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jonathan serna

@thejonagaze

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Cameraperson, California Naturalist, rock climber, dad to @remitheboyo, Turkish Delight lover, writer, and YouTuber out in the wild.

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The 2nd annual Rock Rumble Royale is taking place January 9th and 10th, 2026–THATS NEXT WEEK! Go climb some rocks, learn a thing or two about how to take care of nature, and have a good time in that magical place of Joshua Tree National Park.In the meantime, get ready to rumble by watching this trailer of a documentary that puts climbers into the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park during the titular, first ever 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale, a bouldering competition and conservation event. It was filmed on December 13 and 14, 2024, and features interviewees that hold a conversation about conservation with the filmmaker, Jonathan Serna, as he discovers climbing conservation, and witnesses climbing history. This trailer features snippets from @cliffhangerguides @accessfund @sheneenagins and @_linacolina_, and the full film can be watched on YouTube—link is in bio.#joshuatreenationalpark #bouldering #conservation by @thejonagaze

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7 months ago

I’m a documentary filmmaker and photographer that’s passionate about telling stories on our human nature, and the natural world. This reel is a compilation of some of my latest works in the past couple of years—adventures in cycling, in running, in climbing, behind the scenes, out in the wild, and out in enduring environments. Captured with my lens, my brain, and my heart. I’m sharing this because I’m in a stage where I’ve moved to a new city, and it feels like I’m building back from 0. Thankfully this time around, it feels a little more like 1 because I’ve got by with a little help from my friends (and family). I’m on my way to 100, wherever and whatever that is. I still have much to learn, and am ready to keep going for it.Looking forward to the many new people I get to meet, and especially the stories I have yet to tell.😎✌ by @thejonagaze

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2 years ago

Field Journal // Scouting@ulises.odysy said it best, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. That’s always been stuck in my head when working on projects small or big. If I’m working with people who aren’t on a particular standard of work ethic, I default to my own and try to influence my environment in a very subtle and respectful way. Because at the end of the day, I don’t want my name on anything that I’m not proud of. Here’s a behind-the-scenes of our scouting day for a documentary project following @hellahgood9 run his first @wser 100-mile trail race. The documentary now lives on @outsidewatchPRODUCTION @odysymedia @ulises.odysy CAMERA OPS @dxpert_image @gastongardey BTS by one of my bestfriends @thejonagaze by @thejonagaze

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Field Journal // KwentoKwento (also spelled kuwento) is the Tagalog word for story. A few years ago, one of my best friends @thejonagaze and I went on a road trip down to San Luis Obispo for a project. I was coming from another work trip and had a compact kitchen in my car. So I decided to make my version of roadside Filipino chicken adobo and steamed white rice. If you know me, you know my love for cooking. In a perfect world, I’d like to cook for all of my friends and introduce everyone to each other on a warm summer night. From the archives. by @thejonagaze

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a month ago

Give me an hour of sunset, and I’ll let the light in.I made this a couple of weeks ago in the same day I went around shooting it. I can’t remember the last time since I shot and edited something so quickly that was just for fun. I miss just getting outside and letting my body and eyes do more work than my heart and brain. It feels like it’s escaping me—this ability to freewill max creative expression.But not the kind of expression that has anything to say, just the kind of expression that I think is pleasant enough to show. This here is just me getting out with my buddy, @reyereyerey, to take some images we can have a good time looking back on. We also got bit by a ton of mosquitoes. Hated that part.Nerdy specs:- Shot on @omsystem.americas OM-5, 12-45mm, and 75-300mm, with an Urth 2-400 VND- Audio from @sennheiser MKE 200- Music by @beyzayazgan Beyza, via @epidemicsound by @thejonagaze

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I think this gives the best sense of what to expect during the 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale experience. Seth’s intro is epic. He is electricity incarnate. This film is the thunder to the lightning that he sparked with his team.This sequence is from my documentary, “The 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale,” which puts climbers into the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park during the titular, first ever 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale, a bouldering competition and conservation event. The events depicted in this film took place on December 13 and 14, 2024. Repost this, put it on your story, make it the next topic of your group chat, or meditate on it. Above all, please watch the film, and buy tickets to the event THIS WEEKEND, JANUARY 9th and 10th. The link is in my bio. #rockclimbing #bouldering #conservation #29palms #joshuatreenationalpark by @thejonagaze

