Living a creative life requires time, energy, and dedication, which can be challenging to prioritize while juggling client work. In 2024, I set a goal to prioritize my personal projects and creative development. After eight years of freelancing as a writer and photographer, I started to feel stuck. I spent too many days in long meetings, trapped behind a glaring screen. With a fresh start and renewed focus, this year, I am diving deep into my photography. This is my longest creative passion and professional skill that was somewhat put on hold as I advanced my commercial work as a copywriter an ..read more

During my latest winter visit home to Florida, I was on the lookout to discover new (to me) nature spots where I could escape the suburban sprawl. Nestled near Lake Monroe and the St. John's River, Green Springs is only a 30-minute drive from downtown Orlando, and it's free to visit. Tip: don’t forget to bring bug spray! A scenic bicycle ride from Orlando to Green Springs is a great option too. Besides serving as a trailhead, it connects to the Spring-to-Spring Trail and the East Central Regional Rail Trail. This is definitely on my bucket list for next time! Appropriately named for its vivid ..read more

During my annual winter visits home to Florida, I love exploring the wild and unique nature that my home state has to offer. On this trip, my friend (and fellow photographer) Mike invited a few friends for a day trip to Orlando Wetlands Park, a wildlife preserve that offers 1650 acres of trails and beautiful views of nature. Open to the public for free, Orlando Wetlands Park is an environmental conservation project located in Christmas, Florida (about a 30-minute drive from Orlando). Here, visitors can discover a thriving ecological habitat featuring a network of ponds, marshes, and wetland ar ..read more

Honey Talks is back with Season 2, and this time, we’re excited to launch as a podcast you can listen Spotify and watch YouTube! Catch up on Season 1 here. We developed Honey Talks as a series to empower, inform, and entertain our global community through bold conversations. Created by and for curious women, we discuss topics that matter to modern, multidimensional women. Our content ranges from pop culture to politics, creativity, entrepreneurship, wellness, travel, and more. Have an idea for a new episode? Curious about a brand collaboration? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you! Pho ..read more

There's a lot going on. What else can I say? Our generation is living through one of the most impactful civil rights movements in history — all while facing a global pandemic and the stressful effects of living isolated in lockdown. It's been a really emotional few weeks. I hope you've found some catharsis through talking with loved ones, journaling, or expressing yourself through action or creativity. Our purpose now is to amplify our voices, especially marginalized voices, and come together with a positive purpose. On June 1, 2020, more than 10k people gathered in Amsterdam’s Dam Square to g ..read more

As the dark winter days set in, I try to embrace the cozy season; however, as a nature lover, I'm always eager to get back outside, and sometimes, daily walks in Vondelpark just aren't enough. Spending a brisk, sunny afternoon forest bathing with my camera was the perfect remedy to beat the seasonal depression and claustrophobia that creep in every winter. Seeking a peaceful retreat from the city, we packed our cameras, rented a car, and set out for a photo walk in the serene Dutch dunes. Taking a slow walk through the woods was also the perfect moment to practice shooting on my Rolleiflex 2.8 ..read more

The Rolleiflex 2.8F is a legend in the photography world — known for outstanding optics, precise manual control, and a cult following. And this one, in particular, is a treasured family heirloom with a bittersweet story. Before coming into my possession, it belonged to my uncle, who inherited it from my grandfather, who bought it in the early 1960s. They both passed away long before my time. given the camera's sentimental value, my always mom thought this Rolleiflex was 'too precious to use.' So it stayed on a bookshelf in its original case, just waiting... But I always felt this camera c ..read more

Have you been following along with my recent photography retreat in Sicily with House of Notoire? If not, discover more here! Needless to say, I drew a lot of visual inspiration from every corner. It was great to travel with other photographers who understand the importance of taking it slow and consciously exploring a new place in an effort to spot the little details, like fresh morning dew on leaves, bright, colorful petals and expansive island views. Sicily further heightened my interest in all things floral. I was enamored with Mediterranian blooms like fuchsia bougainvillea, purple morni ..read more

I recently visited Sicily together with House of Notoire for a week-long women’s photography retreat. It was my third trip with the global community after our previous trips to Bali and Marrakesh. This time, we headed to the Mediterranian island of Sicily and September is the perfect time to explore — from secluded rocky beaches in a dreamy seaside town called Mondello, located on the northwest coast of Sicily to the capital, Palermo and over to the beach town Cefalu. Here are a few of my moments from our golden, sunny days in Sicily. Shooting film in Mondello We stayed in Mondello, a quaint ..read more

In preparation for our trip to Paris this month, I dug through my film archives and discovered these shots, which brought back a lot of nostalgia, so let’s take a trip down memory lane. It was 2005, the summer after my freshman year of college. After four years of studying photography, I was a budding camera collector and Lomography fanatic. I was heading to Paris with a friend, but she bailed on me for a boy (spoiler alert: fast forward, they eventually got married, and their wedding was a blast). And that's how I ended up alone in Paris for two weeks with a backpack full of cameras. Around ..read more