Hello! I’m Anne and I have a new life.
I traded in a traditional career for a new life as an outdoor photographer and writer. I live a nomadic lifestyle, traveling around North America in an RV and exploring the Pacific Northwest by boat each summer aboard our trawler, Vestri. Along the way I photograph beautiful places and write about travel, photography, and how changing your life is not as scary as it seems.
When I first started photographing 25 years ago I lived in a darkness. My images were journalistic in style and focussed on problems in the world, sad stories, homeless people and I even had a whole series on graveyards. It is as if I lived in a world full of only bad things.
I gave up photography for a long time as I focussed on my first career in software development and when I picked up a camera again my view of life began to change. By nature, I see all the negative things in the world. That comes easy. I have to put effort into seeing the good so I made a decision to only photograph beautiful things.
When I see a scene I try to find what is good here? What is beautiful here? And slowly I started to feel like I was coming out of the darkness. I changed. Using photography to guide what I focus on every day is changing my outlook on life. Now I see the goodness and beauty in the world and it makes me a happier person.
In 2011, I took another leap. I gave up my home in Victoria, BC, Canada, closed my software consulting business, bought an RV and hit the road for the life of a nomadic photographer. I wanted a happier more fulfilling life. I wanted the life I dreamed about. People tell me I am brave and they wish they could do what I did. For me, it felt like the only option that was right and good.
My husband Ray documents the technical side of this lifestyle – RV upgrades, solar power systems, batteries, and life on the road – on his website Love Your RV. If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of RV and boat living, you can visit his site at loveyourrv.com.
I hope my story and images will inspire other people to change the way they view the world and the way they live their lives. Changing your life is not as difficult or scary as it seems! What is scary is not doing it.
Today I am a photographer, author and teacher. I have a popular photography blog and I teach photography courses online. My work has been published in instructional photography books, children’s books, and several magazines including Canadian Geographic. I am the author of seven photography eBooks.
Books:
8 Types of Natural Light That Will Add Drama to Your Photographs
Before the Shutter: Planning Your Next Travel Photography Adventure
8 Ways to Accelerate Your Photography: How to Speed Up the Learning Curve
The Compelling Photograph: Techniques for Creating Better Images – Book 1
The Compelling Photograph: Techniques for Creating Better Images – Book 2
22 Landscape Photography Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Taking Control: Essential Camera Skills for Beginners
Newsletter:
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Contact: Feel free to contact me by email at anne@amckinnell.com