AFTER COLLEGE, I BUMMED AROUND Yosemite and lived out of my car. I was climbing El Cap with my climbing mentor, Brady Robinson, who taught me how to shoot his camera. We slept on the summit, and in the morning I took his camera and snapped a shot of him sleeping. He submitted his film for a Mountain Hardwear catalog, and mine was the only one that sold. I felt bad about it, but they gave me $500. I couldn't believe you could get paid that much for a picture. Five months later, I was on assignment for The North Face with Conrad Anker. I wasn't thinking about making a living; I was thinking about supporting a lifestyle. My best moment? Shooting Kit and Rob DesLauriers above the Hillary Step on Everest in October 2006. It was one of those unexpected shots. I remember framing them on their skis at 28,800 feet and thinking, I've never seen this shot before. It ran as a full page in Outside's January 2007 issue. I see a lot of material, so I'm always stoked to get a chance to capture an image that I've never seen.