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I’m writing from a 4th floor apartment in Athens on a cloudy winter afternoon. I’ve thought about this exact moment for years, wondered what it would look and feel like to spend a longer, indefinite period of time here.

My first visit to Greece was in the summer of 2012, when I was working as an adventure trip leader for teen summer programs. I was guiding a 3 week Italy-Greece itinerary, which covered Athens, the Peloponnese, and an island (Lefkada) before heading to Italy via ferry. Truthfully, I can’t remember if we did Greece first or Italy. There was a time I could recall nearly every itinerary I worked in my 20’s, but they are falling away now. Still, the important memories stay.

The ten or so days I spent in Greece that summer made a permanent impact on me. You hear of people feeling so connected to places they have no logical reason to have a tie to– people fall in love with places for no other reason than the inexplicable feeling of belonging. The hint, the whisper that a piece of them is home.

Five years later, I returned to Athens, having started a blog called Erin Outdoors, where I shared my thoughts and experiences from my time on the road and the trail. It was June 2017 and I was leading my first adventure trip for the community I’d created online– people who read my blog or followed me on Instagram, and who said yes to joining my friend Dimitris and I for a week of hiking, family style meals, culture, and personal growth.

I have lost count of the times I’ve come back to Greece since. But every time I am here, a piece of me feels that belonging. People ask me all the time if I have Greek heritage. If I do, it’s very little. I don’t have a “real” reason to feel connected to Greece aside from the sparkle and the humming I feel when I’m here.

I lived in Los Angeles for almost seven years. It was the longest I’d lived anywhere in my adult life, and it really felt like the chapter where I “grew up”. I defined my career and my art, I dipped my toe into the commercial photography world, I expanded my business, I made things– art, friends, love– I got my own apartment for the first time. I got closer to God and then redefined my relationship with the divine entirely, I sat with my own ego to get really grounded on the reasons for my actions, and I learned to stand up for myself after years of online vulnerability made me too accommodating. I deepened so much into the pure knowingness of who I am. I got to know my inner critic more intimately than ever before and emerged with a more confident relationship to self.

That knowingness led me here. As it just felt right to move to Los Angeles, it felt right to leave, too. I sold my car, my furniture, and anything that couldn’t fit into a midsize SUV. So many friends of mine left LA but kept a storage unit full of stuff, just to have to decide what to do with it all a few years (and thousands of dollars) later. I wanted a clean slate instead. I’ll buy new furniture someday, when the time is right.

My boyfriend flew over from Italy, and in one chaotic week in November, we packed my remaining things into a rental car and headed East. I timed our road trip with the annual camping trip my LA friends do in the desert, which was a beautiful ending to what was a formative chapter in my life. Before leaving the desert, I auctioned off most of my camping gear to my friends before we drove toward Vegas.

Seeing everything I owned packed like a perfect Tetris game into that car was liberating. It was a permission slip for reinvention, this reminder that you can leave what you built, and the leaving doesn’t invalidate it at all, it just means you are ready to build somewhere else, something else. That the most important things to keep are memories anyway.

We spent the holidays with my family and flew to Athens just before the New Year, and my boyfriend went back to Italy as planned a week later.

So what am I doing here? Being here.

I wanted a change and a different pace. I have never wanted to define my own success by some external benchmarks made up by whoever we decided to trust with those kinds of definitions. I have always wanted to look beyond my comfort zone, to tune in and go where I really feel called. And I feel called here.

My work is not changing drastically. I’ll still be creating and sharing my own photography and art, supporting aspiring photographers with my resources and course(s), and leading a couple of intentional adventure trips each year. Most of my work can be done anywhere with decent wifi. My personal art practice doesn’t even require that (and is better without it).

There have been times in my life when I needed to be comfortable; that’s what taking care of myself looked like at the time. Now it looks like something else. Be careful of getting lulled into a zombified state of living in the known, of forgetting what true excitement feels like, when joy, wonder, and curiosity are your enthusiastic guideposts. You have to get out there. If there is beautiful music playing outside your window– do you stay inside with the windows shut, still marginally aware of it but choosing to shut it out, or do you head outside in search of it? Trust me that when you respond to the call, you get more instructions.

My days lately involve a return to my creative practices, which the past few weeks has been writing and noticing (yes, noticing is a practice). I work on my business and its many income streams. I take Greek classes for a few hours each day, I walk around, I eat, I exercise. I look at flowers and try to befriend cats. I drink wine and listen to music, and it is so beautiful that it breaks my heart open and I never want to forget what that feels like.

How long will I be here? I don’t know… a year? Less? My partner lives in Italy, and we do want to live together sometime soon after over two years of a long-distance relationship between Tuscany and California. But whatever amount of time I spend here now is not the important thing. I know I’ll be coming back for the rest of my life. The decision itself to relocate, to pack up and go, and to carefully pay attention and respond to Life’s invitation, is what matters.

For now I am treating this time like the juiciest orange, the sweetest pomegranate. I am listening. I know that whatever challenges I may encounter in this chapter (and I will encounter them), I will look back on it with fondness. I feel like I’ve been dunked in ice water. And now I have come up, opened my eyes wide, and taken that first breath of fresh air.

In photography, the “Exposure Triangle” refers to the relationship between shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. It can be confusing, especially if you’re just starting out in photography!

There are plenty of very technical, physics-based, detailed articles out there about the Exposure Triangle. This guide is not that. 🙂 I would prefer you understand the concepts, rather than the math. Here I keep it simple with only the most essential things you need to know to understand the Exposure Triangle, so that you can start applying what you learn in your next photography session.

Overview

You’re working between 3 factors: ISO, aperture (also referred to as f-stop), and shutter speed. These three things regulate the exposure of your image (how light your image is). Shutter speed and aperture both control the amount of light that enters the camera, while ISO refers to the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. If you are using Manual mode and you change one of these controls, it’s going to change the amount of light in your photograph in most cases, unless you compensate by changing one (or both) of the other two. Each of these factors also has some side effects that are unique to them, which we will discuss in a bit. Think of the Exposure Triangle as a game you play where you need to decide first, how much light you need, and second, which of the side effects work best for the exact situation you are in.

Take a look at the graphic below now, and come back to it once you have finished reading this article (if this kind of thing helps you).

Shutter Speed

the time for which the camera’s shutter is open at a given setting

The camera’s shutter opens and closes to allow light to hit the sensor. Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter is open within the camera.

Shutter speed can be long, like 25 or 30 seconds, which is what a “long exposure” refers to. This means the camera is taking in light for that whole duration. A long shutter speed would be for astrophotography, really dark situations, or if you want to capture motion for something more artistic. But it has to be relatively dark, because if you had the shutter open for that long in a bright area during the day, the photo would probably come out completely white because it was totally overexposed.

If you use a really short shutter speed, like 1/8000 or 1/4000 of a second, that would let in a very limited amount of light. You would use this in a very bright scenario, or if you wanted to capture something in motion without blur (sports, wildlife). When the shutter is only open for that small amount of time, the other settings on the camera have to compensate for it.

