October 7, 2024

How’s your summer been so far?

This summer has been one for the books.  I traveled to parts of the world that I never thought I would go including Dubai, Abu Dhabi & the Maldives which were all eye opening experiences. I also traveled to California, rented a car & drove down the Pacific Coast Highway!

Can you tell us how you first got into destination photography?

I have always loved taking photos for as long as I can remember.  But I didn’t get my first DSLR camera until about 18 months ago!   I have also always wanted to travel the world, experience different cultures and meet new people. Shortly after college I took my first trip to Europe (Portugal & Spain) and I was instantly hooked and knew that there was so much more to see!

When did you decide to start posting your photos on Instagram? & what’s the benefit of having a following on such a huge platform like Instagram?

I started posting to share my experiences with people that share my passion.  I really didn’t give any thought to longer term benefits at first. to me the benefit was getting to share my experiences with others and share how I see the world through my pictures.  Today, attention is an extremely valuable asset and having a following on any social platform provides a ton of opportunity. On a personal level, the best reward is when a follower tells me that I have inspired them to pick up photography or start a photography account of their own.  Social media platforms enable ordinary people to make an impact and I want to make sure that my impact is positive. 

You have also gained an intimate bond with your followers through: scheduled meetups, Live Q&A Sessions and more.  Why do you think being open on social media is so important for artists today?

I think that it’s so important to be both open and genuine.  The internet exposes you, so I believe that if someone is not being genuine, people can sense that & not really pay too much attention to what you’re doing.  When you are real, people will respond.  When you engage with people on a personal level about common interests, you will likely form a bond and inspire each other to grow & get better.

With a massive following already your followers must have a name for themselves.  Do your followers have a name for themselves?

Not yet!  It is something that is constantly brought up during my live streams but nothing has stuck quite yet!

What has been your favorite part about sharing your amazing photography online?

My favorite part has been the ability to engage with & inspire people from all over the world.

Are there any cool projects in the works you can tell us about?

I have this really awesome collaboration coming up with Visit Aruba in September that I am super excited for.  It is my first time collaborating with a tourism board rather than just an individual resort 

What has the rapid growth of your account been like for you?

The growth was unexpected and pretty humbling as well.  When I started it was all about the photos and as the following started to grow, I felt like it was also important to engage and hopefully inspire people.  It has added a new element to what I am trying to achieve.

Advice for how to grow

Consistency & quality content are key when it comes to growing a following!  When it comes to photography, tagging big photography accounts, using their hashtags, really just becoming apart of a community is very important!  This can lead to features (which are free 99.9% of the time) on pages that have anywhere from 20,000 to 12 million followers.  This can lead to growing a following of your own & is exactly how I got started!

Any last things you want to tell your supporters?

I want to tell them that they inspire me every day and that my hope for them is that they pursue their passions whether that be music, photography, business, cooking etc. wherever that may lead them!

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