After a few stressful weeks of finals, graduation (woop whoop!) and moving back to Michigan, I have finally set some time aside to set up an official shop for my photography. After doing a little research, I decide the best option was to do a shop through Society6 to have the best section for my prints and other options for printing, as well. I put a like for the shop on the home bar at the top of the page as well as on my photography website. Currently, there is a selection of photography from Europe, Australia, and North America in my shop for sale. I do not have all of my photography upload yet, since it is still a work in progress, but feel free to send a message if you see a photography on my instagram or website that you would love to have and I will arrange for it to be in the shop! Down below is a preview of what the shop looks like and just a few of the pieces that are available for purchase.
A Traveler's Bliss
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It has definitely been raining here in the Windy City like it is spring, but it sure doesn’t feel like spring. The weather has been a bit of a rollercoaster, going from sunny a seventy degrees one day to rainy and forty degrees for the next week. Even with the unpredictable weather and the crazy overload of the end of the semester (and the semester!) I wanted to explore and learn about a few iconic Chicago landmarks before my time in the city came to an end. One of the top ‘Must-Dos’ on my list was Navy Pier: Navy Pier was constructed in 1915 and opened to the public in 1916. It was built by architect Charles Sumner Frost and designed by Daniel Burnham and Edward H Bennett. Originally it was named Municipal Pier because the pier was used as a dock for freights, control passenger traffic, and a space for recreation for the public. During the First World War, it was also used as a prison for “dodgers” or anyone who tried to avoid the draft. In 1927, the pier was renamed Navy Pier as a dedication of those who served in the First World War. Fun Fact: The first Ferris wheel was built by George Washington Ferris Jr in 1893 for the Chicago World Fair. He wanted to construct something taller than the Eiffel Tower and would give people a “bird’s-eye view” of the fair in Chicago. While the height of the Ferris wheel may have been much shorter than the Eiffel tower, it did not disappoint expectations left everyone calling the wheel ‘Ferris’ Wheel. Last year the Navy Pier Centennial Ferris Wheel was redesigned and rebuilt for the Centennial anniversary of Navy Pier. The new Wheel is 196 feet tall and has 42 gondolas that are colored blue for the signature Navy Pier look. Each gondola can hold up to eight people and has individual seats instead of benches, making it one of a kind. Today the pier is roughly 3,300 feet long and has more than fifty acres of gardens, shops, food and restaurants, and attractions to entertain you all day long. Navy Pier is one of the top destinations in the city and attractions around nine million visitors annually. Last year, a few friends and I stayed out and stood in line all night to ride The Last Ride” on the old Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier before they began construction on the new one. It seemed fitting to wait until the end of my semester senior year to ride the new Ferris wheel for the first time. It was a little grey and cold the day we went, but that just meant we got the entire gondola to ourselves. It was an amazing experience to be able to move around and see Navy Pier and the Chicago skyline from 196 feet up in the air. The Wheel went a faster than we thought (probably because there weren't many people getting on) and it went around three times. It is definitely a worthy treat when you are at the pier along with all of the other activities it has to offer for every season.
