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Explorer Spotlight: Prajit Ravindran

By: The Outbound Collective + Save to a List

Name: Prajit Ravindran | Age: 35 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

What’s your day job?
Software engineer.

What are your favorite things to do outside?
Photography, photography and some more photography.

What first drew you to the outdoors?
My love for photography and desire to capture the beautiful landscapes around us.



What’s your favorite hometown adventure? ...and, almost as important, where’s your favorite spot to get a beer after?
I love the Bonneville Salt Flats. Even though I need to drive 2 hours to get to it, I’ve been there a lot. The Salt Flats Cafe right next to it has good Mexican food and a place to get beer. Although, I’m a red wine kind of guy.

What’s your essential gear that never gets left at home?
My camera and tripod. I love night photography so a tripod is a must.

What’s your favorite trail snack?
Kind bars and Nature Valley granola bars.

Any go-to soundtracks when you’re hitting the road?
Counting Stars by One Republic, And all soundtracks by The xx.

What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened while you were adventuring? And/or, the funniest?
I was taking a shot at Bryce Canyon in winter and I was trying to get the shot perfect by eliminating distractions like branches in my shot. I took few steps forward even though it was a steep slope about 100 feet down. Of course I slipped and started to slide down. I grabbed a tree trunk with my hands and the tripod and camera with my legs and was able to prevent serious damage to both myself and my gear.

Who’s your number one adventure partner-in-crime? Who inspires you?
My friends Kenyon and Ofa. I’m constantly inspired by the work of the masters: Galen Rowell, Guy Tal.

What are your top destinations for adventure travel?
Bonneville Salt Flats and Southern Utah.

What’s on the top of your must-do adventure list right now?
Banff National Park and the Salt Flats in Bolivia.



Show us your most memorable photo, and tell us about it! I love this photo for many reasons.
First, I had to push myself to wake up at 3:00 AM to get this shot even though I slept only 2 hours the previous night. Secondly, I had no idea how the milky way would look in that direction since there was a lot of light pollution over there. However I took the gamble and was rewarded with a really good show by the Milky Way.

And last but not least…What’s your personal motto?
"Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use" – Earl Nightingale

And also this line from the Counting Stars track by One Republic:
"No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."



We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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