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2022 was a great photography year! I had some amazing adventures, I checked off some bucket list items, I learned new things, and I met some amazing photography minded women.

Photo Tours

For the first time ever, I got to experience the joy of guided photography tours thanks to an unexpected Bisti Badlands photography trip with a stranger. Yes, I took an 8 hour road trip with a stranger and it was amazing! I met Cristina through our Colorado Women Photographers group when she posted about a last minute I had always wanted to visit this otherworldly landscape and finally got the chance!

Navajo Tours Bisti Badlands with Navajo Tours USA

Our trip was specifically geared toward astrophotography. Crisitina was kind enough to teach me some astrophotography basics. I was able to take some decent star photographs even though we had some challenging weather to deal with on our trip. I highly recommend using Navajo Tours USA if you want to visit this area. Our guide Kailo was fantastic, we even went on a second trip later in the year to see more of this amazing desert landscape!

Travel Photography

2022 brought about the opportunity for a bucket list landscape travel photography destination for me, the Faroe Islands. My husband and I were able to plan a vacation around both of our passions and it was absolutely magical! For me, it was a photography trip and for him it was a Jiu-Jitsu trip with BJJ Globetrotters. It kind of came out of nowhere and it wasn’t cheap, but after a couple years of no travel thanks to Covid, it was time to splurge on travel!

Faroe Islands Photography

As far as destinations for photography go, there is quite possibly no better place than the Faroe Islands. We’re talking green landscapes, waterfalls into the ocean, dramatic cliffs, and the lake above the ocean. I spent days hiking in cold wet conditions, taking ferries to gorgeous islands, and even got to view the sights from a helicopter. I still cannot believe I had the chance to explore this amazingly beautiful country.

Wildlife Photography

I had some great wildlife photography experiences in 2022. There was a big focus on birds this year, and why not? Birds are fantastic creatures and they are fun to watch and photograph! At home and abroad I was able to spend some great time with wildlife throughout the year.

Sandhill Cranes

My niece and I took a trip to photograph the Sandhill Cranes at Monte Vista National Wildlife refuge here in Colorado. Each spring the cranes pass through on their migration route. There are a lot of beautiful places to see the cranes, but Monte Vista is my favorite. Because it’s in Colorado, it is relatively easy for me to get to and I just really like the landscape of the San Luis Valley.

Faroe Islands Puffins

The absolute highlight of my year was spending time with the “clowns of the sea” on the island of Mykines. Seeing and photographing puffins has been on my bucket list since I was a kid. I had technically seen puffins in Alaska from a boat, but that paled in comparison to the puffin encounter in the Faroe Islands. Here I was able to safely get close to the puffins and capture photographs and enjoy the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen at the same time. I wrote all about how to have this experience in the link above this paragraph, in case you want to plan your own puffin adventure!

Meeting Other Female Photographers

One of the best things that happened this year was joining a photography group made by and for women photographers. Beth Mancuso started the Women’s Photography Circle as a place for female photographers to connect, share, and learn from each other and it’s been wonderful! There are groups for every state, find your circle and connect with like-minded women near you!

Colorado Women Photographers

When Beth started the groups, she put out a call for moderators and I volunteered to run the Colorado circle. This group is how I ended up on the astrophotography adventure. It has connected me to many amazing female nature photographers. And it has given me a really close new friend, Ana, who I am going on a Scotland photography travel adventure with in 2023! We have had meetups where we met some local Highland Cows, did some macro flower photography, learned astrophotography, tried street photography, and even had a small market to showcase and sell our work. I enjoyed meeting new people, trying new genres of photography, and going places I wouldn’t have gone without this group!

Portrait Photography

I completed my first proposal shoot in 2022. I had the pleasure of taking graduation photographs for my niece to highlight her outstanding accomplishment. I photographed many wonderful people and are thankful for each and every client I had the chance to work with.

Final Thoughts on 2022

The year had highs and lows as they always do. I highlighted the good parts in this post, but the ultimate low was deciding to close my portrait photography business after months of personal mental health struggles. I decided it wasn’t the right fit for me and will focus on travel and nature photography again. I have planned some new photography adventures in 2023 and I hope you will follow along with me!

Wishing you the best 2023 full of amazing photography adventures!