Travel Assignment for Stern Magazine

Last summer I was on assignment for Stern Magazine, photographing a 5 day trek in the Corsican Mountains... with my left arm in a brace healing from an elbow dislocation. The first day our German guide Yanni took one look at me and said, 'Nein, I can't take you, it's too dangerous'. Stephan Maus, the writer, encouraged me to prove him wrong and that's what I did. With one good arm, I hiked to the highest peak and documented an incredible adventure. I healed my elbow in cold spring water, got proposed to by an 80 year old sheep herder and made friends with a wonderful group of people. The writing and photography was so loved by Stern that they turned the usual 3 page travel slot into a 7 page feature! I'm very happy with how it came out and want to thank my photo editor Angelika Hala, Stephan Maus and eventually Yanni for believing in me! 

Some other favorites from the trip:

Travel Article for Buick Magazine

So it's been about a year since I've posted, because well, I thought blogs were a thing of the past. Who knows if anyone reads this anymore. However, recently I realized I miss writing about my gigs and adventures, and it's a nice log to look back on. So, it's been a great year of shooting what I love: travel and adventure!

Lets start with a job from this summer- a big travel story on Seattle for Buick Magazine. For a few days I ran around town capturing new and interesting things as well as iconic favorites. It was fun getting to work with writer Ted Alvarez on what we think makes Seattle cool. One of the most unique things, and fun things to shoot, was SUP Yoga in the Puget Sound. A new hotel and a top new chef and restaurant were also really fun to photograph. I feel a lot more up to date on the hip spots in my city! Check out the article below (I did not shoot the car images).

Work for Booking.com

In the whirlwind of the summer, I did a big job for Booking.com. If you book a stay in Seattle on their website they'll send you a Seattle Travel guide comprised of all of my images. I spent 6 days crossing my favorite city, capturing all the different neighborhoods and attractions. It was exhausting, but super fun and it helped that I know this city so well.

Hawaii Part I: Kauai

Man, this summer has been amazing and so busy! I'm late on the blogging front, but wanted to share photos from my trip to Hawaii last month. I spent a week on Kauai hiking, scuba diving and photographing a wedding...

 Hiking through the Waimea Canyon to the cliffs above the Napali Coast

 My glamping tent
near Waimea. Sleeping to the sounds of the jungle birds and bugs was incredible.

 Hiking the Kalalau trail on the Napali coast with my cousin Tyler and uncle John

 The Hanakapi'ai waterfall up the valley from the coastline:

 Maria and Jason's wedding in Princeville was absolutely beautiful and the backdrop made my job easy.

Shenanigans with the fam:

'I travel for...' Project Week 10: The Return Home

Rounding out my series 'I travel for...' is appropriately 'The Return Home' with Nora Venne. Although Nora loves to explore new places and learn about foreign lands, her favorite part of traveling is coming home to her own bed and her loved ones (especially her dog Tonka). 

That's it for the series for now, but I plan on continuing to ask people why they travel, so let me know what you travel for and if you want me to take your portrait! 

'I travel for...' Project Week 9: The Open Road

The 9th portrait in my series 'I travel for...' is Tyler Lucas and his love of traveling in his VW Vanagon on the open road. He loves hoping in the van on the spur of the moment with his dog Babe and traveling in comfort. With the freedom of the open road, pulling over when he's tired or in a beautiful spot, Tyler discovers places he wouldn't normally without the van.

So why do you travel?

'I Travel For...' Project Week 8: The Bizarre

When I asked Claire McDonald what her favorite part of traveling was she told me it was challenging herself to try exotic and bizarre foods and tastes. For her it was part of immersing herself in the local culture and experiencing new flavors. This portrait captures her trying sea urchin for the first time. Now she can check that off the list! 

So why do you travel?

'I travel for...' Project Week 7: The Powder

The 7th portrait in my 'I travel for' series where I ask people why they travel the globe is Sandy Jeglum. Whether Sandy plans a trip to a new mountain she's been wanting to explore or watches the storms and follows the fresh powpow, she's seeing the world from it's snowcapped peaks. 

So what do you travel for?

'I travel for...' Project Week 6: Unique B&Bs

The 6th portrait in my series 'I travel for' is Linda Stone. Linda enjoys discovering unique places to stay on her travels, namely unique B&Bs. She loves wondering with her road map and travel guide to a historic, funky or intriguing lodge, cabin or hotel where she relaxes with a book. 

So why do you travel?

'I travel for...' Project Week 5: The Surf

I started noticing that every time Matt Reistetter went on a trip he was going surfing. I asked him and he said it is the discovering of new breaks around the world that he loves about traveling. Surfing has taken him to places like Fiji and Baja, not terrible spots to explore. Stay tuned for next week's portrait!

So why do you travel?

I travel for... Project Week 4: The Language

Number four in my series 'I travel for...' where I ask people why they travel around the globe is Julia Grawemeyer and her love of language. Julia is pulled to foreign lands in search of connecting over cultural expressions and discovering the magic of different languages. 

So why do you travel?

New Personal Project: I travel for...

Why do I love to travel? It's when I feel most alive, most in my element. It's the adventure of navigating my way that I love the most. I think that's because I get to test my abilities and challenge myself, whether it's actually navigation, or communicating in a language I don't speak. I also love exploring and discovering something new to me. It's always the unexpected that thrills me the most. The other wonderful part about traveling is connecting with people on a basic human level. Through a wink or a smile, a hand motion or a helping help, there's a connection that doesn't need language, culture or circumstance.

So why take a camera with me? Why combine photography and travel? For me they've always been fused together. The camera is a means to travel or reason to go. But I also take photographs to try to capture a special moment. I do this for myself, but also for the feeling I get when other people appreciate it. Like when a chef sees someone eat their meal with joy. Or maybe I just want to instill the desire to travel in others. :)

As I thought about all of this I wondered why others travel. What is their favorite part or their reason for going? I've since made ten portraits with their answers in a project I call "I travel for...". Here's the first one:

Sahar travels for savoring the food around the world. 

I'll be sharing one portrait each week so stay tuned to see the rest...    

So why do you travel?

Magazines for Sale

Tanzania

A collection of images from Tanzania by photographer Tegra Stone Nuess

Thailand

Collection of images from Thailand and Laos by photographer Tegra Stone Nuess.