Grout Pond in Vermont is now among my very favorite campsites. We visited in the fall and the colors were pretty darn magical. The campsites are first-come first serve and we had no issues finding a waterfront site on a holiday weekend. It was a short, flat, walk from the parking lot to the site— low effort, high reward! Though the walk was short, it was far enough to feel like we were in the backcountry- to be away from roads, cars, and out in nature. Looking forward to trips back this spot!
I’m lucky to spend as much time as I do in Vietnam, going back every year, at different times of the year. This year my trip was in September- the moth that sees the most rainfall- and I was thrilled. Most travelers try to avoid the heaviest rain months, but to me, September was the most desirable time of the year to visit Northern Vietnam because the full lush terraced rice paddy fields far outweighed the afternoon showers. Here’s a glimpse into this region during the “worst month to visit Vietnam:”
Some scenes from my most recent stint in Hanoi, Vietnam. Cities usually don’t do all that much for me- usually, the more remote I am, the happier I am. Hanoi is an exception to this rule, though- it’s a charming city with all kinds of organized chaos, creative pockets, and warm, smiling faces.
On my most recent research trip in Vietnam, I spent an unintentionally long period of time in Phong Nha Khe Bang National Park in Central Vietnam after getting trapped in some storms. I was meant to go on a 3-day Hang En caving expedition through Oxalis, but some pretty wild flooding cut the trip short. After a day of trekking through the jungle in the pouring rain, arriving at camp, getting warm dry clothes on, and eating dinner, several men came running through the jungle to tell us we needed to evacuate. We needed to hike back out through the night, swimming across rivers we waded through on the way over, all in the pitch black. Below are some photos both from the expedition and the subsequent days I had meandering around the town:
So, Josh had this wild idea of building his own bike and then riding it from Canada to Mexico along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route- 2,700 miles of off-pavement trail. Josh took the time off to ride all the way from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico at the border gates. These are some photos from the first 300 miles or so of the ride- the only bit I could join him for before having to go back to work!
Hard to find the words to appropriately capture the beauty of this wedding. I was through the roof with excitement when Stan asked me to photograph his wedding and got even more giddy when he and Lukas sent me a link to the venue. Such a beautiful wedding filled with such incredible people. Mountains, sunflowers, dogs, smoke-bombs, live music, homemade everything, and the only wedding I’ve ever been to that allotted enough time for dancing. A small sampling of the photos:
So a handful of years ago I moved to Jeju Island off the southern coast of South Korea and became part of a pretty exceptional expat group. We’ve made a wonderful habit of (at least one) annual reunion. Last year was Iceland, this year- the Adirondaks. Grateful for these forever friends:
I’ve been a little unsettled with this new website of mine. While I really like the layout, I’ve never really focused on taking standalone photos- I focus on stories. I focus on photographing people, places, and events in collections, rather than in one-shot. This blog will share those collections, big or small, where a single photo is not meant to stand alone, but rather together.
At the beginning, I’ll have some catching up to do- maybe sharing a mix of new and old photo essays, both personal and professional. I hope you find something in these future posts that speaks to you.
The blog is currently under construction. Stay tuned for bits and bobs from recent travels and photo essay projects.
