For as comfortable as I have always been in front of the camera, and on stage, and just as a lover of attention – I am sometimes awkward when it comes to in person interactions. The majority of the time, my travel photos are taken by John (or Catherine if I’m with her) because it just seems easier, even if they are just on my iPhone or a point-and-shoot! BUT, I have decided that I want to make an effort when I travel to meet and work with local creatives, because it really enhances my travel experience and I realized that working with professional photographers really helps to get my creative juices flowing. My two experiences doing this were AWESOME and I am writing this here, to remind myself (and encourage you) to keep doing so!

In the days leading up to my trip to New York to watch John run the marathon, I reached out to Allie of Pret-A-Provost. I am a huge fan of her as a blogger and a photographer and I made myself send her a DM to set up a shoot and I am SO glad that I did. In both cities when I worked with local photogs (the first being Austin), I wanted to get some iconic shots, even if it seems a little cheesy. I am no stranger to NYC, but have never chosen to shoot in front of the classic city spots. I was so glad when Allie suggested that we shoot at Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library because that’s exactly the vibe I was going for! I can’t wait to continue to share the photos that we shot with you guys.

I LOVE the shots that she captured, and the process was such fun. Timing our shots between the red lights, watching out for cabs and crazy New York drivers and tourists trying to get into the closed New York Public Library, it was an adventure to say the least! So many people commented on my instagram about how I was literally in traffic, and they were exactly right LOL.

Similarly to New York, when I decided I wanted to shoot in Austin, I was thrilled when local photographer Divina Stennfeld suggested we shoot around the ‘i love you so much’ sign and Austin Motel. You guys have already seen these photos before, but just wanted to throw them in to emphasize my point! I had such fun exploring the iconic, ‘grammable spots in Austin, that it helped to push me to do the same thing in New York.

So, to my fellow blogger friends and creators, I urge you to look up local creatives during your travels, even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone. It will be worth it, I promise!

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