A week ago, I was nominated on Facebook to post a photo of the natural world for the next 7 days, which struck me as taking a mini Around the World photos trip for a week. My gut response to this was twofold: 1. I love photos of the natural world, I love to take them and I am inspired when I see them. 2. Ummm, that seems like a whole lot of extra work just now when we have so much going on in the studio (We are moving! Lots more to come on that in a future post). But traveling is one of my favorite things ever, and I have been fortunate in that I have traveled around the world more than a few times with my camera. I DO love this photograph I shot while at Yellowstone National Park, relatively local – or at least in the same country (and it was a #TravelTuesday on Facebook, after all). And I am struck by how a late afternoon sun mixed with a still-blue sky can also combine with the surreal hot springs of the area, with all that fog and warm spray from the gushing geysers and the oily, bubbling streams that run across this burnt-out Wyoming land – and next thing I know I had posted my Day 1 photo. So I was clearly in, off and running.
(Shot with Nikon D810, 24-70 2.8 at f/13.)
Day 2 – this is one of my very favorites from a drive through the south of France two summers ago. This image strikes me as a reminder from the universe that we are all here to experience sunshine, lightness, and joy, if we just do our best to stand tall, lift our heads and look for it. (Then repeat as often as necessary.)
(Shot with Nikon D800 24-70 2.8)
Day 3 – The sheer power, deafening sound, and far-reaching spray of the waterfalls in Iceland make them quite worth the muddy hike behind them, even if I did get way more soaked taking this shot than I’d guessed I would.
(Shot with Nikon D810, 24-70 2.8.)
Day 4 – Something completely different from the previous day’s dark moody, powerful waterfall in Iceland. This was from a bright, dreamy hike through Rabbit Ears Pass of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which is gorgeously abundant with all kinds of wildflowers in the summer:
Nikon D810, 24-70 2.8
Day 5 – Breathtakingly clear view from a a seriously stunning hike in Queenstown, New Zealand that I shot several years ago. I remember thinking at the time: 1. This is crazy beautiful. 2. I’m hungry. 3. I think I’m taking far too many photographs 4. I’m really, really hungry.
Day 6 – A photograph from a train stop en route from Lake Como, Italy to Interlaken, Switzerland, using all the tricks to get as reflection-free a shot as I could get through one of their huge picture windows (which I was glued to for the duration of the ride anyway). Train + window seat + headphones + music = my favorite way to travel. Like, ever.
(Shot with Nikon D810, 24-70 2.8 at f16)
Day 7 – I shot this photograph at El Cajas, in Ecuador, where my youngest daughter was born and where we lived for close to two months. I photographed this image on a rainy, chilly and overall a quite shivery day. I was covering my camera as best I could, but all the mist from this cloud forest kept dampening my lens. I’d wipe it down, keep it under my jacket, move to a new spot, dial in new settings from instinct and then fire off a shot as soon as I had my camera stable since I was shooting handheld. My family waited in the car until I got the shot I wanted, and then we found a little shelter at a place selling hot chocolate, with llama milk. I didn’t even know that was a thing until they’d offered it. I went with hot tea.
So, turns out that what started as a questionable request ended up turning into a very fun trip around the world again, or at least a 7-day recap of one. I have many, many more photos on my website, as well. And lots more to share – more of that coming soon. Glad for the nudge.
