People Make My World Go Round

I love taking photos and sharing them with those who appreciate them! In the last couple of months, I have offered to take photos of strangers and have assured them that they will love them. Last Fall I was invited to spend a few weeks hiking in Brazil with some friends that I had met at a Starbucks I worked at several years ago. During that time, Gary taught me how to take amazing jumping pictures and since then, I have shared the art of this with many friends and strangers… Leaving them in awe with how amazing they look in an incredible setting.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend wrote me thanking me for starting my blog And told me that I had inspired him to get out and enjoy a sunset. That day, we got together after many years had passed without seeing one another and hiked out in the Gorge to enjoy the sunset together. While hiking, I almost always strike up a conversation with strangers. On this day, I ended up chatting with a woman who was out hiking alone, a traveling nurse from Florida. After sharing many stories, I asked her if she was “a jumper”. Realizing that was probably the wrong way to phrase it, I offered to take some photos of her and told her I would email them to her. This morning I received an email from her that really touched my heart… All because I touched hers! It’s moments like these that me very proud to be the person that I am. Here is her email:

Jolene
Thank you so much again for the pics! The day you took those pictures, a dear friend of mine who was like a father to me passed away. He was in North Carolina so it was difficult to be so far away. But your energy and doing those pictures made me realize how much we need to celebrate life and appreciate it. You have a wonderful gift of capturing life with your camera and I am grateful to have met you that day.
I have to be honest, I don’t have a favorite bc I enjoy them all but my friends who I show them to like the two with the sun behind me.
Have a great day!
Rebecca

Here are some photos I have taken of strangers in the last couple of months…