Graham Bendickson is a student film maker and photographer at Bowdoin College. He uses both as a way to capture, document, and share his passions, especially those in the outdoors. His love of whitewater kayaking and earth science both fuel his perspective of the natural world. He is also interested in using film and photography to share people’s stories, from personal struggle to joy in people’s lives. His recent projects include Practice Makes Real, Chasing Swells, and Automatic.

Practice Makes Real is a video project that explores the performance aspect of dealing with an injury and navigating the same shallow questions being asked repetitively by people with mixed genuineness. It also comments on the difficulty in accepting a situation in which ability prevents one from doing the things they love. It is inspired by a video of a University of Michigan wrestler discussing the impact of injury on his athletic career.

Chasing Swells is a mixed media project (video and photography) exploring the experience of surfing. It follows a group of Maine surfers as they chase the best session they can during a large fall swell. Creating the perfect session requires an intimate understanding of many dynamic factors; The period and amplitude of a swell, wind direction, tide, and break shape all play into the shape of a wave. Choosing the right spot for specific conditions is vital and inspires surfers to chase swells and find their perfect session.

Automatic is a crime short narrative film. It follows a young criminal as he returns from a job  that didn’t go as planned, and the people he works for do not tolerate mistakes. The aftermath of the job explores themes of desperation, human survival instinct, and the line between business and revenge in crime. Automatic is written by Wilder Short and shot and directed by Noah Keates, with Graham Bendickson.