SAGE STORIESA Conversation with Johnie Gall
Interview by Bella Brodsky
Shot by Brandon Scherzberg
Instagram Email
Hi, Johnie! Let’s begin with a little introduction: tell me who you are, the place you call home, and the space you work within!
Thank you so much for including me! Normally I’m on the road most of the year, either for work or to adventure in a few far-off corners of the world. But I’d say the little community of Ojai in Southern California is home right now. I work as a writer, photographer and filmmaker and I’m also the founder of a small handmade jewelry brand called Near & Yonder. Most of my work centers on the outdoors, nature and science communication.
Let’s dive into a bit of backstory! Where do your passions and interests lie? And, what were some experiences that fostered those passions?
I grew up with parents who wanted me and my siblings to have an appreciation for nature — we were always surrounded by animals, helping my mom in her gardens and swimming in the ocean. My grandparents were really adventurous people; they both dove, rode motorcycles and flew their own planes. I think the combination of those two influences caused me to seek out work that would combine exploration with a sense of purpose. I was offered the senior editor position at a small indie women’s surf mag right out of college. It was super creative and hands-on work — some days I had to cover surf competitions, other days I was sourcing vintage denim for shoots. I started asking a lot of questions when I was on set with photographers, and bought a little point-and-shoot camera so I could start practicing more visual storytelling. Now I do everything from produce short documentary films to write for print publications to shoot for environmental nonprofits. It’s not a very linear path, but I think I’ve managed to shape a career that combines my love of nature, surf and storytelling.
There seems to be this foundational theme of storytelling throughout all the creative work you do. Tell me about this passion you have for storytelling and how that passion manifests in your work!
I’ve always been really obsessed with novels and films — I mean, even watching Star Wars or Indiana Jones as a kid, I think I was cognizant that there were these innately human themes running through every good story. I started out as a writer, studied filmmaking, worked as an editor and photographer and now oscillate between all of those titles — I think I’m less concerned with one medium over another and really try to think about what serves a story best. It’s always about finding the “heart” of a topic — the human story at its center that aids in connecting with what we might not understand. Just staying really curious about the world and asking a ton of questions has led to so many cool experiences and projects. I hope I never get to the point where I box myself in with a title or category.
What projects have been your favorite to work on?
Most recently, I shot a photo essay on Whitney Tsai Nakashimi, an evolutionary biologist who works at the Moore Lab of Zoology in LA. They host the largest collection of Mexican bird specimens in the world — 63,000 birds collected by a naturalist back in the ‘30s and ‘40s. It’s this incredible snapshot of biodiversity from a specific moment in history, which is rare, and Whitney is using cutting-edge DNA technology on these specimens to predict how today’s birds might cope with environmental change. It was a change of pace for me to be shooting indoors like that, but it was fascinating to get to comb through all those cabinets looking at thousands of long-dead birds that might help inform modern conservation efforts. One of my favorite projects was “Messengers,” a film I helped produce and direct about a group of climbers, activists and Navajo community leaders who met up in Utah to relay run 250 miles nonstop through Bears Ears National Monument. It was such a powerful grassroots effort to address what was happening politically at the time — Navajo runners have long been conduits for sharing important messages and it was Indigenous leadership that pushed to have this land and history protected.
The best advice I ever got was not to photograph beautiful things, but to photograph interesting things in a beautiful way. I try to think of that no matter which medium I choose.
I’d love to hear about your connection with the Earth and the outdoor experiences that bring you joy!
Being outside has helped me cultivate a really strong sense of self — it just gives so much clarity to who I truly am away from things that can start to define you, like career or clothing or whatever it is. There’s so much intentional play to surfing and diving and rock climbing, as long as you’re respectful and only take what you need from nature. And, honestly, I’m starting to become a bird nerd — I have a whole list of birds I’m trying to spot.
Top 3 books on your bookshelf at the moment.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Curious by Ian Leslie
Why We Swim b y Bonnie Tsui
You open your music streaming platform. What are you clicking on to listen to?
I’m more of a podcast person! Right now I love “Ologies” by Ali Ward — she does such a great job making even the most obscure sciences both hilarious and fascinating, and she interviews scientists from such diverse backgrounds. Surfer Lauren Hill’s “Water People” podcast is beautiful. The episode with spearfisher Kimi Werner brought me to tears.
What meal are you feeling nourished by as of late?
I told myself I hated mushrooms almost my entire life, but they are delicious. I’m making up for lost time with plenty of mushroom dishes, smoothies and lots of fresh fish whenever I can get some locally or from family.
Thank you so much for chatting with me, Johnie! Lastly, for those looking to follow along with your content and support you, where can they find you and what does supporting you look like?
It’s so fun to connect with women creating space for this kind of storytelling, thank you so much for including me. You can find me on Instagram @dirtbagdarling or @nearandyonderstudio.