Short/fast shutter speed = less light, sharper images for moving subjects

Long/slow shutter speed = more light, blurry subject if they are moving (and any movement of your camera itself!)

For example, if I am photographing sea lions underwater, I don’t want to go slower than a 1/400sec shutter speed. This is because they are moving, and I don’t want my subjects to be blurry due the motion. But, underwater is not a bright environment! So since I can’t lower my shutter speed, I will need to adjust my aperture and/or ISO in order to add more light to my photograph.

Check out the captions on the photos in this article to see what my camera settings were.

There are also creative ways to work with shutter speed. Below, I used longer shutter speeds and moved my camera while the shutter was open, effectively painting with the light that was peeking through the trees in the forest.

F Stop/ Aperture

a space through which light passes in an optical or photographic instrument

Aperture is the size of the opening within the lens. Think of this like the pupil in your eye– it can open or close to let in more or less light.

Have you ever seen a cat’s eye in a really dark room? The pupil is dilated to allow in more light. That’s like aperture. It’s the pupil of the camera opening to let more light in. When you look at a really bright sky, the pupil in your eye gets really small, it’s the same with the camera, except that you can adjust it manually.

The part that is a little confusing is that the smaller F-numbers (like F2.8) refer to the wider openings, and the bigger F-numbers (like F22) are the smaller openings that don’t let in as much light.

Lenses commonly go as wide as F2.8 or F4. For example, if you have a 24-70mm F2.8, it’s because it goes down to F2.8. Or if it says F1.4, it’s an even wider lens. Lenses like this are great for astrophotography.

The other thing aperture controls is the depth of field. Wider apertures create a narrower depth of field (less area in focus). For example, if you created a portrait at F2.8 with your focus point on eyes, it is possible that the tip of the nose would be out of focus. This is because it falls out of the plane of focus. You would need to bring your aperture up a bit to increase that area of focus.

If you look at a photo and it has a really blurred out background, that’s called bokeh. You will notice this at lower F-numbers (wider apertures).

For landscapes, F8 is a commonly used aperture because it allows for a lot of things to be in focus, while still letting in light.

In cases where you want everything in the frame to be in focus, you will need to use a smaller aperture like F20, and probably a tripod. (You could also do some “focus stacking” in post where you combine multiple images, but we’re not getting into that here.)

Depth of field in an image is a strategic choice from an exposure standpoint, but also a stylistic one. I typically like to shoot at wider apertures, as I like the sharpness they offer, as well as the bokeh in my composition.

My advice? Experiment to see first what you need in terms of light, and then what you like in terms of style. I often use Aperture Priority mode, which allows you to choose the aperture, while the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to compensate. This can be a great way to better understand both aperture and shutter speed, and their relationship. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the shutter speed to make sure it doesn’t drop too low, or that it’s not being overwhelmed by the amount of light.

ISO

International Organization of Standards– refers to your camera’s sensitivity to light as it pertains to either film or a digital sensor

If you shoot film, you have seen the numbers on film stock (Portra 400, Ilford 160, etc.). Those numbers indicate the sensitivity of the film. Same thing here. ISO is the speed standard for digital camera sensors.

Higher ISO number = more sensor sensitivity = more light.

So why wouldn’t we just use a high ISO all the time so we didn’t need to mess with our other settings?

Using a higher ISO impacts the quality of the image– it adds noise. The higher the ISO, the more noise in your image. So in general, you want to use the lowest ISO you can get away with.

So when should you increase your ISO? When you can’t decrease shutter speed or go to a wider aperture (and as long as you are OK with the noise).

One obvious example is astrophotography. When you are photographing stars, you are using a tripod so that you can work with longer shutter speeds without camera shake. For this image, I was using the lens’ widest aperture of F1.4, and I had the shutter speed at 15 seconds. I could have increased the shutter speed, but if I did, I would have gotten star trails (the camera would have captured the movement of the earth), so I wanted to keep it at 15 sec. I brought my ISO up to 2,500 to create this image.

Say you are photographing dragonflies. You’re at F8 and you need your shutter speed fast at 1/1600 of a second because they are flying around. You don’t want to widen your aperture because the depth of field would be too narrow, and you can’t slow down the shutter speed because you’ll get motion blur. This is a situation where you would increase the ISO– probably to somewhere between 3,200 and 5,000 depending on the light.

In this photograph, the damselfly is still, so in theory I could have dropped the shutter speed a bit. But you’re not always fast enough for that (I wasn’t)!

Final Thoughts

Remember that your settings are not just strategic, they are also stylistic choices! As you get more comfortable with what each part of the Exposure Triangle does, you will naturally develop your own preferences for your photography.

I recommend taking out your camera now wherever you are, putting it on manual mode, and seeing how each of these factors (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) change the image in your viewfinder. Slow down and really ask, what is happening here when I change the aperture? What is happening when I change the ISO? What happens when I change the shutter speed? Understanding these concepts will help you to better express yourself creatively, because instead of focusing all of your attention on the technical aspect of photography, you’ll be able to do that naturally during your creative process.

I hope this helps give you a good foundation for understanding the Exposure Triangle in photography. Have fun, keep experimenting, and stay open to new ideas!

Canyons, red rocks, juniper in the breeze, and wide open skies– I didn’t know I would find all of these things and more in West Texas. Passing businesses like the “It’ll Do Motel” and “This n That (Mostly That),” we found an abundance of charm during the day and glittering stars at night. Comanche and Kiowa people have stewarded this land for centuries with reverence for its many species of plants and animals.

A couple of weeks ago, I headed to Texas for a stargazing road trip across three State Parks. I’d never been to this part of Texas before, and apart from what I’d seen online during my research, I wasn’t too sure what to expect! I crossed my fingers for clear nights as we boarded our flight from LA to Amarillo.
We arrived at Palo Duro State Park after grabbing enchiladas for dinner at El Manantial in Amarillo. We stayed at one of the cozy cabins along the rim of the canyon built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s. Ours was the Sorensen cabin, which had plenty of space outside to set up a tripod (just make sure to bring a tall one, or plan to put it on the picnic table to see over the chain link fence).

Even though it was partly cloudy, I set up a timelapse just in case. The canyon was peaceful and completely silent, except for an occasional owl call. The clouds cleared just as the galactic core of the Milky Way started to rise, giving me my first real view of the stars in this part of the country.

After watching the sunrise paint the rocks orange and red, we took a nap for a few hours before heading onward to our next destination. We stopped for lunch at Crush Wine Bar in Amarillo, which had great food and service with vegetarian options (not always easy to find)!

My next destination for stargazing and astrophotography was 2.5 hours away in Copper Breaks State Park. We pulled up in the afternoon to scout the location, and checked in with the Visitor’s Center where a friendly ranger answered all of my questions, giving us recommendations on the best spots to view the stars from. Copper Breaks is registered as an International Dark Sky Park, and they host astronomy and stargazing programs throughout the year. During our daytime visit, I positioned a few photos with my tracking app (I use PhotoPills), and planned to come back around 4am when the galactic core was visible.

