Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Weiland.
Ben, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Over the last ten years, I’ve been traveling to the coldest, most remote places on the planet, creating documentaries about surf exploration. In 2009 I had just graduated from college. I had an idea to start a blog called ‘Arctic Surf.’ In my free time, I posted research about cold water surf spots that I would find by looking through Google Earth and online scientific photo archives. Not long after that, I got an email from Surfer Magazine staff photographer Chris Burkard. He had a similar interest in exploring these places in search of perfect waves. We met up and planned a trip to the South Island of New Zealand. I filmed the trip and submitted a video edit to the magazine, and that’s how I got started in filmmaking.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a filmmaker, and I love telling stories about getting out of your comfort zone—challenges, adventure, and heading into the unknown. It comes from my personal story, and I want to share that with other people. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big or small thing. Taking a risk and stepping into uncertainty is not easy, but it’s rewarding.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I like spending time alone and have space to fully focus on the project that is in front of me. But often at the end of a week, I feel isolated. I have to make an extra effort to connect with other people.
I used to hold my projects tightly and wanted to control every aspect of them. The thought of working with others seemed chaotic. But lately, I’ve been learning to embrace collaboration. I’ve been working with friends who have similar interests, and it’s been amazing to see how it has changed things for me. It’s given much more depth and creativity to the result. You’re drawing from a larger pool of experience and expression.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Last year, I was the director of photography for ‘Under An Arctic Sky,’ a film about searching for waves in Iceland during one of the worst winter storms to come through in twenty-five years. It’s available online and on Netflix. Other films I have shot or directed, such as ‘Russia: The Outpost Vol. 1’, and ‘Faroes: The Outpost Vol. 2’ are available on iTunes. I also shoot commercial work that can be seen on Vimeo.
Contact Info:
- Website: benweiland.com
- Instagram: @benweiland
Image Credit:
Elli Thor Magnusson
Chris Burkard
Russell Brownley
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