From landscape to portrait

Ben Moon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer aged 29, before the ordeal that followed, the adventurer and lifestyle photographer says he was into documenting such athletic accomplishments as climbers completing tough routes and suchlike. 

After cancer however, he says, “a lot of that stuff didn’t really matter any more.” 

Instead, he found he was increasingly drawn to taking portraits, of telling more intimate human stories with the camera and finding he needed to “fall in love a little bit” with his subjects to depict the truth of them. 

Produced by Los York, The Lucky Ones, is a timely meditation on the universality of human struggle and of living in the moment, recalibrating our values and valuing connections with each other and with nature, too. 

Set against the stunning backdrop of Western Canada, it’s also a testament to the outdoorsy adventures Moon shared with director Jeff Johnson, his friend of 15 years.