Nectar pairs up with ambassadors around the country who share our philosophy for living the sweet life. We caught up with one of our favorite athlete-photographers extraordinaire, Connor Trimble, to see how he’s getting after it each day.
Where did you get your personal and professional drive?
I have this drive in to me to be successful. I grew up in Ohio where things were simple: play sports, go to college, get married, work a 9-5 job. I was fortunate to travel all over the U.S on vacations and as a competitive swimmer—and I knew that there was more to life.
I wanted to do more, see more and experience all types of different cultures and climates. The farthest thing from Ohio that was the most diverse, where I could still swim in college, was the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I was a complete kook when I moved here three years ago, I couldn’t surf or body board and was terrible at hiking. I’m now hiking razor-thin ridgelines comfortably and photographing 15-foot Pipeline, the most dangerous wave in the world.
I’m using my athletic talent to go places others wouldn’t dream of. I’ve rappelled waterfalls with a camera and snowboarded in Alaska to shoot avalanche-prone areas. These are incredible experiences that drive me both personally and professionally. I want to push my limits creatively and physically
I didn't own a DSLR until two years ago and now I'm working with world-renowned clients. Professionally, my goal is to become one of the best all-around surf/adventure/travel photographers in the world.
Why Nectar? What do you dig about the brand?
Nectar was the first company to truly invest in me as a photographer. I'll forever be grateful for that because it truly just takes one opportunity to launch you in to something and Nectar provided me that. The brand is all about expressing yourself, doing what you love and living the sweet life. This encompasses my lifestyle, so we’re a match made in heaven.
I also appreciate that Nectar isn’t price-gouging consumers and that these shades are affordable, lightweight and polarized. My favorite style is definitely the classic wayfarer. Alpine or Pompei are my top picks.
What’s been a favorite adventure over the last year?
This past year has been insane with travel. I’ve gone to Kauai four times, Maui, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Florida, Seattle, Oregon, Alaska, Indiana, Michigan and, of course, Ohio. Living on Oahu, it’s hard to leave here, because it truly is an amazing place and can be a year-round vacation.
I experience summer all the time, so my favorite trip was to Alaska, where I filmed Tailgate Alaska. Waist-deep powder, insane backdrops, a massive glacier cave and incredible footage! It took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me. I was shooting the northern lights at 2:30 a.m. when it was -60 degrees out.
What’s on the horizon that you’re looking forward to?
At the end of August I’m heading to Seattle for a week and then road-tripping Oregon for a week. From there I fly to London and then begin a journey all around Europe: Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, South of France, Switzerland, Austria, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, then Venice, where I’ll go on a week-long cruise with my best friends around Greece. We’ll stay for another two weeks and go wherever we want before flying home.
How do art and adventure go together in your mind?
It’s cheesy, but I want to travel around the eARTh and without ART there’s no earth. I’m constantly inspired by what’s around me—beauty in water fountains, old buildings, natural landscapes and people. So when I adventure to a new place I see new things and try to capture it from a unique and beautiful perspective.
What does a “typical” day look like for you?
I have two versions of my day: the fun day and the grind day. On a grind day,
I wake up, make coffee and edit for as long as I can until I need to eat, grab lunch, and continue to edit. At 5:30 I surf until sunset. I grab dinner on the way home, shower and edit until I can’t stay awake anymore. Then I get up and do it again. A lot of people don't see the hours that go into projects on a computer and the headaches that come with editing.
When I'm not swamped with work and I have a fun day, it really depends on the weather. If there are waves, I’m surfing or body boarding; without waves I’m free diving; and if the mountains are clear, I'm hiking.
You seem to have figured out how to meld life and work perfectly—what’s your secret sauce?
BBQ sauce on pizza with bacon and pepperoni. I definitely don’t have it figured out yet; I’m still in the first six months of owning my own production company. Life doesn’t seem real right now; it’s moving so quickly. I just had to turn down a trip to the Caribbean—seriously who turns that down?
But I did it without batting an eyelash, because I knew it was the responsible thing to do with contracts that needed to be finished here. I’m getting much better at editing, constantly learning, and my workflow is becoming faster with higher-quality work, so I can only imagine what the next six months will bring. It’s gonna be awesome.