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Photography: Assignment - Expedition Documentation - Stock Images - Fine Prints - Product Lifestyle/Marketing

Cameron L. Martindell

Resumes: Outdoors || Web Development

Short Bio

Cameron L. Martindell is a freelance adventure and expedition photographer and writer who is "Off Yonder: Seeing the world for what it is." He has lived and worked on five continents including a four month stint at the South Pole. He has over 15 years of mountain search and rescue experience, is an Eagle Scout and competes in sailing regattas.

A year in the life of Cameron could go like this: Return from the South Pole, tramp remote treks on New Zealand's South Island, guide a trip in the Australian Outback, kayak around the San Juan Islands, raft through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River and work as the caretaker of Gray Knob Cabin deep in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. There's always something on tap. Check out offyonder.com for the latest!

The Long Version

Born on Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada to Rich and Lynn Martindell. Rich was an F-15 Eagle Fighter Pilot and instructor. He served in Vietnam as an F-4 Phantom Pilot. Lynn was a supply officer in the Air Force and exited at the rank of Captain once pregnant with Cameron.

Cameron has a younger brother, Christopher, who has served as a Sonar Technician on the USS Salt Lake City, a fast attack nuclear submarine in the US Navy. Since exiting the Navy, he has worked as a bioacoustics technician and as an engineer and project manager for the Computer Sciences Corporation.

Both boys were born in Las Vegas, NV. When Cameron was two years old, the family moved to Phoenix, at seven they moved to Germany. The boys were placed in the local German school where in six months they were fluent in German. The Martindell family took a double tour in Germany. Rich transferred from Ramstein AFB to Bitburg AFB.

Two years into their three year assignment at Bitburg, Rich came home and offered a choice to the family. He had been offered a position at Decimomannu AFB - a NATO base - on the southern tip of Sardinia, Italy. It was up to the family if they take that new position for two years, or stay in Germany and return to the US in one year. A unanimous ITALY sent the Martindells south in 1987.

Knowing they had to return to the US after this tour, the boys enrolled in the American school provided by the base. But the Martindell family chose to live deep in the Italian community where the boys picked up the language.

When Cameron was fourteen they moved to Issaquah, Washington, not far from Seattle. By now Cameron had spent half his life in Europe.

While in Germany the boys joined the Boy Scouts of America troop that was formed on the base to keep their English up. Back in the USA, Cameron finished his Eagle Scout and continued his scouting career in the Order of the Arrow serving as Chapter Chief and as the Administration Vice Chief of the Lodge; in an Explorer Search and Rescue Post as an Advanced Team Leader (mountain search and rescue); and on a Sea Scout Ship as Ship Boswain.

Under the Running Start program in Washington State, Cameron qualified to attend the local community college in lieu of his Senior year of high school. Credits were then available to transfer him to Principia College in Elsah, Illinois where he attended for four years to design his own course of study. In the end he came out with an Internet Entrepreneurship Major and a Biology Minor. The former is a combination of five study disciplines: Business, Economics, Computer Science, Studio Art and Mass Communications. The latter by accident because he signed up for as many classes with field trips as possible.

Cameron's interest in science is genuine, though the minor was obtained quite by accident. During his time at Principia, Cameron participated in two biology study abroad programs. The first to the Bahamas for Marine Biology, the second to Nepal for Mountain Ecology.

During the summers, Cameron worked at, The Mountainzone as a Web Correspondent, The Christian Science Monitor as a Web Producer, and at National Geographic on their web team.

The abroad to Nepal was the foundation of Cameron's capstone project: to build a website and post story and photo updates, as the students ventured through Nepal. This was the first such use of the internet for Principia College and most if not all abroad programs now follow that model. Click on 'Nepal' in above or below to see that project (and remember it was his first such undertaking in 1999).

After graduating, Cameron moved to Australia under the invite to be best man at a friends wedding. Cameron obtained a Holiday Work Visa allowing him to stay in the country and to work for a year. He first found employment re-designing the website for Peach Advertising in Newcastle, NSW. While on a ski trip in the Snowy Mountains Cameron made the connection to land him a job working for Australian Geographic on their website.

Once back in the US after a year in Australia, Cameron worked in New York City, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, and in Maine. Often the work was web based, but in Maine he returned to the outdoors as a camp counselor, first working as the Waterfront Director and Head Lifeguard then as the Trips Director leading multi-day wilderness hiking and canoe trips for the campers aged 9 to 16.

Cameron also worked in Japan as an English Teacher, at the South Pole doing construction, and as a cabin Caretaker in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

All the while, Cameron has been writing stories about his world wide adventures and taking photos to post at offyonder.com.

The adventure continues as Cameron starts to earn revenue from his writing and photography and by giving inspirational presentations based on his years of international travel and adventure. To schedule such an event, drop him a line: cameron -at- offyonder.com

More Stories

Castle Rock
Ross Island, Antarctica, AQ
January 2006

Exploring during an overnight layover flying from the South Pole to New Zealand.

Full Story

President's Weekend Sierra Ski Trip
Carson Pass, June Mountain, CA, US
February 2005

What started off as a day a the 'office' up at Carson Pass testing our latest prototypes of snowshoes, turned into a great weekend of some in and out of bounds skiing and snowboarding.

Full Story

Meeting Folks
Seoul, KR
November 2001

Ya never know who you're going to meet on the plane...

Full Story

Turtle Talk
Takanabe & Kagoshima, Kyushu, JP
November 2001

Continuing my island tour, my trip down south to Kyushu, the southern most island of the main Japanese islands, also included Kagoshima, a small island even further south!

Full Story

Jamaica Mon!
Spanish Town, JM
November 2000

What do you do with a drunken sailor??? Well, that's not really relevant here, but what do you do when you have a friend in the Peace Corps in Jamaica? You go for a visit of course!

Full Story

Tasmania Trekking
Walls of Jerusalem NP, The Never Never, Cradle Mountain NP, Tasmania, AU
February 2000

Full Story

World Pillow Fighting Championships
Kenwood, CA, US
July 2005

Grown men swating at eachother with soggy pillows while balancing on a steel beam... now that's America!

Full Story