IL Magazine: Discover the Greatest Retirement Town +6 More SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 35% about subscribing to International Living Magazine Like a lot of “creative types,” I’ve always been a visual person. Growing up, I was happiest and most focused with a pencil or paintbrush in my hand. But—as my fellow creative types know—most adults discourage “art” as a life path.
It was close to sunset. My tripod was set up, my settings were dialed in on my camera, and I was relaxing on a bench in a park along the river, eating delicious Basque pastries while watching busy people go by. I was waiting for the light to change.
Iceland seems to be on everybody's bucket list right now and, after a flying visit to photograph it's spectacular, other-worldly scenery, I can see why. The island nation isolated in the North Atlantic Ocean is unlike anywhere else I've been before.
Stockholm, Sweden's chic riverside capital, has to be one of my favorite places to visit as a photographer. Built on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges, each neighborhood possesses its own charm and distinct character.
I arrived at the Maasai village, in the north of Tanzania, in the early afternoon. I was free to wander through the camp, snapping images of the villagers in their colorful traditional dress. At dinner time they selected a goat from their herd and barbequed it over a pit, just for us.
When it comes to enjoying life, nothing beats living in Cuenca, Ecuador, pursuing my lifetime passion, photography. I first visited Cuenca on vacation six years ago and quickly decided that it would be the perfect place to live. A year later I returned to live here full time and have been loving it ever since. The cool, mountain weather, the food, and the cost of living are all great—but the thing I love the most about Cuenca is the people. Cuencanos are the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever met.
I always loved photography. But it wasn't until I got the secrets of turning photos into cash that I started making real money from my photographs. With this valuable knowledge under my belt, I began to search for press trips that I might be invited to join (at no cost to me). That's how I scored a visit to Borneo—a place I had always desperately wanted to visit.
As we drink our coffee, looking out over the red-tile rooftops from our window, my husband Neal and I decide to venture out into our city. We live in Toulouse, known as La Ville Rose (the Pink City), which is a charming city in the southwest of France on the banks of the River Garonne.
When I began taking photographs, it was just a hobby...something I really liked doing on vacation. It never occurred to me I could ever make any money. However, I quickly realized what a lucrative opportunity it was.I built up my photography business from home with the intent of going full time as a photographer and traveling the world to capture amazing imagery. And this past year, it finally became my reality.
I have always loved travel photography. My childhood room held travel posters and calendars with glossy photographs of the places I wanted to visit. I used to dream that someday my own photographs would be among them. In December, a box arrived on my doorstep filled with several calendars from the world’s largest calendar company, each with one or more of my travel photographs gracing the pages.