Home is Where the Backpack is

Hello! My name is Kaari and I am currently living/photographing/writing/bumming/working/sleeping/laughing my way through South East Asia. I am not going to go into it right now about what i've done and seen, but I can promise you it was life changing. And everyday continues to be. Even if you adopt the Malay way of life and work for 1 hour and sleep for 3 - it tweaks your life, even if it is just a little bit. I am a photographer, or at least I attempt to be. To me, photography is about capturing a moment. Not creating them. When you look at a photo I want you to feel like you're there. I want you too feel like you are literally standing next to the person on that mountain. Where you can feel their smile, hear the laughter, the warmth of the hug that they're receiving, the wind whipping against their skin, or the last rays of vitamin d being soaked up as the sun sinks down the horizon. I want to capture that moment, because they happen so fast and then they're gone. I want to be there to savor it. That's my mission. I've always enjoyed photography, when I was younger - before I got my hands on my trusty DSLR I used up dozens and dozens of disposable cameras! There was something so magical to me about snapping a photo, trying to get everything fitted and waiting till the right exact second the press down on the plastic shutter. And then not getting to see it! The excitement was almost tangible for me as I wound it up for another. I have memories of dragging my respective adult (mom, grandma, nanny...you name it!) to get my pictures developed at the only place on this tiny little island in Alaska that I grew up on. Walmart's 1 hour promise felt like years. Ever since I had control over the decor in my bedroom, my walls were covered in pictures. Pictures that I took, pictures that I swiped from my mother's photo albums, pictures of people I knew and loved, pictures of random people where the only thing familiar about them was the expressions on their faces. My walls were covered in moments. Each picture held a story. It is such an amazing thing to me, to be apart of those moments. Just looking at the photo and pondering what was going threw their minds is so special to me. It keeps the moment alive. I want to see the world, and capture the world around me.

So that is what I do. Chasing the sun going from island to island trying to find work along the way. Sometimes I am teaching an open water scuba diving course. Sometimes I am trekking through the jungle with 30 little half size humans dragging their bags behind me while fielding "are we there yet?" questions with equally maddening responses. There are times where I take on work as a photographer or writing content for a businesses social media. Sometimes the pay out is big, other times it is in exchange for a roof and a meal. You make it work, its not about the money. It should never be about the money!

So, what are my plans? Who knows. I sure don't. All I know that come November I will be starting a new adventure on a sailboat crossing the pacific for 6+ months. After that only time will tell..

I am excited to have stumbled upon this community :)