Our Story

A Lifetime in the Mountains

The appreciation runs deep. The legacy begins here.

A New Movement

Preservation Photography

Not protecting nature from people. Supporting the people who protect nature. This is the lens through which we see mountains.

Our Model

Partnerships, Not Charity

We invest in mountain businesses, not charities. 100% of Guardian membership fees fund preservation partnerships. Sustainable business protects landscapes better than donations.

Three Pillars

Art. Membership. Expeditions.

Museum-quality photography you can own. Guardian memberships that fund preservation. Expeditions that connect you to the places we protect.

Join Us

Become Part of the Movement

Every purchase supports preservation. Every Guardian membership creates impact. Every expedition builds connection. This is conscious collecting.

Our Approach

Photography. Expeditions. Guardianship.

Three pillars. Each tells stories, creates opportunity, and proves prosperity and preservation grow together.

Photography
Photography
Expeditions - Shadow Line
Expeditions
Guardianship
Guardianship
Our Philosophy

We Support the People Who Protect Mountains

Preservation photography captures what traditional landscape work often erases: the people whose stewardship has shaped these places for generations. Not pristine wilderness empty of human presence, but living landscapes where communities and ecosystems flourish together.

People

Communities, Not Beneficiaries

Mountain communities aren't recipients of aid. They're partners in this work. We document their wisdom, share their stories, and build partnerships that honor their knowledge while creating sustainable livelihoods that protect both culture and ecology.

Preservation

When Communities Prosper, Landscapes Flourish

Our business models reward guardianship rather than extraction. By making preservation more profitable than exploitation, we prove that protecting fragile ecosystems creates opportunity for everyone. Preservation doesn't require sacrifice; it creates prosperity.

Profits

Sustainability Requires Revenue

Purpose without profit is charity that eventually runs dry. Profit without purpose is extraction. We're proving you can do both: tell stories sustainably while supporting the communities within them. Companies can measure success by the communities they empower and the landscapes they preserve.

Our Mission

Through preservation photography, we empower the people who protect the world's great peaks, proving that when mountain communities prosper, their landscapes thrive.

Empower the People. Preserve the Peaks. Prosper Together.

The Founder

A Filmmaker Who Became a Guardian

Dirk Collins

Forests had champions. Oceans had advocates. Mountains had silence.

Dirk Collins has spent thirty years documenting Earth's most rugged and remote locations. He co-founded Teton Gravity Research, redefined adventure filmmaking, and earned an Emmy nomination along the way. His work has launched careers, built brands, and shaped a generation.

Somewhere along the way, something shifted. The mountains and the communities protecting them had no global voice. Planet 5 and preservation photography exists to break the silence.

Co-founder Teton Gravity Research
Emmy-nominated Filmmaker
30 Years, 7 Continents
Trusted by the World's Most Iconic Brands
Learn More About Dirk
The World's Most Iconic Brands

A Legacy of Collaboration

Zebra in African landscape
Join the Movement

Your Membership Funds Preservation

100% of Guardian dues support mountain communities directly. The art discounts pay for themselves.