i showed up early, mostly to avoid the traffic in charlotte. but i was excited to have some time alone, in nature.

there’s something so calming about being somewhere beautiful by myself, with my camera.
it feels like home.
part of me wishes i could be a wanderer. that i could live on the road and have my backyard change with the calendar.
but i’m not that brave.
[side note: i know an awesome family like this. nate is a friend from childhood, growing up in pennsylvania. i follow their adventures daily as they navigate this beautiful world. you should follow wandrly on instagram.]

in this chapter in my life, my feet are planted in north carolina.
but for the wanderlust that burns inside me, i have this.
photography.
it allows me to travel.
explore.

so every time i meet an adventurous, outdoorsy, laid-back couple who invites me into their life to be a part of writing a chapter for them i’m giddy with excitement.

dan, lucy, karma + bacon invited me to one of their favorite places – landsford canal state park. after spending about thirty minutes to myself photographing the quiet beauty around me, i met up with them.

they carried the canoe down to the water. dan canoed down the river to our meeting spot with bacon while lucy, karma and i rode in the back of the park ranger’s truck to the top of the trail. we hiked through the woods and met up with dan at the lookout point – a point that overlooks the river where hundreds of spider lilies bloom every june. we booked our session around it. after grabbing a few shots along the trails, i – along with my bag full of gear – got in a canoe with this awesome couple and their sweet pups to get some shots out in the middle of the blooms.

i could have ruined thousands in gear.
i could have stayed on the bank to shoot, hoping to get what i wanted despite the limitations.
but that’s just not who i am.
i’m more of a “get in the canoe and if my gear falls in, eh, it can be replaced” kind of girl. it was worth it.

to me, it’s always worth it.