Renan Ozturk

Renan Ozturk - Co-Founder of Expedition Studios

I live to tell stories about our connection to the natural world, often set within the most challenging environments on Earth. I constantly search for projects that move me -- films that have a strong visual identity matched with some deeply compelling human element.

I began my career as an expedition climber and landscape artist, spending years living in a tent beneath the big walls of U.S. National Parks, and in the snowy Himalayan mountains. All of my paintings were created on expedition, carrying large cotton canvases on my back, sometimes even using natural pigments pulled straight from the earth to capture these wildly beautiful landscapes. I received National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2013 for my combination of cutting-edge first ascents and visual storytelling.

Currently, I work as a commercial and documentary filmmaker, an expedition climber for The North Face, and as a photojournalist for Sony and National Geographic. The films I’ve made over the years have had a global presence. I’m probably best known for MERU (cinematographer/subject), which won the 2015 Audience Choice Award at Sundance, and the critically acclaimed Sherpa (cinematographer/co-director), which screened at TIFF and Telluride. I’ve directed and shot commercial work for major international brands such as Apple, Google, DJI, and Nike.

I'm Also a Time-Lapse Nerd

Here is one key tip for time-lapse no matter what expedition I'm on: once I arrive at a location or base-camp, always drop a long-term TL on a locked-off tripod with a stuff sack weighing it down with rocks, sand, or snow. This longer-term passage of time always captures magical, unexpected moments and I tend to keep it going for the entire time I'm there, even if it's a month at Everest Basecamp. The key thing is having big cards in the camera like the 2TB OWC Atlas Ultra and an extended battery pack that you only have to change out every few days.

OWC Gear I Use:

I've used so many OWC products over the years from the very beginning there are too many to list, but right now, I basically trust my data and life to the CFexpress Type B 4.0TB Atlas Ultra Cards and the OWC ThunderBlade 32TB SSD as well as the new CFexpress 4.0 Type B reader. The combo of those three products alone with our RED Raptor and SONY Burano cameras is the ultimate workflow!

Field Gear

• Sony A1
• Sony Burano
• Leica R rehoused Lenses
• Fstop packs
• The North Face Himalayan suit

Workstation Gear

• Apple Mac Pro
• OWC ThunderBlade SSD

Speaking of Workflow

As I alluded to above, the combo of the OWC solid-state cards, drives, and card readers workflow is the single most important thing that has helped me progress and capture more meaningful stories in remote locations around the world. Doing that, I'm able to save hours and hours of sleep while working on location, and not sacrifice the quality of the 8K footage being captured. We live in a day and age where this workflow is often overlooked, but I think it's the most important thing to get honed in if you are working on any production from the city to Mt Everest. OWC has been part of cutting-edge data workflows for me for over a decade, and there isn’t a brand out there that combines the tech, price, and reliability in the same way!!