







Salt Like City photographer and director Kevin Bennett can’t seem to sit still. Whether he’s hitting the desert on a vintage dirt bike or packing out the van for a weekend trip to the mountains, it seems like he’s perpetually on the go. We caught up with Kevin during a recent trip to the Teton Mountain Range in Wyoming to find out what makes him tick.

Photos by Aaron Brimhall









How's life in Salt Lake City?

Life in Salt Lake rules. I never imagined myself living out here. Utah in general was never on my radar. But, here I am. There are so many great people that made me feel welcomed right at the start, so that made the whole transition really smooth. The easy access to amazing places, the short security lines at the airport, dry heat, wild winters, and the awesome friends who are always down for a last minute adventures... All things that make me thankful to live in such a rad place.





Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I grew up in a small town called Mechanicsville, Virginia. It’s the type of place where you really have to invent your own fun, which usually consisted of Ding-Dong Ditch, Googling new ways to blow something up, and driving too fast with your friends down backroads then getting pulled over by your other friends who became police officers. I loved it. Straight out of high school, I traveled off and on for a couple years. I moved to Hawaii for a while, Sweden, Finland, and Japan as well. The thought of college crossed my mind a couple times but never stuck. I like moving around. It’s fun and the dust never really seems to settle.









You come from a pretty big, creative family. How did that affect who you are today?

tons of music that you’ve most likely danced to a few times. Champ runs a digital agency in New York called HYPERHYPER who developed a highly successful social platform called PHHHOTO. They’re both married to equally talented and amazing people, Maggie and Nikki. Our parents always supported us in all that we wanted to do… No matter what.We definitely owe it the them for teaching us not to be afraid to try and fail. I’m the youngest of four siblings. My sister Jaime is the oldest and by far the smartest out of all of us. She’s traveled around the world and back and currently lives in the Middle East with her family. Her genuine care for other people and sense of adventure has always inspired me to keep progressing. My two older bothers, Champ and Billy, were a huge influence on me and still are. Everything they did I wanted to do too. Whether it was playing music or jumping off our house into the pool when Mom wasn’t looking. They've always bordered the fine line of making me feel like a total idiot and making me feel like a champion. A true brotherhood. Both of them have become successful in their respective fields. Billy is a tattoo artist in Washington D.C. and has producedthat you’ve most likely danced to a few times. Champ runs a digital agency in New York calledwho developed a highly successful social platform called. They’re both married to equally talented and amazing people, Maggie and Nikki. Our parents always supported us in all that we wanted to do… No matter what.We definitely owe it the them for teaching us not to be afraid to try and fail.





What first drew you to work in film and video? You're mostly self-taught, correct? How has your style developed from when you first started to now?

Honestly, I wish I had some crazy story of discovery. But the truth is, I simply found something early on that I enjoyed doing and kept going for it. My close friend and killer editor, Nick Wurz has been a huge influence on me stylistically over the years. While I was mostly self-taught, he pushed me to try harder and not settle for “It’s fine.” He was the first person that gave me a real shot at this kind of work. I still owe him a sandwich. But I enjoy the challenge of pushing myself creatively and constantly trying to come up with something new. It’s the perfect balance of exciting and terrifying. I like watching stories, specifically the kind of stories that make me uncomfortable or question my own creativity. But I also like binge watching Fail compilations on YouTube. I think those inspire me too... somehow.





Hard to imagine you fall into routines, but what's an average day like for you?

Camp4 studio. If I’m not editing, I’m working on treatments for potential work, or plotting out something to do for fun once the weekend cruises in. Shoots, however, are completely different story. That can range anywhere from waking up at 5am at a hotel in Malibu, a tent in the desert, or an engine room at the bottom of a ship somewhere in the ocean and getting little to no sleep for days. An average day usually consists of hitting the snooze button a couple times, some coffee, getting into a fight with our in-house tech ninja, Rudy, over who’s turn it is to buy breakfast burritos, and heading to the. If I’m not editing, I’m working on treatments for potential work, or plotting out something to do for fun once the weekend cruises in. Shoots, however, are completely different story. That can range anywhere from waking up at 5am at a hotel in Malibu, a tent in the desert, or an engine room at the bottom of a ship somewhere in the ocean and getting little to no sleep for days.









Have you always been a daredevil?

Ha, uh, well I guess that totally depends on your definition of daredevil. I’d probably lean more on the side of slightly stupid. But yeah, always been Slightly Stoopid.





You always seem to be on the go. What motivates you to keep moving?

There is a great quote by Louis CK that goes, “‘I’m bored’ is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say ‘I’m bored.” So, pretty much that. It’s the thought that there’s just so much to see and I’ve barely even scratched the surface that keeps me on the move.









You've traveled to some awesome places. Can you share any favorite experiences?