The closest town to Copper Breaks is Quanah. We stayed in the historic part of the town, which felt a bit eerie as we pulled in. We were shocked to walk into the Dixie Star Boarding House, which was fully equipped for a comfortable stay, and completely updated– a sharp contrast to its surroundings.

We arrived back at the park at 4:15am, and I began setting up to photograph the core above some of the campsites. We were treated to the calls and howls of coyotes from somewhere across the park, a special soundtrack for such a gorgeous early morning. Eventually we headed down to the lake, which I was hoping would be still so that I could photograph reflections. To my delight, it was! I set up my camera to capture the Milky Way and its reflection in the water, decorated with reeds. The images were exactly what I had hoped to create. I’m grateful for the grounding and connection I feel in moments like this.

Through our time at Copper Breaks, we learned about Quanah Parker (who the nearby town of Quanah is named after), a Comanche chief known for peacekeeping and advocating for Native American rights. The Comanche and Kiowa people took care of this land for centuries, and still do.

Feeling satisfied with the images I created, we drove back to the boarding house to take a nap (crucial for night shoots). Mid-morning, we started the drive to Quitaque, a TINY (really tiny) Texas town just outside Caprock Canyons State Park. We stopped into the shops in town (all next to each other on the same street) and had some lovely chats with locals, who were so curious what we were doing there all the way from LA.

Caprock Canyons State Park was my favorite place we’d been to so far. It was reminiscent of Sedona in terms of the colors and textures of the land, and felt remote and well cared for. We saw bison (the official herd that roams free), prairie dogs, a coyote, deer, and lots of birds. In the afternoon, we hiked a bit of the trail from the south prong parking lot at sunset, the heat of the day starting to cool off. I felt totally engulfed in the landscape. This place is really special.

It was overcast throughout the night, so I didn’t have the chance to do any astrophotography here. I did hear that the park is working on their dark sky certification though, and they lead ranger programs for stargazing. Astrophotography here would be great, given the many rock formations that could be used as foreground elements.

In the morning, we drove back to our favorite shop, The Coffee Mill and Mercantile, for bagels and coffee. A local gentleman struck up a conversation with us, offering lots of recommendations for us for viewpoints and interesting places to photograph nearby. We had a few extra hours to enjoy before heading to our next location, so we drove down some of the roads he suggested to admire the views.

Next it was time to head back to Palo Duro Canyon for our final night. We had planned to get there early, but about 20 minutes from the canyon we passed a large yellow sign advertising a western hat store. I swung a swift 180 to go check it out– getting a hat seems like something you should do in West Texas!

West Texas Western Store in Canyon made all of our hat dreams come true, with the owner custom creasing and steaming our new straw hats (after we tried on the entire store with two very patient and hospitable sales girls). I had mine creased in a “west Texas punch”, a style specific to this area. We’ll be wearing our cowboy hats with pride back in California.

We grabbed a late lunch at Pondaseta Brewery and had a few tasters of their beers (I had the oreo stout and the kiwi IPA)– all really good! Then it was back to Palo Duro Canyon to scout the next photo spot, which we luckily found right away. Outside the visitor’s center, there is a beautiful view of the canyon, and the galactic core was going to be right above it. Sure enough, at 4:30am the stars were shining bright above the canyon and I was able to create this photo.

After our morning nap and a great breakfast sandwich at the Palo Duro Trading Post, we headed to the airport for our flight back to LA. I have so much gratitude for the people we met along the way for showing us warm hospitality. Regarding the rugged beauty of these places, I’m reminded of what the man told me in Quitaque – “nobody knows this is here!”. I admit that I didn’t, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to see and experience these beautiful places in person.

This blog post is sponsored by Travel Texas. As always, views are my own.

In the past year, I have photographed miniatures more than any other subject. I have been meaning to write a blog post about the success of Our Great Indoors– my quarantine personal project, and now a specialization of mine– and I promise, I will soon, but for now I’m highlighting one collaboration I recently worked on in particular. Shooting outdoor-inspired miniatures has expanded my work and my creativity in new ways I’d never considered before. It allows me to explore new places I’d never thought possible. And it has helped to form connections with new clients, brands, and collaborators, one of those being Polartec.

When I think of Polartec, I think of the fuzzy snap-T pullovers I wore growing up, or the cozy fleece pants I never go backpacking without. The Polartec team had seen Our Great Indoors, and was curious what I could do with their fabrics. I quickly saw the potential in a collaboration. They sent fabrics that they felt reflected the “shades of the arctic”, and I began brainstorming some wintry scenes!

Among my list of ideas and props to use was a set of penguin figurines I had acquired and not yet utilized. The Polartec team embraced & ran with this, and created a character and storyline for the scenes. I began sketching out the scenes based on their narrative, which follows a little penguin on a big adventure throughout four wintry scenes, all using Polartec fabrics as the landscape. Maybe it’s fitting that I shot all of these scenes on my bed… the fabrics were definitely cozy enough!

The fabrics

• A) Alpha
• B) Micro Fleece
• C) Thermal Pro
• D) Windbloc
• E) Power Stretch
• F) Fleece (this one didn’t end up in any of our final scenes)
• G) Power Dry

I went through each fabric and studied it– the textures, the way they held light, thickness, color. While doing that, I also studied images of the arctic, and of the “real life” places I wanted to convey using only fabric, figurines, and optical illusions. I wanted the viewer to do a double-take when they see some of the images, while showing off the textures of the fabrics, and conveying the expansiveness and wonder of Nature.

The concept

These images tell the story of a tiny penguin– “a small creature in a big world full of wonder. She decides to go on a magical adventure to explore what her arctic home has to offer, meeting snowy acquaintances along the way.” I know you may be thinking that penguins don’t actually live in the arctic… and you’re right. They live in the antarctic (the other side of the globe). But use your imagination. 😉 Now presenting, a penguin’s world…

The images

Penguin Family View 

Our little adventurer says goodbye to her family and sets off on her explorations. I used two main fabrics for the landscape here: Alpha and Micro Fleece. I alternated between these to create depth and layering, which is a huge part of making miniature scenes look and feel expansive. Though this scene is obviously part of a cold weather series, I wanted these images to feel warm, because of the family element. I added snow in post, to add to the cozy winter feeling.

Cross-Country Skiers

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The penguin encounters some skiers, out for a day of fresh air. For this scene, I used Alpha insulation for the snow, given how light and fluffy it looks. The background is Power Stretch, and the trees are figurines I have from my (ever-expanding) collection.

Polar Bears and Glacial Lakes

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This is the first and, I hope, not the last time I’ll ever photograph polar bears in my life! Though it will probably be the first and last time I’ll ever photograph polar bears & penguins together. 🙂 For this scene I wanted to portray an icy landscape, dotted with turquoise lakes that you would find in glacial areas. I learned to brush out the texture from the Thermal Pro fabric to make it look like there are little waves on the lakes.

The Northern Lights

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Welcome home, tiny friend! This scene was achieved by using Thermal Pro as the ground, and Micro Fleece draped over paper for the sky. In order to create the lights, I cut strips of paper out of a poster board, and then positioned the paper in front of a colored lightbulb. From there I used Micro Fleece to soften the lines, and a tiny bit of Photoshop (really, just a little) to add some more movement in the sky.

