Tom Rafalovich recently accompanied a Scoutmaster and his troop on a backpacking trip in California’s Joshua Tree State Park, and the images he took there have become the basis for a new personal project for the lifestyle and fashion photographer. “I’ve always been fascinated with subcultures. I find it interesting to see and photograph what people put their time and energy into,” explains Rafalovich. “And the Scouts are a world unto their own, with their own rituals and regulations.”
A highlight of the excursion was a Camporee, which is a kind of scouting competition. Each troop competed in activities such as log-sawing, navigating an obstacle course, and fire building. “They even give points for uniform correctness, down to the socks, and camp/gear correctness,” marvels Rafalovich.
The project is still very much in the beginning stages, but the photographer plans on documenting the Scouts as often as his schedule allows. He appreciates the exclusiveness of the community they have created, but he also likes the pure humanity of it. “I want to capture both the uniqueness of the Boy Scouts and at the same time how we can all relate to them, especially since in the end they are just a bunch of rambunctious boys having fun.”
