In July 2019, Germantown Academy photography teacher, Mr. Nicholas Wynia, traveled to South America by boat, following the path of Spanish conquistador Francisco Orellana. Starting from the Napo River in Ecuador, he reached the Atlantic Ocean after five weeks of travel by river, photographing the remnants of Spanish conquest in Latin America.
“It was a way to look at these different locations 500 years after this clash of cultures between the indigenous cultures that existed, and what those places look like now as far as infrastructure, religion, culture,” Mr. Wynia said.
Mr. Wynia has traveled to many places, capturing moments that bridge history and adventure. His passion for photography has taken him across the world.
Mr. Wynia has also spent years on other journeys across Central and South America. Tracing other Spanish conquistadors like Hernán Cortés or Vasco Núñez de Balboa, he has been in places such as Mexico, Honduras – where he taught art to 5th-9th grade kids – Guatemala, El Salvador and a plethora of other countries. His Fulbright-funded research in Peru took him through the Andes, following the path of the famous Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
For Mr. Wynia, his excitement for his trips comes from the unknown.
“The most interesting thing is probably always the unexpected: meeting unexpected people, having unexpected conversations,” Mr. Wynia said. “You can get a pretty good idea of what places look like now with a little bit of research on the internet, so the more remote the location is, the less you know beforehand.”
Additionally, Mr. Wynia also takes photos of outdoor adventure racing, a team sport involving navigation and endurance across various terrains in the wilderness. Mr. Wynia started photographing races when asked by a colleague about 5 years ago, and since then, he has photographed six more.
“It’s a very interesting sport to see people traveling hundreds of miles by foot, bike, boat over the course of anywhere from one day to eight days,” Mr. Wynia said. “It’s a nice combination of action happening, anticipating, and reading maps and capturing moments while in, oftentimes, a very beautiful environment.”
In both his historical and adventure racing photography work, Mr. Wynia’s passion for photography stems from the idea of being present.
“I think overall, filmmaking and photography, more than maybe any other art form, demand that you are present,” Mr. Wynia said. “You could paint from a photograph, you could paint from the imagination, but with photography, you have to be in that place, and you have to stand in front of that person you’re photographing, or that building or that landscape.”
Beyond his personal projects, Mr. Wynia has also collaborated with other GA faculty such as 3D art teacher Ms. Sara Ritz, who admires his adventurous approach to creativity.
“I respect him as an artist, and I appreciate his sense of adventure and his seriousness of purpose in his work,” Ms. Ritz said.
Early on in his time at Germantown Academy, Mr. Wynia partnered with Ms. Ritz, combining classes where students could build sculptures by the creek and photograph them.
Ms. Ritz shares the same travel philosophy as Mr. Wynia. She is planning a trip to Japan over the summer, where she plans to study the country’s interesting manhole covers.
“We can’t understate the value of exploration, and I think he has lived that way and is imparting that to our students,” Ms. Ritz said. “He’s showing people through his example of what life as an artist can look like, or what life as an educator and adventurer can look like.”
Through his dedication to photography, whether documenting history or fast-paced adventure racing, Mr. Wynia continues to inspire students and colleagues alike.