, any creative, the first and foremost priority is to be a good person. I don’t care how good you are at shooting. If you’re a jerk, nobody’s going to want to work with you;
PL: Share a highlight from Sandy River.
Klementovich: It’s raining and this muddy slope is our option for portage. It’s probably 70 or 80 feet tall. It’s steeper than a roof pitch. We’re finding every step is broken cans, broken bottles. It’s an old dump site. Back in the 1800’s people dumped stuff over the edge. That was the mentality way back then–throw it in the river and it’ll disappear. Here we are carrying inflatable paddle boards up this slope. There’s two people on each paddle board. We’re slopping through the mud and, finally, we get up and over and it’s this flat, mowed field that we get on top. We load everything up. Then we have to hike down half a mile around this gorge. We’re getting ready to take the last boards on the last shuttle back to the end of the portage and…the sun comes out. It’s rainbows and all the raindrops on the trees are glistening gems. I have a picture of Amy, one of the women on the trip, and she’s soaked and looking at me defeated. And, then–literally the next frame I shot–she’s got this big smile. The type of people that we had in our group were like, Alright, it’s time to go to work; this is going to suck. And then it’s over and it’s like, Alright, let’s go have some more fun!
PL: What haven’t I asked? What else would you like to say?
Klementovich: At this moment in time, there’s an incredible amount of outlets for people to find stories and brands to tell stories about things that are more interesting than, Here’s my paddle board! Or, here’s my cooler! What people connect with is that story of someone doing something. We’re fortunate to be in a place where anyone can pick up a camera, their iPhone, their GoPro or whatever and start telling their own story. The flip side of that is that there’s so much noise out there. It’s an interesting time to be in this space to really elevate the craft above all that noise. That’s hard to do but worth trying.
About the author: Jennifer Belkus Goolkasian (JBG) is a writer/photographer. She is psyched about her participation in the charity paddle, Conquer the Seacoast, along the New England coastline to raise support for the Jetty Rock Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation New Hampshire Chapter. She has lived, hiked, backpacked, and sometimes paddled in France, Colorado, and California. She currently resides in her native New Hampshire between the Atlantic and The White Mountains.