To travel, my friends, is to let the heart wander. To stretch out the possibilities before you, sparked by the visage of new views. To explore, experiment and learn how to traverse new terrains along the way.

Zion is that for me.

Although I’ve been shooting weddings for 7 years, it’s been a sporadic venture, scattered in between design school, friendships, my marriage and a full-time graphic design job. Photography has been there the whole time, but I found myself hesitating and waiting for a specific moment to really lean into it and see what magic could happen. Little did I know that my design job at Spicefire, where I spend each day, would be the catalyst for that magic. The job that I thought to be a barrier was instead the golden ticket, literally buying me a flight to Zion National Park to learn from a photographer I admire and had been tracking for years! Before I knew it, I was right in the heart of the Tyler Rye Zion Workshop, learning not only from him but Rich from Chard Photo and other amazing shooters as well.

My coworkers and bosses knew my heart and invested in me and my “side hustle” in more ways that I could imagine. They poured into my photography work even while I’m sure they knew that it could be the very thing to move me away from working with them. Regardless, they’re the real deal and I love that I can invest right back into Spicefire with the corporate/branding side of photography!

But for now, let’s revel in that oh-so-beautiful magic that happened in Zion. A place of learning, exploring and new possibilities on that gorgeous gold horizon.