Ahoy!

I recently got back from a 2 week shoot on a ship that started in the ship yards of the Netherlands and eventually landed me back at Port Canaveral, Florida.

I could have very easily gone stir crazy going to sleep and waking up looking at nothing but choppy seas everyday, but thanks to the most amazing group of crew and talent, I loved every second I got to spend shooting out there with my team

Some things I didn’t think about but quickly learned as I sailed across the Atlantic ocean:

• Almost every morning, we had sailed a little more west which meant that our time zone changed day by day, one hour at a time. Probably the only time in my life that I’ll ever be able to beat jet lag that gradually

• Having a stateroom toward the back of the ship places you closer to the rumbly engine which made my bed shake. I fell asleep imagining that I was a flea sleeping on my scared dog

• About a day after you pass the English Channel, theres a tiny group of islands in the middle of the ocean thats part of Portugal known as the Azores! We docked there for a day and got to walk around the town of Porta Delgato.

• The days on the eastern part of the Atlantic lasted soooo long! Some days, the sun would still be up till nearly 10 pm.

• Even in the very center of the Atlantic ocean, there are seagulls flying around with no land in sight. I got exhausted just thinking of how much flying they must have done to get there.

• There is so much sea lice floating around near the beaches along the Atlantic! Sea lice are actually little jellyfish larvae the get irritated when they touch your skin. Kinda cuter than imagining you’re covered in actual lice, I think.

• Internet is hard to come by so luckily, I had downloaded a lot of kid-friendly playlists to have on set ( links below)

Kid Friendly Photoshoot Playlists

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Kid Friendly Photoshoot Playlists 〰️

Kid Friendly Photoshoot Playlists

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Kid Friendly Photoshoot Playlists 〰️

My favorite move that I’ve learned from years of doing yoga for photographers ——->

Birthday Trip

For my birthday weekend, I packed up the fam, a film camera, a phone camera, and a long playlist and set out to celebrate another year around the sun by being in the sun.

We went up the coast of Big Sur listening to this mix I made all along the way. I learned that if you start the mix right as f you get to Morro Bay, it will take you through out the drive along the Big Sur area and end when you exit the last bundle of redwood trees and enter the city of Carmel. I didn’t plan it that way but it ended up being a little bit of magic that made me feel good inside.

heres the mix that you can listen to or download from Spotify

The trip was full of things that bring me comfort with things outside of my usual comfort zone. I loved packing healthy snacks into the Yeti, parking the car at random lookouts, and having impromptu picnics. The trip forced our dogs to bond and the lack of reception allowed Alex and I to do the same.

One of the goals I had for the week was to not build up excited anxiety, like I get when I shoot a photo I love with my DSLR. I look at it through the screen and imagine the little tweaks I want to make to it when I get home. By the time a trip where I bring out the big camera is over, I’ve loaded up on a lot of additional work for myself to do.

So for this trip, I just used my iPhone and my very first 35mm camera from my childhood. I love the juxtapositions involved in shooting with these 2 cameras. Not only the stark visual difference but spending this trip celebrating my life through the lenses of both my oldest and newest camera. The one that inspired me to start shooting along with the one that keeps me able to this thing that I love at all times.

Moments that made me smile

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Moments that made me smile ☺

+ driving around with the sun roof open

+ getting dangerously close to waves crashing onto my feet then narrowly escaping

+ finding the perfect spot to sketch at sunset

+ getting to see flowers bloom out of almost every thing! May is such a cool month to celebrate

+ seeing all the unlikely places that trees grow

+ seeing my very first beach loving deer! DO YOU SEE IT?! I was so excited when I discovered him

+ seeing purple sand for the first time at Pfeiffer Beach

+ imagining how comfy it must be for Charlie to get to view nature from the comfort of a french picnic basket

+ hopping along rocks to look at tide pools and getting to see so many cute live sea urchin up close

Lazers and Blazers party

This post easily could have been titled "Photos from an introvert at a dance party as she challenges herself to make the most out of an on camera flash" but I thought the better of it.

While I was at my first ever/ their last ever Yeah Field Trip, I took some breaks during Michael Antonias Lazers and Blazers DJ set to drink water from a box and play around with my estranged speedlight! 

Shortly after putting my camera away, I reverted back to being a true fly on the wall...or I guess I should call it  "a balloon in the photobooth". That'll catch on right?

Working with Vans for art!

I'm so glad to say that I've teamed up with Vans to support art education. I designed these shoes to let everyone know about their high
school art program VansCustomCulture. One US high school will take home $75k for their art program!

I wish I had a good arts program and a supportive community growing up, but because I didn't I spent a lot of time making due with what I had, and testing ideas with no clue what I was doing. I used to put cheese cloth over a tee shirt and draw on the cloth with puff paint, letting it bleed through to the shirt. Later in life, I realized that I was essentially screen printing but not efficiently. 

Much like most trial and error things I do, I tried needle pointing straight into these canvas Vans and let me tell ya, these shoes are built to last! I ended up with bloody fingers trying to pierce through them! Yet, after watching every episode of The Crown and patching up my scabbed nailbeds, I ended up with this unlikely pair that I'm SO happy with.

With funding for arts programs in high school, kids would be able to experiment more and sooner allowing them to find their path at a young age so that by the time they're my age they could be inspiring and teaching people new methods and ideas. 

I love being part of this project and can't wait to see what these students create with their blank vans.

 Registration & more info at vans.com/customculture