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Over the past year, I’ve played with fabrics here and there in creating my miniature work, but utilizing them on this level was a first for me. Another first was using an animal as the main character. I think the images in this set are some of the most playful (and joyful?) images from my whole series. The Northern Lights images stand out to me as some of the most memorable from my entire miniature collection, thanks to how that scene in particular pushed me to create the sky in camera.

This was also the first time that I followed a narrative from scene to scene. As a photographer, I am already always thinking about telling a story in one frame. But in this case, I also needed the images from each scene to go together, and flow nicely into one another (something I wanted to do regardless of what order they were positioned in).

Shooting in macro forces you to pay attention to the details. It also opens you up to a whole new world (just a much smaller one). In these images, I was very aware of the unique textures in each fabric, and how they related to the textures in our outdoor world.

A year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that I would be creating in this exact way, but I’m so happy that you’ve been along for the ride. And I’m grateful to have collaborators and partners who want to see these visions brought to life, too. Hope you enjoyed this spotlight.

Read more about this project on the Polartec blog here.

And PS – if you want to try miniature photography yourself, I have a free guide of the gear I use (including where I buy the little figurines) here. Enjoy!

If you’ve ever looked at a beautiful photo of the Milky Way and wondered… but… how?!… this post is for you! I know this genre of photography can feel intimidating, but trust me, you do not need to own a fancy telescope or have a ton of technical knowledge to create photos of the night sky. Here, I’m going to cover how you can create beautiful astrophotography, hopefully with gear you’ve got already–– and in my Verizon Techxperts episode, I show you the results. Let’s go!

There are thousands of stars visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the feeling of looking up at a dark night sky is magical and unmatched! But cameras and phones today can effectively see more than our eyes can. This contributes to a stunning image with a TON of detail… more than what we’re able to perceive on our own.

First, let’s go over gear and settings. From there, we’ll move on to location and planning. We’ll wrap up with a bit of guidance on how to edit your images. Remember: you do not need the most complicated gear or extensive knowledge in order to achieve beautiful results!

So you wanna take pictures of the stars…

The gear

• A picture-making device: Camera & lens, or a smartphone that has long exposure capabilities (like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, which is what I used to create some of the images in this post)
• A tripod
• A dark, clear night sky
• Editing software of your choice
• Memory card & battery for your camera (if applicable)
• Headlamp or flashlight
• Gear for the weather – dress appropriately and stay safe, friends!

The basics

Let’s begin with your camera settings. Trying to familiarize yourself with these settings, and what they do, will definitely benefit you in this endeavor! Generally speaking, there are 3 big factors when it comes to making photographs. Those factors are Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO.

SHUTTER SPEED: This is the measurement of time a camera’s shutter is open to allow light in (and therefore, capture your image). A shorter shutter speed lets less light in, a longer one lets more light (and motion) in. For nighttime photography, you’ll need to use a long exposure.

APERTURE: This is the hole in your lens that light travels through (like the pupil in your eye). The wider the aperture, the more light can get in. To photograph the stars, you will use your widest aperture*, which is the lowest f-number (commonly f2.8). *An important note: technically your lens is NOT at its sharpest when the aperture is widest, so you may want to come up a bit from the lowest f-number. Personally I don’t see this as a huge concern unless you are doing more advanced work. I wouldn’t worry about it for now.

ISO: This is effectively the level of sensitivity of your camera to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your sensor is to light, and the brighter your image will be. For everyday use, you typically want to shoot on the lowest ISO possible, because it gives the best quality image and least amount of noise, but when shooting in the dark, you’ll need to use a higher ISO.

Think of these three factors as a formula that creates your perfectly exposed night-time photo. You’ll need to adjust and balance them out so that you are happy with the resulting image.

Astrophotography camera settings are not universal. The same settings won’t work for every scenario. But STAY WITH ME HERE! The strategy is to start with some base settings, and adjust from there. Here are mine:

1. Set file settings to RAW, if your device allows. Shooting in RAW gives you the most data to work with.
2. Shutter Speed: 20 seconds. In order to capture lots of stars, you’ll need to use a long exposure. I like starting with 20 seconds. Beyond 20 seconds, you may start to see “star trails”, which is when the camera captures the movement of the Earth. This depends on the focal length of the lens you’re using. If you are getting star trails and you don’t want them, you just need to decrease your shutter speed–– 10-15 seconds or less.
3. Aperture: 2.8, or the lowest f-number your lens goes to. This opens up your aperture to its widest setting to let the most light in possible.
4. ISO: 3200. I like starting at 3200, because it makes your device more sensitive to light, but won’t have excessive noise. You’ll want to choose the lowest ISO you can, as your other settings allow.
5. Zoom: switch to manual, and adjust to infinity. If your camera has a digital viewfinder, look to see when the stars get the smallest (sharpest).
6. Use a 10 or 2-second timer. This prevents you from getting camera shake from when you press the shutter button.
7. Watch the exposure compensation. I prefer to shoot as close to 0.0 as possible, and slightly overexpose if anything.

When it comes time to shoot, you’ll adjust your camera or phone to all of these settings, set it on a tripod according to your desired framing, and hit the shutter button! From there, you’ll tweak your settings and the position of your camera/phone as you go.

Here are some common adjustments for your settings:

• If the image is too dark, increase ISO or use a wider aperture (lower f-number).
• If the image is too bright, decrease ISO or use a narrower aperture (higher f-number).
• If you are getting star trails and don’t want them, decrease shutter speed.
• If the image is blurry, adjust the focus and ensure your 2-sec timer is enabled.

The location

As you may have guessed, dark skies are preferred! Getting away from light pollution is ideal. If you’re able to travel, check out this map of International Dark Sky Places. If you need an option for staying closer to home, a backyard, park, or other open space works! The darker the skies, the more stars you’ll see in your images. But even in a city, you can see bright stars, planets, and (obviously) the moon.

I like having some kind of foreground element in my night sky photos. A tree, cactus, tent, cabin… use your surroundings. 

The conditions

As a fellow resident of Spaceship Earth, you are familiar with things we encounter here like weather, seasons, and moon phases. 😉 These things will impact your photos!

WEATHER: Aim for a clear night! Clouds can be neat for a timelapse, or if you’re above them on a mountain or something. But if you’re going for star photos, you’re gonna need to be able to see them, ya know?

THE MOON: The moon impacts astrophotography in a few ways. First of all, it’s pretty freakin’ bright. If you shoot during a full moon, you will quickly discover this! The brightness of the full moon overwhelms and “blows out” the stars around it. That’s not to say you shouldn’t experiment though–– shooting around the full moon can be great, as the moon lights up the surroundings. Check out this self portrait I took during a full moon in Morocco:

As you can see, the sky in this image doesn’t have nearly as many visible stars, but the trade-off is that you can actually see me and the surrounding sand dunes clearly, which is pretty cool.

