Destination Wedding Photographer and Hawaii on Film

I have had this post sitting in the que for a few days now trying to come up with the words that will do my thoughts and feelings justice. Since I’m not really sure where to start, with what I imagine is going to be quite a content filled post, I will start at the beginning. (And provide you with lovely film photos from Hawaii as you go)

I have always admired my parents, and appreciated the environment in which we were raised. In my mind, my parents are fearless warriors who were never afraid to take three kids on vacation, no matter how young or unruly we were. The three of us, we were so blessed to have had the opportunities we did growing up; to see the world, to spend time together traveling.

Those car trips and long plane rides and sitting at the airports are some of my favorite memories growing up and the impact those trips had on me, even as young as 5 or 6, are unmatched.

The memories, sights, sounds and smells are so fresh in my mind.

I can still smell the leis they place around our necks as we exited the plane in Maui when I was six, I can still hear the sound of the waves crashing on the Michigan Shore in the middle of the night, that one weekend we stayed at my Aunts lake house when I was little, where I also got to see the Northern Lights. I can still feel the thorns pierce my skin from when I ran into a cactus (ya… not the smartest or most coordinated kid in the world), can still envision seeing the Hale Bopp comet cross the desert sky.

The smell of a harbor will always bring me back to that early 90s trip to Hawaii, where I saw a marlin that had just been brought to shore, with a huge bite mark out of it, from a shark that had gotten a hold as they were reeling it in. The feeling of fuzzy cloth car seats (specifically coach bus seats) will forever remind me of that wonderful 14 day vacation traveling across Scandinavia with all of my crazy cousins (seriously, 12 kids under the age 14, what was my family thinking!?).

These are just a sample of the memories I have before the end of elementary school, and I could go on and on.

I think the travel bug is in my blood.

It feels so much a part of me that I have to believe that genetics have something to do with it.

My Mom and I were discussing this last week as we walked around their neighborhood. She and I talked about how lucky we both were to have the travel experiences we did growing up (although hers included a drive from Chicago to Alaska on a gravel road, with three grown kids in the back seat of a sedan – oye!).

She explained to me that when my Grandparents were first married they lived in Europe (where my Grandpa was stationed), and they spent weeks galavanting from country to country. The photos they have from this trip are everything. They radiate the pure joy of new love, and anticipation for all of the adventures to come. (Tangent for just one second – PRINT YOUR WORK – now that both of my Grandparents have passed, my Mom and her siblings are in possession of these photos, which they had never seen before. Imagine how amazing it was for them to look through these images and see their parents so young and in love. What a wonderful thing!)

My paternal Grandmother was a flight attendant back when it was oh so glamorous (you couldn’t even be married!) – and her love for travel only escalated as she and my Grandpa enjoyed traveling the world together after he retired.

Yes, I think the travel bug is in my blood.

Traveling challenges you physically and mentally. It can be exhausting and relaxing, it forces you to see the world for what it is, and not what is just around you on a day to day basis. It makes you realize the world is a big big place (that does not revolve around you, as my Dad would say). It allows you to stand in awe at the glory and ingenious creativity which formed this world.

The other night Cody and I were looking through these pictures and he turned to me and said in awe, “Can you believe we did that?”  These beautiful places were ones we have walked, that we have seen with our own two eyes, that we have fully experienced.

This ‘in-awe’ feeling is one that I live for and one I don’t want to ever let slip away. I want to constantly be boggled by the brilliance of the world around us, and I want to explore and learn and be inspired by the people I meet along the way.

One thing in particular that I took away from our trip – I am so happy that I have someone to go on life’s adventures with. Not only did Cody break me out of my “I just want to lay on the beach and get sun” shell, he taught me that there is always more to see, and more to do, and more to learn. That is exactly the kind of person I want to see the world with.

So here goes nothing. A little shameless self plug, a little bit of urging, a little bit of me sharing my dreams with you guys.

I would love to have destinations become a more regular part of my wedding season.

When I say destination I don’t mean it has to be somewhere tropical (although if you are going to be married in the tropics during the winter months, please, please, PLEASE take me with you, aka get me out of here November – February!), but really anywhere I don’t call home, I consider to be a destination.

I’ve seen a fair amount of photographers list their dream locations on their sites, so I thought that might be a good idea. Then, as I’m writing the list, I realized I was writing practically every state I could think of off the top of my head, and pretty much every country, continent, etc.

Southwestern States (red rocks), any wedding in the mountains, the Pacific Northwest ( specifically somewhere with tall lush, green trees!), the East Coast (how fun does a nautical themed wedding sound!?), the south – all the spanish moss and light filled goodness they have to offer down there, Europe – and more specifically Iceland (but seriously, have you ever googled an Iceland Wedding before!?), Norway, France, London, Ireland, Italy (Amalfi Coast), Spain, a castle somewhere, Asia – the Philippines, Thailand, India, Vietnam,  Australia – New Zealand, French Polynesian Islands, The Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America – Peru, Costa Rica, Panama (the country), Brazil…

Honestly… I could go on and on.

If you are having your wedding at the location of your dreams (or you know someone who is), I want to be there to document the experience.

So here I will shout it from the roof tops – HAVE CAMERA (and also a valid passport), WILL TRAVEL

Thank you all for allowing me to open up to you. Things are a changing around here, and as I dive deeper into this art form, I feel more and more blessed that it gives me the courage to go after what I want.

As a proactive step in expanding my brand, I am thrilled to announce that I am the newest member of the Grey Likes Weddings Collective, in the destination photographers category – I am hoping that this putting myself out there will open up new opportunities –  I can not wait to see what happens.

Thanks for “listening” to my  sometimes overly long winded dreams.

Until next time.

XO

B