OCEARCH shark research vessel for a month in the Juan Fernández Islands. We were anchored at Robinson Crusoe Island when we received a call over the radio that an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile and was expected to generate a tsunami. It was unfortunate we got the call right as dinner was on the table because we were having turkey and mashed potatoes that night. And I really wanted turkey and mashed potatoes. I wasn’t sure what a tsunami meant for us considering were about 400mi off the coast, however, back in 2010 a similar earthquake hit this island and destroyed most of the coastal village and 16 people lost their lives. So we weren’t taking any chances. The crew pulled the anchor, loaded up the SAFE boat, and brought all the life preservers up to the galley where we were given a safety meeting in case it was about to get real. We had a local on our ship, Rudy, who was in constant communication with the island and of course the Captain was in constant communication with emergency lines stateside. Once we made it offshore aways, we knew we were safe. We had 20 minutes to spare when whatever was going to hit us was going to hit. We didn’t feel a thing. The only thing left to worry about at that point was the island. Fortunately, the waves that reached the coastline weren’t big enough to cause damage and everyone was safe. We finally got to eat the turkey and mashed potatoes. It was cold, but, whatever. I had a pretty wild experience living onboard theshark research vessel for a month in the Juan Fernández Islands. We were anchored at Robinson Crusoe Island when we received a call over the radio that an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile and was expected to generate a tsunami. It was unfortunate we got the call right as dinner was on the table because we were having turkey and mashed potatoes that night. And I really wanted turkey and mashed potatoes. I wasn’t sure what a tsunami meant for us considering were about 400mi off the coast, however, back in 2010 a similar earthquake hit this island and destroyed most of the coastal village and 16 people lost their lives. So we weren’t taking any chances. The crew pulled the anchor, loaded up the SAFE boat, and brought all the life preservers up to the galley where we were given a safety meeting in case it was about to get real. We had a local on our ship, Rudy, who was in constant communication with the island and of course the Captain was in constant communication with emergency lines stateside. Once we made it offshore aways, we knew we were safe. We had 20 minutes to spare when whatever was going to hit us was going to hit. We didn’t feel a thing. The only thing left to worry about at that point was the island. Fortunately, the waves that reached the coastline weren’t big enough to cause damage and everyone was safe. We finally got to eat the turkey and mashed potatoes. It was cold, but, whatever.





How long have you been riding motorcycles? What do you ride?

I started riding dirt bikes as a kid with my friend Raphael. We both got bikes around the same time and found as many ways to hurt ourselves with them as possible. However, I’ve only been riding road bikes for a few years.





Currently in the garage, or at my mechanic’s depending on what day you ask, is a ’76 BMW R90, ’75 Honda MR175 Elsinore, ’96 Kawasaki KLR650, and back east a ’76 Suzuki GS650. I’m always browsing Craigslist, though. You never know what you might absolutely, definitely, 100% need to have, until you see it.









What's your dream bike?

Right now the rad dudes over at Salt City Builds are working on building my dream dirt bike. I’m really excited to see where it goes. But a friend, John Ryland, who started Classified Moto back home in Richmond, VA has been building a lot of incredible bikes for awhile now. You’ve most likely seen his work shredding around with Daryl from The Walking Dead behind the handle bars. I’d love to get my hands on a Classified bike at some point. We also took a couple Bang Moto’s on our trip to Wyoming for some off-road adventures. Tyler is a local Salt Lake builder who has some killer talent. I’d also like one of those. Honestly, there’s a lot of bikes I’d like to have, hah. But definitely these are my top of the list.





Sad to hear the LeMans is in the shop. Is there a story behind the car?

Me too, man. Me too. Originally it was garaged in Eastern Shore, Maryland, and owned by one hell of a sweet lady named Virginia. She had seemingly endless stories about her car - including one about a particular dent on the side of the door. Her son decided to sneak out for a late night cruise. He pushed all 3,800 pounds of American steel down their half mile drive way before he fired it up and sped off to pick up some friends. Virginia waited all night for him to get home. As he rolled it back up to the house, she stepped off the front porch, kicked the door in and grounded him for the rest of his life. I never fixed the dent. She let a few tears out as she handed me the keys. I told her when a friend asked what I was going to name the car, without hesitation, I responded - “Virginia.” She was thrilled. I finally got it out here to Utah this past year. I have a really good friend, Glenn, who helped me get the LeMans going that I call here and there when I’m on the side of the road shaking my head. He usually answers the phone laughing now.





What's currently on your road trip playlist?

HMU on Spotify. I’ve got a couple playlists that I’ll bounce between. For the long drive at night Reckless Kelly, Lucinda Williams, and Ryan Bringham usually bring it home. In the morning its usually a mix of newerish stuff - Mura Masa, Blood Orange, Realities. There’s a good variety.









What are your go-to spots for a weekend trip to Wyoming?

Luckily, one of my good friends, Savannah , currently lives in Jackson Hole as a guide, so she knows all the good spots. This last trip with Aaron and Dallin, we hit up Delta Lake. We wanted to get there before sunrise so we left her place at 3am and started our hike up. I don’t remember much of the first hour or so... and I’m pretty sure Dallin was 100% asleep the entire time. It was definitely well worth the 7 mile round trip. Some other great spots are Granite Hot Springs, Shadow Mountain, and Jackson Lake. Food wise, big fan of Teton Thai in the village and Snake River Brew Pub. We also stopped at this diner called Blondie’s halfway between Jackson and Salt Lake. Aaron described the smell as the inside of an airplane that should be decommissioned. If you go, ask for the apple pie and tell them Duy sent you.









What about your favorite spots in SLC?

The Rose Establishment. They have the most insane avocado + tomato toast and the coffee is divine. For food, its Sage Cafe, a vegetarian/vegan spot. Their food is mad good. Also a fan of Red Iguana, Blue Plate Diner, and Alberto’s - but only their breakfast burritos. There’s all sorts of sweet stuff near by. After work I’ll typically ride up Emigration Canyon to catch sunset before heading home. But I’m still discovering a ton of new places all the time. My usual coffee spot in the morning is. They have the most insane avocado + tomato toast and the coffee is divine. For food, its, a vegetarian/vegan spot. Their food is mad good. Also a fan of, and- but only their breakfast burritos.





What's next for you?

Me and my friends Aaron and Andrew have been planning a big ride through Turkey. We’re trying to do 1,500 miles through the interior, hitting the coast line, and camping all along the way. There is also talks of Indonesia and China. The end of the year is shaping up to be great for sure. Really excited to see what happens.