The “best” time for star photography is during the new moon… that’s in quotations because, of course, this is subjective. How and when you create your art is up to YOU! But if you’re going for a starry sky, planning to shoot around the new moon will give you what you’re looking for.

THE STARS: Preparation is key! You’ll want to have an idea what the night sky is going to look like before it even gets dark. Shooting the Milky Way galaxy is rewarding, but you should know that it’s not visible all night, every night! There are plenty of apps you can download that will give you a full picture of the night sky. This can help you to get an idea where and when the Milky Way (and other objects) will be visible in your area.

On the night I made this photo on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, the Milky Way was visible from about 9:30pm to 1am. I made sure to give myself plenty of time to frame up my shots and experiment with my settings to get it right.

The editing

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything toooo wild, but some basic tweaks can give some more depth to your photos! Try bringing up the exposure, increasing contrast, and shifting the white balance. With practice, you will learn what your preferred style for night time photography is.

Hopefully, this gives you a solid base of knowledge for your first astrophotography shoot. I know that some genres of photography feel more intimidating than others, and astro is one of them! It’s not as complicated as it seems, and you’ll get more comfortable with it as you practice.

I recently created some images of the night sky using the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and was super impressed with how they came out. For a walk-through of my set-up and settings on the phone, and to see my results, check out my episode of Verizon Techxperts below. And for more Techxperts tips, check out Verizon’s YouTube channel here.

More questions about astro? Let me know in the comments.

Toward the end of last summer on a warm August afternoon, I was sitting in front of a fan at my desk catching up on emails. I was in-between trips, taking care of some admin work before getting ready to leave for Greece the next week. I opened my inbox mid-morning to see a new message pop up with the Subject line: “TED Invitation”.

I read the email with eyes wide in disbelief. I’d learned by this point in my freelance creative career to not get too excited about anything– you really don’t know the outcome of things— but just being invited to speak on such a prestigious stage, to me, was a huge affirmation.

I accepted the invitation, and had just under 3 months to prepare. As discussed with the TED team on an initial phone call, my talk would be about the way photography informs the ways we experience the world. But though I knew the overall gist of my talk, getting it out of my brain and onto paper was harder than I thought it would be.

I didn’t expect to learn so much from the process of writing and delivering my TED Talk. I thought it was mostly an opportunity to get my idea out there. It turned out to be just as much of a learning opportunity for me, personally and professionally. Whether you are developing your own talk or just curious, here are my three biggest takeaways from the experience.

FYI, these are all my own opinions, and this blog post doesn’t reflect the opinions or views of TED. 🙂

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CENTRAL IDEA

A TED Talk is not the place to tell your whole life story. A TED Talk is an Idea Worth Spreading. ONE. IDEA. You have to figure out what that idea is, and eliminate anything in the talk that does not point back to that. From what I learned throughout the process, a TED Talk must have a crystal clear central idea for it to really land with the audience.

It took me weeks to arrive at my central idea. I wrote and wrote and wrote, hoping that a brain dump (i.e. getting it all out of my head and into a Google Doc) would eventually point me to one definitive concept. This was a challenge for me, as I needed to be as specific as possible, and my thoughts pointed to many ideas around an overall theme. At first, they were simply too broad. I needed to whittle my talk down so that I was actually providing somewhat of a fresh perspective, not just repeating a chorus that already existed. That’s not the point of TED!

TED Talks these days are not as long as they used to be. I had a maximum of 12 minutes to work with, which is roughly 1,500 words… not much longer than this blog post. And considering we don’t exactly have the longest attention spans these days, my goal was to cut whatever was not absolutely essential. And even then, there was about a minute of my talk that didn’t make it into the final video edit. Did I mention that a TED Talk should also be memorized, word for word? 🤯 No teleprompter or anything. So you better make every word count.

Make deliberate decisions on what you are saying and not saying. Do not be vague and do not generalize. Speak about your experience. Speak to the point. Speak to your idea– it’s the reason you’re on the stage in the first place.

PERFECTION IS A MYTH ON ANY STAGE

Though it looks like I gave my TED Talk seamlessly, I didn’t. There were multiple lines I stumbled on, and a few parts that I re-did.

I remember messing up my very first line because I was speaking too fast. I felt heat rise in my chest as my anxiety spiked. I then took a deep breath, smiled at the audience, and started over. I had to put aside knowing that I had built this talk up in my mind for months, how important I felt it was to me and my career, and how well I wanted to do. Now it was showtime, and I had to try my best.

Throughout the months leading up to the talk, I followed TED’s recommendations on the timeline for writing and practicing, and was working with a speaking coach. My talk was memorized, and I knew exactly when to press the button to change my slides. The time and energy-intensive preparation for something like this is truly key, and nothing replaces it; you really do have to prepare for this to the best of your ability, and there’s no way around that. But once you’re on that stage, you have to breathe, smile, and have fun.

None of the speakers I shared the stage with came back into the green room after delivering their talk and said that they nailed it. None of us got through our talks seamlessly without having to repeat at least one line. We were all nervous, even the speaker who had already spoken on the TED stage (twice!). We all required encouragement (and wine. or maybe that was just me.).

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It probably won’t be. If you miss a line or forget something, take a deep breath. Be flexible & personable. Remember that the audience is human, too.

EVERYONE AT TED IS ON YOUR TEAM (INCLUDING THE AUDIENCE)

I found everyone I interacted with at TED to be immensely supportive and helpful. Whether you’ve been invited to speak, nominated by someone, or applied and got accepted to a TED event or conference, remember that they want you to be there, and they want to help you succeed. A TED Talk is delivered to a live audience, but the bigger (arguably more important) audience is online. Your talk will be professionally edited to make you look and sound your best.

It’s also helpful to know that the audience is made up of people like you. I was not expecting such an interesting and engaged audience, and enjoyed speaking with people after my talk in person, and via email afterward. They are genuinely curious about your idea, and want to hear what you have to say.

Meeting the other speakers at the event and sharing our experiences was also highlight for me. I found it so encouraging to hear from the other individuals who went through the very same process I did, and to then watch them communicate their idea on the stage. Your fellow speakers are fascinating people who do important work in this world. Get to know them!

Overall, TED is a community, one that you’re now a part of.

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I learned so much going through the process of writing and delivering my first TED Talk. It was weeks of writing, deliberation, focus, feedback, stress and excitement. And if given the opportunity to do it again, I absolutely would!

I have gotten feedback that I look so comfortable on the stage, and I really appreciate that! In truth, by the time the time came to deliver my talk, I was comfortable… but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tremendously nervous. Of course I was nervous– who wouldn’t be?!

I walked off stage feeling my heart beating fast and loud, and was full of adrenaline for days afterward. It was a big moment in my career and life, and is something I’m proud of. Who knows if everyone will agree with my talk, or relate to it, or find it impressive or moving or totally pretentious. None of that is what matters at all. I just hope it makes people think about what it means to be intentional. That’s a big reason why I’m here.

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My TED Talk, Does photographing a moment steal the experience from you?, was delivered at TEDSalon: Crossover, in partnership with Brightline at TED World Theater, on November 14, 2019 in New York, NY. You can watch it on the TED site here.

