The Stories Behind the Travel Photography
Back to the basics: Where my travel blog (and creative career) originally got started.
Long before I called myself a writer, speaker, or course creator, I was always creating things. I just didn’t use the word “artist”. That title felt too big, too formal. I would have to meet certain unwritten standards, instead of just creating and sharing things I was passionate about.1
To me, an “artist” was something other people got to be, not me. I simply loved the combination of travel and photography, nothing more, nothing less. Ever since I got my first camera (one with film, it’s been a while) I loved chasing light and waiting for the right moment, even if I didn’t know why.2
Eventually, I got invited to a few art events and exhibitions. And then, something beautiful happened: people started buying my work to “make their walls smile.” That’s still one of my favourite expressions I’ve ever heard.
The Lady in Red
Among the most popular pieces I’ve created is my photograph titled Lady in Red. I took it during my first trip to Paris after opening my fine art studio in Canada. It was a spontaneous moment — I was exploring Montmartre, near the Sacré-Cœur and the infamous Moulin Rouge, when I stumbled upon an outdoor arts festival. Performers in costume floated through the streets, and I did what I always do — pulled out my camera and tried to capture the feeling of the moment. One moment, one frame: The lady in red.
I never realized what I had captured until after I came home. The lady in red wasn’t staged, or posed. As with all my travel photography it was a spontaneous, unedited, fleeting moment that just happened. That single photo opened the door to a creative path I hadn’t expected. But more importantly, it started the stories.
Why I Still Share Stories Behind the Scenes
The blog you’re reading right now? It started because people like you asked me about the stories behind the photographs. They wanted to visit the destinations I had been to. As much as I dreamed of writing a book, I never planned on becoming a travel writer. I was just trying to answer the questions people asked me at gallery openings or book signings or in late-night DMs. And those stories began to form a thread, which eventually became a book, then a course, and eventually an online magazine that has found its way into thousands of lives. Thank you for being part of it.
And while I’ve expanded to cover other topics over time — from travel hacking to happiness and entrepreneurship — the root of it all is the same: experience. Trying something new. Addinag something different. Capturing it, sharing it, and hopefully helping someone else along the way.
As the Bible says: test everything; hold fast what is good. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Get Into Action
If one of my photographs speaks to you — if it reminds you of a place you’ve been, or a view you’d love to see one day — I invite you to explore the new gallery. Every image is more than just a picture; it’s a story, a memory, and sometimes, a dream waiting to be claimed. Visit the gallery, wander through the destinations, and if you find the view you want to take home, I’d be honoured to help bring it to life as a fine art print.
Further reading
I also didn’t feel the need to hyper-inflate my title on LinkedIn, even though it’s the popular thing to do these days. It appears that LinkedIn is becoming the new Facebook and Facebook is becoming the new LinkedIn. Full story here.
For years I’ve been overthinking my passion, thinking it had to be either writing, teaching, photography, or maybe something else. While I love doing all of those things, the central theme that connects them all for me is travel. Story here.