A Similar Passion with Unique Vision

In White Sands National Park

I recently spent a week creating images in White Sands National Park with 5 other female photographers. We were there before the gates opened and pushed the park boundaries when the gates closed as we were often the last to leave. We hiked over 35 miles with legs burning when traversing the profusion of tall dunes. We were greeted with epic atmosphere and never-ending vistas. We explored endlessly, played in the gypsum, and delighted in multiple white-out conditions. We kicked back in the soft sand with shoes off, watched the clouds, waited for light to change and just soaked it all in. That all sounds amazing, but “how did six women fair together for a week?” you ask?

Maybe it was the location, the type of expedition, or the personalities of the six women involved, but it somehow worked! We came back with so much more than just a plethora of incredible images to sort through. Nancy described it as “a gift we didn’t know we needed.” We owe a special thanks to Brie for instigating this adventure.

There are several key factors that made the trip a success that I want to share, but before we dive in, I encourage you to check out the marvelous work by each of these unique photographers by clicking on their name below.

Brie Stockwell - Michele Sons - Martha Montiel - Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero - Nancy Kurokawa

A week immersed in our craft. It was a great opportunity to simply eat, drink, and sleep our photographic passion and share a subject we love with like-minded people with unique visions. As photographers, it is difficult to have conversations with the people in our every-day worlds about our craft. Oh, people love photographs, but you can just see their eyes roll back in their head when we start talking technicalities. There is just something that exists differently in our brains. For example, we could be doing any number of routine tasks such working a regular job or visiting family, but our brains are on constant high alert and awareness of scenes and lighting changes. It’s like a tiny little pocket was inserted into our brain that is somehow connected to every other facet of our brain and thought processes. Or, an app continually running in the background. Our brains are constantly churning with any number of photographic elements such as shapes, lighting, weather, plants, rocks, clouds, the sun, the stars, strategies, opportunities, connections, learning, editing, marketing…the list goes on. If you ask a photographer what we thought about the pool on vacation, you expect we would offer our experience on the temperature, size, or depth, but we will likely be remembering how the different colored buildings reflected off the ripples at different times of the day and night or, how the spray of water on the water slide captured or emitted light…not your typically expected answer.

In the moments we weren’t out shooting, we were still knee-deep in our passion. We had a stack of photography books to pour over during quiet times, videos to share, discussions about the artists who inspire us, and editing sessions.

Understanding “that moment.” We understand “that moment” when it happens without acknowledgement or explanation. It’s that moment when we see the incredible makings of a scene either brought on by light, the awareness of a composition, discovery of a small scene, or glimpse of an animal in the wild. It’s the wind, the water, the flow, the pattern, the movement, the color... It’s the excitement, anticipation, anxiety, elation, panic, and fulfillment all in one. It’s an unnamed emotion and a word that isn’t found in a dictionary. I’ve heard some try to describe it as a photo-gasm. It’s “that thing” that lights us up, sets us into action or inspires us to sit back and observe or soak in the moment with awe. It’s what drives us and keeps us going back. It’s insurmountable to put into words though some photographers have nearly triumphed.

Sharing, learning, and growing. This trip was a never-ending sharing, learning, and growing opportunity. Each of us are professionals in photography with our own unique set of skills and interests from coaching creatives to expertise in Photoshop. There isn’t just one class or one path that teaches us how to be photographers. There are varying business strategies and programs, and they are as different as the people learning them. While there isn’t a rubberstamp approach, there are some concepts that are similar. Newsletters for example. We may have different things to say, different people to target, unique programs to use, however the concept of newsletters is still the same. Each one of us brought experiences in different things to the table. We talked about social media, creating photography books, editing, infrared cameras, apps and websites, video editing, aspirations, articles that inspired us, and much, much more. These ladies were inspiring, competent, unique, supportive and encouraging. This is a connection that didn’t end when we drove away, it continues today.

Creating unique images. The images we created were very unique from each other, it’s true. I can’t tell you the number of times each of us were asked about concerns with creating the same images as the other photographers. We already knew the answer. It wouldn’t happen and that statement couldn’t be truer. Even if all of us were standing in close proximity and shooting in the same direction (similarly to the first image in the blog), our images would be different. Here’s why… First of all, we Want to be different. I have seen, all too often, people who see an image someone created and endeavor to find that same exact composition and replicate it. That is not the case here. We see uniquely, so features capture our attention differently. A lone bush, for example, may be seen as the center of attention, a small part of a larger story, or get cropped out altogether. We are all drawn to different colors and shapes. Some people favor cool colors while others crave warm tones. Some prefer softer lines, while others capture crisper ones. And, sometimes we want to try a little bit of all of it. We use a variety of focal lengths to capture small or large scenes, use different white balances, choose different compositions, and post-process in distinctive ways. We are creatives with diverse perspectives and imaginations. The images below are great examples.

So much gear talk. We each had different cameras, lenses, tripods, cleaning approaches, and backpacks. One day, we pulled out all our bags and talked sizes, prices, fit, color, capability, wear and tear, things we loved, and things we didn’t. We got to try them on and see if our equipment fit into another type of bag. We looked at L-brackets and demoed tripods. It was the best thing short of going to a photography store that had the variety of gear. Although a store may have a wider variety, this gear share came with a person who had experiences with it to share.

Action shots. Photographers rarely have photographs of ourselves in action…unless we are surrounded by other photographers. We are usually the ones capturing scenes and people and often not in many shots. It was an unspoken element of this trip that occurred organically. We somehow captured everything from beautiful to hilarious.

Cost sharing. I’m personally a fan of saving money on one expedition because it’s money towards the next trip. We were able to share a space and amenities and divide the costs. We shared a house that had a great kitchen, seating for all of us in the living room, and outdoor space to relax and clean our equipment. It cost less than any hotel out there…probably even the dives. We created a grocery list and shared meals. We only ate out twice yet, felt like we ate gourmet meals the whole time. We carpooled and shared snacks and drinks. It was one of the lowest cost trips I’ve done in the last year, but you wouldn’t have guessed.

All the in-between. There was genuine camaraderie, tons of laughs, eating gourmet, home-made meals, recipe exchanging, chocolate tasting, and “the best ever” lava cake devouring. We exchanged thoughts on peeing outside, electrolytes, snacks, diets, and face care. We curled our hair or we didn’t. We took badass naps in our cars under shade trees in a hotel parking lot. We went on a hike just to enjoy the outdoors, explore, and discover things like giant barrel cacti and fields of yucca plants. Sometimes all of us went on a shoot, sometimes not.

To sum the week up. It's difficult finding female photographers to shoot with, which makes discovering these incredible women a treasure trove. We are strong and sharp yet forgiving, open and thoughtful…and maybe a little badass. We have a similar passion with unique visions. This is certainly one for the books! We can't wait to do it again.