How do I keep my business alive during the coronavirus pandemic?

We are in trying times. The past few days and weeks have been scary and overwhelming, and depending on where in the world you’re reading this from, you may be looking at far more time at home than you are used to due to regulations on quarantine and social distancing. I have been finding that I need some extra help right now staying motivated. Maybe you do, too.

When news about this virus was emerging, I’m not proud to say that I thought we were overreacting. As more information has become available and countries have created rules/guidelines for their citizens to follow, I want to encourage everyone to take this very seriously— not only for yourself, but for those who are at higher risk. We all have a social responsibility to do our part in limiting the spread of the coronavirus, and which for most of us, means staying the F home. 🙂

I have been seeing lots of posts from fellow creatives whose businesses are suffering as a result of this virus. Photographers have posted about having all their jobs cancelled that were scheduled for the foreseeable future, and others have announced cancellations of the workshops that are their primary sources of income.

The point of this post is NOT to dump bad news on you. My hope is that this, first, reminds you that you are not alone, and second, I hope that it encourages you. If this has been tough on you and your business so far, please do not throw your hands up and quit. I have never known you to give up that easily. There are always ways to pivot.

I’d like to acknowledge that this is difficult. This is not a ~love and hope will fix everything~ post (though of course those things can help). I’m not saying depression and anxiety are easy opponents either–- they’re not, and I feel for you if you are fighting with them on top of everything else. But I do believe that if you’re in a creative field, if you’ve chosen to work for yourself, if you’re an entrepreneur, that there are some damn good reasons for that! You’ve got something special, and you can’t just allow your light to go out because you are being forced to pivot. Remember that pivoting is what you’re good at.

Remember that you are still creative. I’ve found myself needing that reminder often lately. Below is a simple activity that may help you put this into practice.

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1. BRAINSTORM

In your journal, on a sheet of paper, or even in the Notes section of your phone, create a brain dump of all ideas you have about how you can use this time. Let your mind run with it, and see what comes up. Don’t limit yourself to only business ideas, but think about what would be helpful for your own self-care and well-being, and list those ideas too.

Here’s some of what came up for me:

• Contact my current & past clients and develop new offerings for them
• Pitch to new clients
• Offer consulting calls or portfolio reviews
• Go live on my channels to further connect with community
• Write blog posts
• Create new Instagram story filters
• Update my portfolio
• Update my print shop & create discount code
• Create illustrations
• Read a book
• Go for a walk outside
• Go to the beach
• Work out (stream a workout)
• Go to therapy or schedule a therapy session
• Call/FaceTime friends & family
• Marie Kando my stuff
• Color
• Pray
• Relax, nap, watch a movie (I think it’s important to note that you do NOT have to be “productive” all the time. Rest is a feature of productivity and we all need space to just BE.)

2. BREAK DOWN IDEAS

Circle your most exciting idea. Break it down into doable next steps–– this will vary depending on what item you choose. The point of breaking it down is to create steps you can actually do fairly easily, and to give you a place to start. Here’s an example from my list:

• IDEA: Write blog posts
  • Next step: Create a list of blog post ideas
  • Next step: Create new drafts for each idea
  • Next step: Block off time in calendar to write each post, allowing for breaks
  • Next step: Follow calendar schedule
  • Next step: Compile images that go with each post
  • Next step: Schedule posts to publish

3. SCHEDULE NEXT STEPS

Working for myself from home, I find it really helpful ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to have a calendar. Before I lived this freelance life, I imagined that I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, all without wearing a bra. It turns out that is a very haphazard strategy, and not super effective for productivity in my opinion (bra still optional).

Schedule your next steps on your calendar, planner, or scheduling app. Bonus: tell a friend or colleague what your plans are so that you’ve got some accountability.

4. EXECUTE

Now that your next steps are in your calendar, it’s time to follow the plan you’ve made for yourself! The idea of breaking down your goals into smaller pieces and scheduling a time to do them, is that these are doable things that help you build momentum throughout your day.

For me, staying off of social media is CRUCIAL. Seriously. I find it way too easy right now to fall into a pit of anxiety with my eyes glued to a constant stream of alarming news. My advice if you struggle with this is to stick to your schedule. Set a timer to get your projects & next steps done, and if you want to scroll through Instagram or Twitter, set a timer for that, too. If you find yourself scrolling Instagram before you could stop yourself, delete the app altogether and download it again later. Obsessively checking your feeds and the news is likely not going to help you feel inspired or creatively fulfilled! It is also not likely to get you paid. 🙂

Being your own boss has a unique set of challenges under normal circumstances. This set of circumstances is… well… another beast. Cheer yourself on as you go. Stay in touch with friends. Celebrate your wins. Root for each other.

REPEAT

You don’t have to stop at just one of your great ideas! Keep going. Break down your ideas into smaller and smaller steps until projects are easily doable. Babysit yourself with your social media consumption. And remember that prayer and meditation are always available to you.

The first step to finding a creative solution is being open to the possibility of one. Seek peace, cultivate calm, and remember that there is a solution.

If you’ve got anything to add, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

When it comes to learning a new skill, especially if that skill has to do with technology, I’ve found myself easily intimidated. Underwater photography definitely fell into that category for me, and from plenty of other people too, if my DM’s are any indication. 😉

I have wanted to learn to shoot underwater since I “dove” (sorry) back into photography in 2014, but I didn’t really know where to start! Last year, I decided to learn, and jumped in the deep end (heh) by booking a trip to Tonga to swim with humpback whales. The experience was amazing, and a fantastic first experience for me with underwater housing on my main camera body. Camera housing can feel bulky and a bit cumbersome, but you get used to it with time and practice.

I wanted to compile a basic beginner’s guide to underwater photography. This isn’t meant to be 100% comprehensive, but to cover the biggest questions I had personally while I was preparing and learning. Here are my tips for those who might be in the same boat (ok I’ll really stop now), and what I’ll be considering moving forward as I shoot underwater more.

1. FIGURE OUT WHAT GEAR YOU NEED

First, let’s talk about your camera. What do you normally shoot with? What kind of images are you looking to get underwater?

Before getting into specifics for underwater camera housing, if you’re just looking for something that will do a decent job at capturing your adventures underwater, you can save lots of money by opting for a GoPro or a waterproof camera like the Sony RX0II. Keep in mind that these are wide-angle, and not necessarily the best for wildlife or macro. But they get the job done in many cases and may be worthwhile to consider, depending on your needs!

Another option is using a compact camera like the Sony RX100VII, and getting housing for it like this. Housing for compact cameras is smaller and less expensive, and it’s less bulky underwater. Make sure that the camera itself has a full manual mode, and that there is underwater housing available for it in the first place.

Overall, I found that it’s unavoidably expensive to get into underwater photography. The cost of the gear adds up so quickly! I’d recommend considering your needs and thinking about what aspect of the experience or the result is important to you, and go from there. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. I ended up choosing Ikelite housing with a dome port for my Sony a7RIII and 16-35mm f2.8 lens. Since I was only shooting in shallow water, I didn’t use strobes, but for low-light or Scuba diving, look into these.

