Patrick Orton

 "I now cannot help but see the beauty of the world in details, composition and light," wrote photographer Patrick Orton, whose images I've borrowed here. I never had a chance to meet Patrick, who died this summer at the age of 24. He was a young guy, just getting his start in adventure and ski photography, but he was already getting noticed—with his images gracing the pages of Powder, Outside, and more. I featured a gallery of his on ESPN.com, too, and had a few brief exchanges with him for that. He seemed, as Lynsey Dyer called him, "wildly ambitious." In that contagious way that makes you want to go out and live life a little more boldly. I recently wrote a story for Sandpoint Magazine, in Patrick's hometown, about this young man's life and how he spent all the time he was given chasing the light. 

Photo by Patrick Orton.

Photo by Patrick Orton.

Photo by Patrick Orton.

Photo by Patrick Orton.