xx A Traveler's Bliss Big Ben Hiding Behind Parliament Less than three weeks left of the semester, senior year, and college itself. Hard to believe it is finally coming to and end and it will be another new beginning. It had me thinking about how last year at this time was another ending, the end of my semester abroad in London, and how looking back one year later has made me realize a few lessons I have learned from my experienced. Some I knew in the moment when I was in London, and others I had to think about how they have subtly just become part of my daily routine. The top ten things I have learned while studying abroad are... 1. GETTING LOST ISN’T A BAD THING I learned the most amazing thing about myself is that I love getting lost. I love the feeling of getting lost in a new city, wandering around for hours until I know the streets like the back of my hand and found all of the hidden gems you never see in city tour book. 2. TIME FLIES Time flies by faster than you realize, and one thing I learned about time is not to take a moment for granted. Even on a day where the weather may seem crappy and cold, or I may not be feeling all that great, get up and go out because the moment will be over before you know it. 3. MAKE MISTAKES Sometimes the best way to learn is by making mistakes. They are the hardest lessons to learn but the ones you never forget because in the end, they are the ones that help you grow the most. 4. TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS I think one of the hardest decisions I had to make while studying abroad was when I was planning out all of the destinations I wanted to go on weekend trips/day trips and coming down to the final decision of where I could go and couldn’t based on time and finances. It was probably the most heart breaking decisions ever and looking back, I think I could have managed my time a bit better and fit more in. 5. “IF IT SCARES YOU IT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING TO TRY” Take risks even when the odds are against you and feats seem terrifying. You know, it’s when you have that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you to run like hell? That is when you will either make the mistakes worth learning from or make the greatest decision of your life. 6. COMPRIMISE, DON’T SACRIFICE Sometimes it easy to get overwhelmed, especially when traveling with multiple people, and everyone has different opinions of what they want to see and do. I always had this constant fear that with so many people and so many different needs to meet we might not get to everything and I would have this feeling of remorse left at the end of the day for not seeing everything. Negotiate. Compromise so you don’t have to sacrifice time or opportunities during your travels or and other opportunities in life. 7. BE TRAVEL SAVVY. ALWAYS. Seems cliché, but it is probably become my philosophy in life now. Always be travel savvy. Don’t over pack because you never wear half of it anyway, don’t waste money on things you don’t need but rather save it for experiences, start your days early, expect the unexpected (because rarely do things ever go according to plan no matter how hard I try), and photograph everything. 8. YOU KNOW MORE PEOPLE THAN YOU THINK One very important thing I learned, from a very unfortunate event in Paris, is you know more people than you think you do. Whether you are in a crisis and need help or just looking for someone to reminisce over homesickness, that someone is not too far away. 9. NO REGRETS It’s sounds intense and maybe even impossible, but that is probably one of the most valuable things I have taken out of studying abroad. Have no regrets. The concept can get a little tangled at times but to me the idea of ‘no regrets’ simply comes down to at one point every decision was made I either thought it was the best choice or I knew it wasn’t and I did it anyway. 10. HUSTLE
I think the last and most important thing I learned from studying abroad was to hustle. To hustle and work hard for what you want. Whether it is traveling every weekend with friends or getting out everyday to build my portfolio it takes dedication, work, and some serious organization skills to constantly financially orchestrate travel plans. But at the end of it all, it is worth it to rarely sleep, constantly be on the move, and live out of a suitcase to see the world. And the only way to do all of that is to hustle. XX A Traveler's Bliss With all of the nice weather we have been having here in Chicago, I thought the city deserve a little shout-out. I love to take long walks around the city because no matter if you walk the same path twice, you can always see something new or something different. I went though my achieve for the last few weeks of some of my favorite shoots around the city just to highlight some of the architecture beauty in the South Loop and Downtown Chicago. Each photograph has a description of where the image was taken so if you see something you like or somewhere you want to go you are a quick Google search away form getting there yourself! Enjoy the warm weather and let's hope it sticks around!
xx A Traveler's Bliss It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago we arrived in Amsterdam to begin our Global Passes on the Eurail, trekking across twelve countries and seventeen cities in twenty-five days. Everyday was packed with new adventures, cultural experiences, and food excursions like no other, never wanting to miss a single opportunity. I started this video a while back but never quiet finished it. I wanted to make a video of some of our photographs from traveling since I didn't record much video (and if I used all of our photographs the video would never end). It starts at the beginning of our journey, in Amsterdam, and the rest of our Eurail experience: Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Zurich, Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon. I never would have thought before my study abroad that so much travel in so little time was possible. But with a solid group of travel companions, a little planning, and a backpack there is endless possibilities to where you can go and all you can achieve. xx A Traveler's Bliss
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