Let’s talk about housing. Underwater camera housing is a watertight case that holds your camera. Unless your camera itself is waterproof, you will need housing.

Surf housing is made for surf photography and shooting closer to the surface. It is made to be lightweight and withstand the waves. Surf housing units do not have much button functionality on the back panel, which means you can’t change many settings in the water. Brands include AquaTech, Liquid Eye, and SPL.

Diving housing is made for going deeper, and has more button functionality so you can change settings underwater. It’s also bigger, heavier, bulkier and can get pretty darn expensive with all the extensions, ports, and strobes. Brands include Ikelite and Nauticam. Generally more expensive than surf housing, though of course there are exceptions.

One part in particular worth pointing out: the port is the part of the housing where the lens goes. Underwater, a flat port will result in a zoomed in image (usually not ideal). A dome port will avoid this, as it accounts for the refraction of the water. A dome port also allows you to get over/under shots (bigger dome = easier to get those types of shots). Depending on the housing unit, you may have to order the port separately, so it is good to know which kind to look for. The housing manufacturer should have some kind of documentation listing the extensions/ports that fit certain camera and lens combinations. Be sure to get all the parts needed for the camera & lens you are wanting to use.

What about a mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit? You probably need at least some of these items, and will want to buy backups if you are planning on going somewhere remote! The gear you buy totally depends where you are going and when, and of course, your budget. When it comes to buying a mask, the important thing is that you get something that fits your face. The best thing to do is go to a dive shop in person to try on masks, and to make sure you get a good seal. Snorkels can come with a few bells & whistles; some have valves to prevent water from getting in during wavy conditions. I bought a couple of flexible snorkels (with valves) from a local dive shop when I bought my masks.

There are plenty of fins on the market, varying in length, weight, and color. Find something that fits you well, and ask lots of questions in the dive shop. My fins are negatively buoyant, meaning they don’t float. There are also tons of wetsuits available in different styles and thicknesses to account for water temperature. When shopping for a wetsuit, be aware that neoprene is not particularly environmentally friendly–– it is often made using petroleum (unless it is specifically limestone-derived neoprene, and even that is nonrenewable). If this matters to you (I hope it does), buy from companies that prioritize eco-friendly practices. Patagonia makes Fair Trade Certified wetsuits from renewable natural rubber, and may be worth considering.

2. LEARN YOUR GEAR

Upon opening the box of my Ikelite housing, I felt like I was looking at a robot that I had to assemble. Luckily, it got easier. This is one situation where you should definitely read the manual and follow the directions that come with the product! Set aside some time and be patient. It’s easier than putting together IKEA furniture.

With my camera in the housing, I felt like I was learning how to use a whole different device. The buttons I was accustomed to using were all in slightly different places, and it felt like a different camera altogether at times. I took on the mindset that I was learning a completely new craft, and it helped me tremendously along the way. Giving myself a clean slate from which to learn from was very helpful.

In putting together my housing for the first time, I learned that one of the most important parts of my set-up was also one of the smallest: the O-rings. O-rings are rubber rings that seal the housing together, preventing water from getting in. They have to be lubricated with special lubricant (the brand matters). If the O-rings get dirty with something like sand, hair, or lint, a gap can form which could cause flooding.

I’m lucky to have a specialty shop (BlueWater Photo) where I live, and the specialist there told me that there is some debate when it comes to O-ring strategy. He, an avid diver, uses a kind of “set it and forget it” method, where he sets up his O-rings at the beginning of the trip and then tries not to mess with them much. When I was in Tonga, I cleaned and re-lubed my O-rings a couple of times. Whatever method ends up working for you, the #1 rule is to take care of your O-rings!

You also want to have a good understanding of how to change the camera battery, should you need to do that on the water. My Ikelite housing required that I detach my lens in order to access the battery compartment (very inconvenient). I did find that with more practice, I learned how to do this more quickly and with less fumbling.

Once you’re ready to try out your housing in water, submerge your housing in your bathtub (with no camera in it at first) and see if you get any bubbles. Afterward, inspect the housing and see if any fog develops, which is a sign of a leak.

3. CHANGE YOUR SETTINGS

Part of this is personal preference, but I’m going to share the settings I used.

I always shoot RAW, and for my trip to Tonga, I shot on Shutter Priority mode most of the time, set at 1/400 sec. I set my ISO to Auto, with a maximum of 6400. I used Continuous Auto-Focus, and used a Zone Focus Area. I set the burst mode to the middle setting. I use back-button focus so that my focus button is separate from my shutter.

What do all those settings mean? They mean that the camera prioritized the shutter speed first, and adjusted the aperture and ISO to make up for that. I find that the Continuous AF is pretty good at shooting what I want it to on the a7R III, but it would occasionally focus on the particles floating in the water, so I always shot multiples to be safe.

If you shoot mirrorless, you need to turn off the Electronic Viewfinder so that the screen is always on (that’s what you’ll see underwater). This uses more battery, so I made sure to only have my camera on when I was actually using it.

4. PRACTICE

There’s only so much you can learn in your bathtub. Eventually, you have to get in the water with your gear. And it will be terrifying the first time. I was so paranoid when I actually used my underwater camera housing underwater. You know, for its intended purpose and everything. 😂

When you’re shooting underwater, it will probably feel like there is just… a lot going on. You’re breathing out of a snorkel or regulator, or maybe you’re holding your breath, and you’re wearing fins, and you might be fighting against your own buoyancy… there are just more factors to think about than when you’re on land. It might be awkward. Remember, you’re learning something completely new! Embrace a beginner mindset.

On one of my first swims with my housing, I had my friend Charyse model for me. I also worked on diving down to get closer to different sea life. It was helpful to have a variety of subjects to play with. Going on a few practice swims was very helpful and helped me feel more prepared once I got in the water with the whales. I was able to get comfortable with my settings on my practice swims, and develop muscle memory fairly quickly.

Keep in mind that the light, water, and weather conditions are not always going to be ideal. Work with what you’ve got, and make sure to treat the water itself as a subject too. You can create beautiful shapes with just the water and the light. Remember that art is experimental! Play with the water as it moves across your lens.

5. POST PROCESSING

One difference you’ll notice between your underwater photos and all the others, is that the white balance is particularly wonky. Though it is possible to capture a near-perfect raw image, there will usually be a blue/green tint to your images. Get super familiar with the white balance panel in your editing software (I use Lightroom). You also find it beneficial to adjust colors individually in the HSL panel, especially Blue and Aqua.

Editing my underwater shots, I found myself hitting some of the sliders pretty hard! Depending on the water clarity, the weather, the depth and the light, you may have a lot or only a little editing to do.

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My first experience with underwater photography was ridiculously fun. Of course, I was swimming with whales, and that’s a bucket list experience in and of itself! But beyond that, having a new way to practice my craft was very refreshing. If you have the opportunity, even if it just means borrowing a friend’s gear and getting in the water for 20 minutes, I’d highly recommend it.

