One of the great things about living in Florida is how beautiful it is! There are so many parks and outdoor locations for photo shoots, but the best is the beach, hands down. Granted you might end up covered in sand by the end of the shoot like I was. And that might mean that your house is full of sand, which it was…and still is. But it’s totally worth it!
If you hit the beach at the right time, you can get great light, great skies, and fewer people on the beach. When I met this family at the beach, I got all three. Also, I have to say that they did a great job coordinating all the outfits! Not only do the colors go great with each other but they are sooo fitting for the beach setting!
So I thought I’d do something a little different this week, and share what I do when I’m not taking your portraits or editing your photographs. Free time is starting to become a foreign word to me. But when I have it, I love to travel even if it’s just to a different city in Florida. This year I’ve been fortunate enough to visit several national parks. And this year was the National Park Service’s 100 year anniversary, so a perfect time to hit the highlights! If you want to see more photos of my adventures, follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_kistler/
Earlier in the year, we hit parks in Oregon and Washington: Crater Lake, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Olympic National Park, North Cascades, and San Juan Island! I know what you’re thinking, “San Juan Island, isn’t that in Puerto Rico?” No, San Juan Island is actually located off of Washington state and Canada. I know, I was a little suspicious at first too.
Crater Lake in May. There was over 6 feet of snow in May!
View of the base of Mount St. Helens.
North Cascades National Park. There wasn’t much snow here but it was really cold!
Old growth forest in Olympic National Park.
Dark-eye Junco posing for me on San Juan Island.
Path at the American Camp on San Juan Island. San Juan Island National Park is divided into the American Camp and the English Camp, and there’s a whole story about a fight involving a pig.
One of the great things about living in Florida is how beautiful it is! There are so many parks and outdoor locations for photo shoots, but the best is the beach, hands down. Granted you might end up covered in sand by the end of the shoot like I was. And that might mean that your house is full of sand, which it was…and still is. But it’s totally worth it!
