Coeur d’Alene photographer finds it one picture at a time.
He walks with no destination in mind, looking around in this beautiful fishing village along the border of Spain and France. He has less than two hours to explore before he needs to get back to San Sebastian.
As he walks, taking in the sights and smells, he notices a small white house sitting on top of a grassy hill surrounded by the ocean. He ascends the hill and sees a fence. Looking around, he scrambles over it to edge closer to the cliff.
A camera his only companion, Coeur d’Alene photographer Adam Schluter sits still, absorbing the moment and the beauty around him. The jagged rocky cliff before him rises high above the ocean. With the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below and the scenery pulling him into a trance, he is startled when he hears sobbing. He glances behind him. He is not the only one trespassing on this beautiful day in St. Jean De Luz, France.
“I am just sitting there, enjoying this moment when I felt as if someone was behind me,” Adam says.
He turns his head, and over his shoulder stands a man gazing at a large rock wall, crying.
Adam approaches him, wanting to know what is so powerful that can bring a grown man to tears.
“Do you not know what you are looking at?” the man asks incredulously.
Adam shakes his head. All he sees is a rock with grooves carved deep from the ocean. He doesn’t see the significance.
The man, named Yossi, is a landscape architect from the Middle East. He shares his story with Adam.
Yossi was involved in designing a children’s hospital in Tel Aviv. Years before, he had come across a photo of a rock formation that had inspired him. With no name or location, he searched for the rock, always disappointed when his pursuits came up empty. Finally, a stranger on the Internet pointed him to the small village in the south of France.
“Yossi had just flown 4,000 kilometers, just to be standing at that wall, and that is why he was crying,” Adam explains. “He had literally spent years trying to find this wall and had finally found it, and I just happened to be there.”
Adam is drawn to Yossi’s story and asks to photograph him next to the wall. They shake hands and agree to keep in touch.
This encounter would help define Adam’s journey across Europe. He would visit 16 countries in 55 days, photographing strangers, making new friends and sharing intimate stories. It is through this experience that Adam would learn what is truly important in life — human connection.
Adam embarked on his trip in 2018, mainly on a whim. He wanted to escape Coeur d’Alene’s gray winter, but he also wanted to satisfy his growing need to connect deeper with the world around him.
Adam has always been a thrill seeker. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mo, he credits his family with giving him the foundation to push himself beyond his level of comfort. When he was young, however, he wasn’t able to fully grasp or articulate what it would take to find purpose and passion until he began to live what his parents taught him.
To Adam, it is in those moments of the unknown — the scary or intimidating — where the zest of life comes from.
Adam’s quest for connection has roots in how he feels about technology, which he believes has pushed people farther away from each other. He makes it a priority to stay present, preferring to connect face to face or through the lens of his camera, rather than a screen.
He often sets his smart phone down to instead reach out to others, looking to learn more about them, to connect and to build lifelong friendships. In fact, if you ever have the chance to speak with Adam, you will never catch him glancing at his phone. Adam often returns text messages or phone calls sometimes days later.
Unbeknownst to Adam, his trip to Europe would turn into the adven-ture of a lifetime. The subsequent photographs and stories he would write would go on to be published twice by National Geographic in less than 12 months.
Adam also shared his experience at TEDx Spokane in 2018, delving deeper into his adventure and what he learned about the human connection. Applying to give the TED talk was another whim. Adam doesn’t like public speaking. In fact, he hates it.
Story continues after a quick message from our sponsor below.
Yet, he took the stage like a pro, with no script or plan. Eloquently, he shared his vulnerability and his fears, engaging the audience and encouraging them to let down the walls that keep us apart and learn about what makes us human and innately beautiful.
Adam, who often tells people he is an introvert, is incredibly overwhelmed and uncomfortable by all the attention. He doesn’t like to talk about the awards and accolades he’s received. He doesn’t want to brag.
“I don’t like to talk about myself,” he says, looking away sheepishly.
In September 2019, one of Adam’s photographs of a couple embracing in the waves of an ocean was named “Top 20 in the World” by National Geographic. It’s an incredible honor, and he agrees. But then he lays his head in his hands.
“I just want to run away in a cave,” he says. “I don’t like all the attention!”
With his European photo project gaining more and more attention, Adam struggles with finding balance. He wants to be able to focus on his company Lighthouse Photography and take wedding and family photos locally. This is where he finds connection. But he also knows how important it is to share his international project, so that others can be inspired to make personal connections of their own.
“In all areas of the world, Adam breaks the cultural boundaries through the language of love and laughter, using his photography to document these beautiful, micro moments full of intimacy and joy,” says Trent Grandsaff, a client and friend of Adam’s.
Back in the moment, Adam lifts his head, laughing. Still uncomfortable talking about his professional achievements, he almost reluctantly shares that he has an art exhibit in Hollywood, Calif. with the Visual Artists Group, which will be displaying his photographs for two nights only. He will be attending in a couple of weeks.
Locally, The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene plans to showcase Adam’s photographs and have copies of his book, The World I See. His book, a collection of his photographs from Europe and stories of the people he met along the way, was recently published internationally.
Adam sighs. He just needs to make it through the next several weeks and then his life will slow down again. But the downtime won’t last long. He has another big adventure planned.
“In January and February, Nikon is sponsoring my trip to the Middle East, which has been a dream of mine for four years now,” he says.
His travels will begin in Dubai. He will venture to Israel and then on to Istanbul, weaving throughout Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. His itinerary is loose. He prefers the chance to make spur-of-the-moment decisions or go wherever his heart leads him.
Adam is most excited to catch up with his friend Yossi, the man he met that beautiful day in France.
He will get to stay with Yossi and his family for several days. And he’ll have the chance to tour the now-completed children’s hospital while he is in Tel Aviv.
“I have never wanted to be rich or famous, I just want to create art,” Adam says. “I want to make an impact on people. I would have been doing this, even if no one cared. Even if no one had sponsored my travels, I would still be doing this.” N
By Theresa Whitlock-Wild
Photography By Joel Riner