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7 months ago

Do you ever think to yourself that you think you know something, only to find out you don’t actually know anything at all about that something you thought you once knew? Yeah, same.It was difficult for me to include this particular sequence in the film. This might sound a little over the top, but I cringe every time I listen to myself ask the question to Erik. I like to think I’m a decent interviewer, but I was in over my head in this moment. How could I be so stupid? Or maybe, how could I be so shallow? To ask my question so indifferently like that—“either or?” C’mon bro.I decided to include it in the film anyways because it was a discovery. On one hand I actually learned the difference between “conservation” and “preservation.” On the other, I realize that admitting a lack of knowledge on complex and important subjects is a challenge that is a step in itself towards doing a decent thing.A little bit of humility goes a long way on the road of stewardship.This is an edited version of a sequence from my documentary, “The 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale,” which puts climbers into the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park during the titular, first ever 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale, a bouldering competition and conservation event. The events depicted in this film took place on December 13 and 14, 2024. Repost this, put it on your story, make it the next topic of your group chat, or meditate on it. Above all, please watch the film, and buy tickets to the event THIS WEEKEND, JANUARY 9th and 10th. The link is in my bio. #climbing #conservation by @thejonagaze

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How many climbers do you recognize in this clip? 6, 7? Maybe more, maybe less?You could pause at different moments and see the mass amounts of people that attended. I see legends left and right, influencers showing off, athletes preparing for competition, small business owners slangin goods, locals showing up, leaders showing face, supporters being convivial, and it goes on and on and on. Yes, I may have broken the illusion of immersion by giving some direction to the star of the shot, @nothobogreg, but that’s because I thought showing off the space in this way would be far more interesting. It’s a blatant walkthrough, but at least it isn’t a flashy b-roll montage. A theme that is talked about throughout the film is “collectivism,” and I personally think it’s hard to depict the vastness of that in the space of climbing. There’s the saying, “it takes a village,” which is a cliche I took literally as I decided to film the vendor village in one take to hopefully encapsulate how big the social aspect of the event was.This is a sequence from my documentary, “The 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale,” which puts climbers into the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park during the titular, first ever 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale, a bouldering competition and conservation event by @cliffhangerguides. The events depicted in this film took place on December 13 and 14, 2024. Repost this, put it on your story, make it the next topic of your group chat, or meditate on it. Above all, please watch the film, and buy tickets to the event THIS WEEKEND, JANUARY 9th and 10th. The link is in my bio. #29palms #bouldering #conservation by @thejonagaze

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7 months ago

Catching up with a memory by @thejonagaze

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a year ago

DREAMSET is LIVE on my YouTube channel!Link in bio 🔗 I am incredibly grateful for all of the moments in this process. 🙏graphic design by @christopherkuang @ck.loading #climbing #routesetting by @thejonagaze

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DREAMSET PREMIERE | 06.01.25 | MADROCK HQI’m stoked to finally share this passion project that I have been meticulously chipping away at with the awesome class act, @oliverkuang_.It’s been a labor of love in exploring the questions we have for this movement called “climbing,” and a tremendous collaboration full of discovery. Time to shine the light on SoCal’s best routesetters.We’ll be screening our film on June 1st at MadRock Headquarters as part of their Vertical Visions community short film festival. There will be climbing action, Q&As, food and more!RSVP with the link in bio 🔗 by @thejonagaze

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DREAMSET is LIVE on my YouTube Channel. link in bio.DREAMSET PREMIERE | 06.01.25 | MADROCK HQSo excited to finally share this video project that I’ve been working on with the incredibly talented @thejonagaze featuring an absolutely stellar crew of routesetters.We’ll be screening our film on June 1st at MadRock Headquarters as part of their Vertical Visions community film festival. There will be climbing action, Q&As, food and more! by @thejonagaze

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