The open road with LA-based photographer of all things beautiful, Laura Austin
- Text by HUCK HQ
In Huck’s Adventure Issue we joined up with a motley crew of headstrong characters to explore uncharted territory. We learned that adventure means a whole load of different things to different people, from a polar expedition for explorer Ben Saunders to seeing New York City through an outsider’s eyes for skate photographer Pep Kim.
With the Adventure Pop Quiz, we’re reaching out to people from the issue and others from Huck’s world to find out more about what adventure means to them and where their hunger for new experiences has taken them.
In this pop quiz distinguished life-liver Laura Austin – a photographer, writer, traveller, lover of action sports based in LA but to be spotted, mostly, at rare places all over the world – reveals the thoughts and motivations behind her time spent on the road. Follow the visual storyteller on Instagram where stylish snapshots of nature, beautiful people and coffee spots will give you life envy intense enough to make you up sticks.
What do you picture when you hear the word ‘adventure’?
Any situation in which you don’t know exactly what it will entail or lead to.
What did adventure mean to you when you were a kid?
A way to keep yourself occupied when growing up in tiny mountain towns.
What does adventure mean to you now?
It’s my reset button when I need to get my head straight.
When was the last time you felt completely out of your comfort zone?
Being surrounded by too many superficial people.
When were you last scared?
Climbing up Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park.
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Solo road trip across the country when I was 18.
Who is the most adventurous person you know?
Tough call… probably Francis Mallmann if we are talking in both mindset and actually travelling.
If your life was an adventure novel, what would the title be?
Insatiable.
When was the last time you saw something completely new for the first time?
Just recently on my trip to Scotland… from landscapes, to architecture, to food, and bars full of golfers.
How do you bring adventure into your everyday life?
By keeping an open mind.
Complete the sentence: A life without adventure is…..?
A life wasted.
If you were on a yoga retreat, or in therapy, and were told to picture ‘your happy place’, what would it look like?
In the drivers’ seat of a car going anywhere really, without any timeline or destination.
What in life gets your adrenalin pumping?
New experiences.
If you had to walk around the world, what would you carry in your backpack?
My camera, a knife, clean socks… and a teleporter.
What book / film / song makes you wanna go an adventure?
Book – On The Road by Jack Kerouac. Film – The Salt Of The Earth. Song – ‘Going Up The Country’, Canned Heat
What’s the one thing on your bucket list you’ve never told anyone about before?
To find a significant other that I’d want to travel the world with.
Read more about adventure in Huck 51 – The Adventure Issue. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss another issue.
You might like
Queer resistance & sun-soaked solidarity at the world’s largest trans pride march
Our Future, Our Fight — Over the weekend, over 150,000 people marched at the London Trans+ Pride, with the parade ending at Trafalgar Square for the first time in history.
Written by: Ella Glossop
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Youthful joy & end-of-era poignancy at a London school prom
Leavers — For several years, Lewis Khan documented young people as they celebrated the last of their school days and the completion of their exams. The series is now collated in a new self-published photobook and short film.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
Harry Gruyaert’s vintage, kaleidoscopic scenes of New York
A Sense of Place — For 50 years, the Belgian photographer and Magnum Photos member has been capturing NYC’s colourful chaos. A new photobook and exhibition showcase his unique, technicolour view of the city.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In the pit at one of the UK’s last stock car & banger speedways
Stock Car Racing Isn’t Dead — Photographer Liam McCarthy spent time in and around the Arlington Raceway’s circuit, capturing the diehard community that keeps the sport alive.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Inside Lower Duck Pond, the nicest town on the internet
/r/HaveWeMet — With a population of 2,500 and no fixed location, the subreddit is a space for roleplaying citizens to solve mysteries, host fictional events and ultimately connect. In an internet that’s often divided and toxic, Vicky Jessop hangs out in one of its most wholesome corners.
Written by: Vicky Jessop
