Rowing solo and unsupported from Hawai’i to Australia—over 5,000 miles of open ocean—Tez Steinberg set out to do what few have dared. With no chase boat, no support crew, and only the sky above and sea below, he rowed for over four months through some of the most unforgiving waters on Earth.

More people have walked on the moon than have completed this row. And no one has done it quite like Tez.

As Second Unit Director of Photography on the feature-length documentary about his journey, for the stills I partnered with photographer Philip Scott Andrews to document Tez’s story. From intimate portraits to open-ocean cinematography, we captured moments of raw endurance, quiet strength, and transformation—most of the still were shot on the Fujifilm GFX 100s.

Tez became a friend. We said goodbye 13 miles off O‘ahu as his navigation light disappeared into the night. Our 7-person crew was the last to see him—until we met him again, over 100 miles off the coast of Australia, beyond the Great Barrier Reef. From there, we guided him through treacherous coral heads to landfall near Port Douglas.

I photographed his arrival and created a before-and-after portrait series that captures the toll, the triumph, and the change. The journey began in water, but what it became is something far deeper.