Summit County resident Joseph Large’s love for photography began when he would make off with his father’s Polaroid camera as a kid, set up his G.I. Joe toy soldiers in the tall grass and click off picturesque jungle photos.

Since taking his first backyard photographs, Large has steadily built up his body of work, traveling internationally and completing projects for The Discovery Channel, National Geographic and BBC Earth.

Most recently, Large worked on the Netflix project “Our Living World,” which is set to be released on Wednesday, April 17, five days before Earth Day.

Large’s path to becoming an accomplished photographer was not without twists and turns, though. Instead of pursuing his deep passion for photography as a full-time profession out of college, Large said he gave in to the naysayers and entered the workforce with a corporate IT job.

While feeling stuck in the typical nine-to-five rat race, Large’s mother was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer after being in remission for 10 years. With his mother’s health declining, Large moved back home to Philadelphia to help his mom while she was in hospice care. 

Close to 10 days after returning home, Large’s mother passed away. Like any death of a loved one, Large took it hard, but he quickly came to realize that life is too short to not fully pursue your passions.

“Life is short, and you better love what you do,” Large said. “I was just hanging out with my dad for almost a year, just to keep him company and help him with the house and everything. He wasn’t charging me rent, so I was able to save up some money, and I bought my first digital SLR.”

With a new camera in his hand, Large quickly began expanding his already-established skillset in photography when his father told him that he needed to move back to the mountains to dive into his passion wholeheartedly. 

“He told me to go back to Colorado and that I wasn’t going to be a photographer and filmmaker here in Philly,” Large said. “I told him that I was going to hang out and buy a house, live in the same neighborhood, hang out all the time, and he said, ‘Get out of here.'”

Large took the firm push from his father and returned to Summit County, where he balanced several jobs alongside his photography and filmmaking business in order to make ends meet. 

Large’s hard work and persistence started to pay off with him being noticed by a couple of magazines, before he faced another bump in the road with the unexpected death of his dad.

“With her, I was able to say goodbye, but my dad just died in his sleep of a heart attack we think,” Large said. “We didn’t actually know the cause of death. That was the second kick in the ass where I was like, ‘I really have to do this. Life is super short.'”

From that moment on, Large went all in on his photography and filmmaking, forming connections with winter sport athletes and getting the opportunity to travel to X Games.

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Slowly but surely, Large’s photos and videos started to get noticed by more people and organizations, resulting in some of the biggest gigs in his career. Through a mutual connection, Large got his first big break by getting the opportunity to fly drones for a 2019 National Geographic project named “Hostile Planet.”

While perched high atop Summit County on Quandary Peak, Large did not take the assignment for granted, dedicating himself to his work and striving to get the best shots.

“When I was working for them, shooting that (project), we filmed up on Quandary for like five, six days,” Large said. “The whole time I was like work, work, work, work. I remember the last day when we wrapped the shoot, I pulled out of the parking lot and was like, ‘I just shot for Nat Geo.’ That was mind-blowing to me.” 

The job with National Geographic ultimately set Large up for future jobs with the Discovery Channel and BBC Earth before signing on to work on “Our Living World” for Netflix. Contributing to the multifaceted project, Large captured drone footage from eight to nine locations scattered across the San Juan Mountains during different seasons.

On one film day in Silverton, Large’s drone was dive-bombed by a territorial golden eagle while near the Silverton Visitor Center on the Animas River. 

“This bird with a 6, 7-foot wingspan was dive-bombing the drone,” Large said. “This is like a $20,000 drone, and if we lose it, we don’t have a backup. It was super freaking stressful, but it ended up working out. It was wild. It was terrifying, honestly.”

After years of waiting for the documentary to be released to the public, Large is excited for viewers around the globe to take in his handiwork, which will be featured alongside narration from Australian actress Cate Blanchett.

Although neither his mom nor dad got to see the full breadth of his artistic vision, Large takes comfort in knowing that he is working hard to make them proud with every click of the camera.

“Everything I do is to try to make them proud,” Large said. “After my mom passed, my dad was still around for three years, and whenever I got a big gig, I would call him. I can’t do that anymore, and it’s rough, so I call my sister. I still try to make them proud, and everything I do, I know they are watching.”

With so many creative and inspiring people with intense passions living in Summit County, Large encourages others to fully pursue what they love despite what society may say.

“Whether they are creating art or making jewelry, or whatever it is, don’t listen to the naysayers,” Large said. “Everyone is going to talk shit. If they are not, then you aren’t doing something well enough. Be passionate and do what you are doing. Those setbacks are the things that make you stronger, and they can be used as fuel for you to continue your passion. “

To learn more about Large and his work, visit JosephLarge.com. “Our Living World” is a four-part miniseries and will premiere Wednesday, April 17, on Netflix.