OUTSIDE: BEYOND THE LENS


#101 “Australia”
Australia is a popular travel destination but most never visit the rural and beautiful southeastern coastline of the country. A group of friends (Jeff Aiello, David Boomer, Jon Neely) that are award-winning landscape cinematographers set out along the Princes Highway to film a different side of a land down under. Along the way, small fishing towns, stunning rain forests and advice from the locals about where to explore next leads to unplanned adventures.

#102 “Alaska Off The Grid”
In a remote part of Alaska’s Aleutian Peninsula, accessible only by floatplane, a single camp sits on the banks of a river. Every summer, fishermen come here to catch salmon and explore a place where brown bears roam free and wolves howl in the wind. Jeff Aiello tells the story of the family that runs this camp, a group that’s come to fish and captures the rarely seen beauty of a part of Alaska far off the grid.

#103 “Storm Chasers”
Every spring, a swath of land through the heartland of America becomes ground zero for severe storms. Now, Tornado Alley draws a growing number of people who travel to the middle of the country to chase storms. Jeff, David and Jon follow a father and his twin daughters who visit the panhandle of Texas to see the power of Mother Nature up close. But beyond the lens, another side of this extreme hobby is revealed as the chase passes through the dying towns of a forgotten part of America.

#104 “East Side Colors”
The eastern side of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains is home to high deserts and dramatic towering peaks. Each fall, this region’s aspen groves explode in color as winter approaches drawing landscape photographers from around the world. Jeff Aiello explores the eastern Sierra at the peak of the fall color show and discovers why this part of the Golden State is becoming a favorite place to bring a camera.

#105 “New Zealand”
Home to some of the most incredible landscapes on Earth, the south island of New Zealand is explored by the Beyond The Lens crew in search of the perfect frame. But Jeff, Jon and David quickly realize there’s a lot more to New Zealand than meets the eye. An overnight stay in the amazing lakeside city of Queenstown and a helpful local they meet leads to an unforgettable off-the-beaten path discovery.

#106 “Super Bloom”
About every 10 years, California experiences something that truly boggles the mind. Heavy winter rains lead to a springtime phenomena call the “Super Bloom”. Entire mountain ranges and sprawling valley floors erupt in a sea of colors that is almost impossible to believe. Jeff Aiello, his 12-year-old son Jett and David Boomer wander through southern California’s Carrizo Plains National Monument at the height of the bloom to capture the beauty but curios turn down a long dirt road leads to a surprising discovery.

#107 “Utah Overland”
Southern Utah is home to some of America’s top national parks. Zion, Bryce and Arches National Parks attract millions of visitors each year. But a 50-mile drive though Utah’s remote Cottonwood Canyon delivers curious travelers into a world with landscapes that will rival any national park on Earth. The Beyond The Lens camera crew explores this forgotten road to capture its beauty but a lonely camper they encounter along the journey becomes the real treasure of this adventure.

#108 “Grasslands”
In southeastern Colorado, scattered among the small towns and wind-swept plains two National Grasslands areas remain. Open to visitors but rarely seen, these wide open spaces protect a part of America’s heartland frozen in time. Jeff, David and Jon take their cameras into these remote grasslands and discover much more than they envisioned as the remains of a WW2 Japanese internment camp give up the ghostly secrets of a dark chapter in American history.

#109 “Alabama Hills”
It’s been the backdrop for Hollywood films for nearly 100 years. From Hop-Along Cassidy to Iron Man, the Alabama Hills and its unique geologic formations has been the backdrop to more than 100 films. But this is also an amazing place to explore and shoot landscapes like nowhere else on Earth. Jeff, David and Zack set up camp in the middle of this bizarre mix of boulders and jagged peaks to tell the visual story of this historic site and discover a different side of this movie-making hotspot as the night sky erupts with the real stars of the hills.

#110 “Switzerland”
For the season finale, the Beyond The Lens camera crew visits one of the most scenic locations on Earth. Jeff, David and Jon wrap up a year of exploration with their cameras in the heart of the Swiss Alps. A road trip into the green valleys and snow-capped peaks reveals a side of Switzerland that is sometimes overlooked by all the scenic wonders…the people and food. Owners of the oldest hotel in Lauterbrennan tell their amazing story and share some local secrets about how to explore the high mountains of Europe.