The Girl with the Red Camera
Feeling the ocean water rush around your ankles, sinking your feet farther into the wet sand. The sigh of accomplishment after facing your fear of heights and reaching the top of Croagh Patrick. The rush of self-pride when you finally buy your metro ticket in Spain without having to ask the security guard for help. Waking up on Easter morning in Madrid to a choir singing at the Opera House down the street. It's the moment you look around and think to yourself, I can't believe I'm here.... Those are the moments that I live for.
Hi, I'm Angelee -- photographer, alternative music lover, self-proclaimed Hufflepuff, and (you guessed it) travel enthusiast. I was very fortunate to have been born into a family who loves to travel as well, and therefore I had my first inter-continental travels at a very young age. Going on trips every couple years with my family as I grew up, I learned quickly how wondrous this vast world is, and how much I wanted to see it all.
"...I learned quickly how wondrous this vast world is, and how much I wanted to see it all."
It wasn't until I was in college that I decided to travel for the first time without my family, on a study abroad trip to Ireland. This was a huge step for me as a want-to-be world traveler. Even though it was with a group of students and my boyfriend (now husband), it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. We had to arrange our travel plans by ourselves, and since I was much more experienced in travel than my boyfriend, Zach, I was forced into a leadership position for the first time. After returning from that trip, my self-confidence was so much higher that I found myself signing up for another study abroad program just a short couple months later, this time with a whole new group of students. It was a photography program with my fellow art majors, and it definitely sealed the deal for me -- I wanted to become a travel photographer.
"One of my favorite things about traveling is the stories you bring home with you."
One of my favorite things about traveling is the stories you bring home with you. How you got lost in Japan and stumbled upon the most beautiful waterfall you've ever seen, or the stag party you met while pub hopping in Galway. We may leave these exotic places, but we get to hang on to the stories forever. Up until now I've shared photos I've taken on my travels, but not the stories that are connected with them. I realize now that's about the same as giving someone a cover without the book. The story gives the photograph meaning, while the photo brings the story to life. The two pair like peanut butter on Eggos (don't knock it until you try it).
When I'm not traveling I make my nest in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. MN-born and raised to love the seasonal changes and small city atmosphere, I predict I will always find my way back to the state of hockey and home to the late and great Prince. There you can find me attending local concerts, hanging with a group of people I'm lucky to call my best friends, riding horses with my family or cheering on my hubby's rec hockey team, the Rubber Puckies.
"Let the adventures begin!"
So if you're interested in some crazy, funny (sometimes embarrassing) stories of my adventures, stay tuned! I'm brimming with experiences to share, travel tips to pass along, and secret locations to divulge to my fellow travel fanatics. Now that you know what I'm about, feel free to comment below with your story -- where you would love to travel to, travel questions you might have, or places you want to hear about! I'm not saying I'm a travel expert, but I will do my best to blog about things that interest you! And when the introductions are out of the way... Let the adventures begin!