Throughout this learning process, I found that preparation is key. I am typically someone who jumps and builds the plane on the way down, meaning I figure it out as I go. This is not a situation where I’d recommend that! Not knowing how to work your housing could result in destroying your camera gear! Make sure to take the time to understand the basics of how your gear works before you leave for a trip.

Underwater photography may feel daunting. My advice? Let it be fun! Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t understand your housing right away, or if you aren’t nailing your first edits. You’re learning a new craft. Let your previous knowledge of photography help you out instead of judging yourself for not being perfect right away.

If you have any resources to add, comments that expand on any of the above, or questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Hope this was helpful!

FURTHER READING & RESOURCES

• Getting Started with Underwater Photography – Dive Photo Guide
• Photographing Marine Life with a Surf Setup – Dive Photo Guide
• Best Underwater Cameras for Beginners – BlueWater Photo
• How to Take Photos Underwater – National Geographic
• How to Take Underwater Photos – PetaPixel
• Underwater Photography Tips for Beginners – AquaViews
• Beginner’s Guide to Underwater Photography Equipment – AquaViews
• Underwater Photography: Five Tips for Beginners – The Wandering Lens
• Underwater Cameras & Housings at B&H

In 2019 I did… a lot less. 😂 That might sound weird, given the New Year and how much it can feel like we’re encouraged to do more, be better, improve, build. I knew something was not working with the way things were going for me a year ago. I was super anxious, depressed, and burnt out. It took me a while to recover (like a whole year and counting), and I now feel the healthiest I ever have (hopefully in an upward trend!). The past 12 months brought with it some of the most profound moments of healing, important relationship changes, and exciting work opportunities I have ever been presented.

I’ve consolidated my takeaways from 2019 into five main points that show where I am coming from this year.

1. GENTLE, GENTLE, GENTLE

Lately, I feel like the world is ending a couple of times a week. 🙃 Natural disasters, war, climate change, poverty, injustice… we are constantly bombarded with new crises, new information, and even new pressure about the ways we are supposed to exist in this world. A changing world requires us to be gentle with ourselves. It is not worth trying to carry what you cannot control.

I have so many goals, so many ideas, so much impact I’d like to make, so many people I’d like to talk to, so many things I’d like to learn. But I have had to practice going easy on myself, otherwise I know I’ll burn out, either from too much information, or putting too much pressure on myself to do it all. Being gentle doesn’t mean disengaging with the world. It means being aware of what you engage with, and how you do so. It means you need to do what you can with what you have, and to try your best.

2. GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE, YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED

One lesson I learn over and over again is that everyone has something to teach you. Never assume you know someone’s story, or what they will mean to you.

I went on a date back in March with a guy I wasn’t sure about. We talked at a coffee shop for about an hour, mostly about our lives, our backgrounds, and what we are interested in. He worked in music. On the surface, we didn’t seem to have a lot in common. I wasn’t sure if he was going to be a love interest or not, but something about him was intriguing. I left for a job in New Zealand the next day, and was gone for three weeks. While I was gone, he stayed in touch, texting me every day. He asked me on a second date, then a third.

He respected my boundaries, heard my needs, reminded me to put things in perspective, and made me laugh. It’s been 9 months. I’ve never been in a romantic relationship this fulfilling.

Another big thing that happened this year is that I finally hired an assistant–– something I have wanted to do (and put off) for years. 😅 I’ve always heard other entrepreneurs say that hiring and delegating is the best thing you can do for your business… and I believed them, but something always held me back. I was so afraid to give up control. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of having to teach someone all the stuff I could just do myself. As I was considering this, my now-assistant slid into my DM’s and told me what she could do for me. I decided to hire her.

I am learning how to delegate effectively, communicate well, and be a good boss, because I know I will have to continue to build a team in order to fulfill my goals. And above all, I’m learning that it’s always worthwhile to ask for help when you need it, and to take help when it is offered to you.

3. TAKE WHAT WORKS, LEAVE THE REST

There are only so many life coaches, personal growth exerts, and holistic therapy accounts I can pay attention to before I start to feel overwhelmed. There are so many conflicting ideas and messages that might work for us. The key though? Figuring out what works for YOU individually, and leaving the rest. What works for your friends or favorite folks online might not suit your needs or situation, and that’s perfectly OK! And likewise–– they have no obligation to share something that applies to absolutely everyone. 😉

You might read this very blog post and find that none of it sits quite right with you, and that’s just fine. Looking back on my writing from years ago, it’s so interesting to me to see how firmly I believed in things and spoke to them. The longer I exist here on this little planet, and the more I experience, I see that I know less and less every day. Learning is life-long! It’s never gonna stop. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

And in case you’re wondering, why yes, I am in a 12-step program. 😂

4. BE UN-OFFENDABLE

In 2019, I saw a lot of fragility, both from myself and from others. I found that too often, my impulse was to be in a state of… well, feeling offended! 😬 I was offended by other people’s actions and opinions, offended by how people talked to me on the internet, and offended by the things I saw other people do and say. How dare they do/say that thing?!

Please bear with me on this one! I know that taking offense to something is a natural reaction to our core beliefs–– it makes sense. Of course, we should be offended by things that are not right, or that are contradictory to what we understand to be good in the world. But when we act from this state of being offended, I think we are the ones who lose. The things we are fighting for lose!

This state acts as a cloud in front of you, a fog that prevents you from really listening, thinking critically, or participating in a conversation.

Another way to frame this is to stop taking anything personally. Take your ego out of it. Get out of the way. When I notice that I feel offended by something or personally attacked by it, I take a pause and I step back. I try to say to myself, “hmm, that’s interesting!”–– meaning, it’s interesting that this triggered me in some way. Before I move forward engaging with whatever the thing is, I dig into this first. Often you have to put the things you care about (the bigger issues) above yourself, your ego, and your personal story.

5. PRACTICE BOUNDARIES OF STEEL

I commonly get DM’s from folks asking to pick my brain over coffee. Often, this is my response:

“I’d love to, but unfortunately, I can’t!”

“I can’t”, by itself, is a complete sentence! And I use it all the time, because it’s true. I can’t go to coffee and mentor everyone who needs some guidance, thought I might wish I could! It’s not realistic, and it wouldn’t set me up to do my best work in the world. I have clear boundaries for the things that do and don’t work for me–– clear YES things and clear NO things.

I have to tell you that a few years ago, I would have been completely uncomfortable with all of that. It was really tough for me to say no to people. I wanted them to like me! I didn’t want to offend anyone (see point 4)! Eventually I had to just worry about myself. I had to stop making up stories about what others think of me. Most things other people do and say have absolutely nothing to do with you anyway.

And, most of the time, people really respect those who are honest about making the best choices for themselves and their lives.

So that’s 2019 for me. As I was writing this, I found it really interesting that my main takeaways had nothing to do with my accomplishments like the mini-series I host for REI, or giving my first TED Talk, or photographing humpback whales underwater. For me, that’s what progress looks like.

Wishing you peace and joy in 2020!

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If you are curious, here are my thoughts from the last few years: 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.