Only the faintest hues remained. The contrasting darkness of igneous rock and opaque river systems against untouched snow, with suffocatingly dense grey clouds above; Achromatic.

I was in awe of the harshness of this terrain, its scale unfathomable. My fingers were numb from the biting cold. Forging unique perspectives from the air I stayed intently focused, making every effort to adequately capture the otherworldly scene I was immersed in.

Conflictingly, my mind raced with thoughts of what it would be like to navigate this perilous and inhospitable wilderness on foot. How insignificant it would have made me feel. Sometimes we need to experience that deep sense of humility to genuinely appreciate what we have, and what we can so easily take for granted.

Utility: This NFT collection will outlive me. Our time here is not forever but the hope is these captured moments of history will be. We do not know how many future generations will be able to experience the unbridled beauty of our frozen landscapes. By purchasing from this collection you are directly helping to fund future expeditions to the coldest reaches of our planet so I can continue to document them. Additionally, I will reinvest 0.5 ETH back into the NFT photography community when all 10 pieces are collected.

Achromatic by Johnathan Conlon

When selecting the image for my genesis edition on the Ethereum blockchain, I came to the natural conclusion that it should be a photograph each holder can interpret their own way, and where each individual interpretation can convey its own story.

It would be remiss of me to not mention Fred Lyon when introducing this photograph. Based in San Francisco, his predominantly monochrome work over the last 75 years not only showcases his love affair with the city and its inhabitants, but has the innate ability to draw you into scenes that tell an abundance of stories through the moments he captures. So naturally, when I had an opportunity to visit the city for the first time myself, I was hugely inspired to ‘channel my inner Fred’ and attempt to make images that posed questions and stirred the imagination.

Where were they headed? Where had they been? What were they transporting and did it really need to be kept frozen or was that simply a box that had served another purpose? Why did they walk along the beach? Was it a short cut? Or do they always start their day by taking.. the scenic route.

Johnathan Conlon is a published, award winning photographer specialising in landscape & aerial imagery.

1/50 edition.