The Truth...

I wish I could tell you Summit + Surf was born on the open road, while driving in a Westfalia with the love of my life and our two wild GSP’s. Spontaneously stopping to summit the closest fourteener, or having coffee before an epic morning surf on the California coast. Only the truth is Summit + Surf was born out of a place of suffering. It was an effort to rebuild. My husband had just graduated from A-School and was officially an USCG Rescue Swimmer. Pretty bad ass, I know. We dreamed up where the opportunity would take us, hoping it was a place where our great loves met, where the mountains kissed the sea. Yet before we knew it we were packing up and heading to Mobile, AL, hopeful we could pursue our passions and have an adventurous life anywhere.

To put it simply, my soul and spirit are formed from the soil of the North Carolina mountains. In Mobile I quickly felt like a fish out of water. Everything that formed my identity and passions did not seem to exist in my surroundings. I felt I was slowly withering away, becoming bare bones. In effort to rebuild, I went on a journey to find a sense of purpose. I searched for what truly made me happy and found my purpose had always been there, calling to me. Photography was something I was going to do no matter what.

Summit + Surf comes from my husband’s love for the ocean and my love for the mountains, leading us to hopefully travel all over the world. Summit + Surf is also a story platform, rooted from my love for anthropology, ethnography, and political ecology. Story telling to preserve history, make a positive change or inform. Anthropology taught me how to listen, photography taught me how to observe, and yoga taught me to be present. This combination forms an overwhelming passion to seek out stories, and capture simple moments. Every story deserves to be heard. Every place deserves to be captured; it’s history, pain, beauty and challenges. I hope my work shows realism, truth, and vulnerability.

In faith and reciprocity,

-Jessie Kellam