Jenna McKone

Photographer & Content Creator

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The Lake District, England

February 01, 2019 by Jenna McKone

We made a trip roughly once or twice a month in 2018, but some were for weddings or seeing family, where photos weren’t a priority. It wasn’t until late October when I told Ryan and one of our favorite couples, Anna and Andrew, that if I didn’t do a nature photo getaway I was going to lose it (I’m dramatic).

I didn’t plan on blogging this trip, but the content I got ended up being one of my favorite series of photos yet. I don’t have much to write on this post, except that we glamped at the lovely Waterside House Campsite in Ullswater. The pods were not equipped, so you have to bring everything you would take camping except the tent, but it was such a stunning area right on the lake. We didn’t have much of a plan except to drive and hike, so we stopped in at the visitor center in Pooley Bridge to map out a walk and off we went. The Lake District is perfect for loose plans. It’s stunning everywhere you go, so best to take a couple days and explore. Here are some of my favorite moments. Enjoy!

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Weekends like this make me feel alive. Cheers to more of that.

February 01, 2019 /Jenna McKone
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Been to Paris? Going to Paris? Montmartre is my favorite area in the city by far, and after being there for the second time recently I’m even more confident in saying so. I went to Paris with low expectations, but it’s grown to be one of my top favorite European cities. Photogenic streets like this probably have something to do with it. • Heading to Bruges, Belgium this weekend (after swearing I’m going to slow the travel after Iceland 😂) to check out another city. Only a few left on our list! I like to go to places that take the pressure off performance. • I don’t really care for fancy restaurants. I’ll enjoy a formal event on a rare occasion. Perhaps I’ll wear a fancy dress with a face full of makeup to a birthday party. Or meeting with people I don’t know very well. Sometimes I really do enjoy getting a bit bougie, but with it comes this crippling need to impress - to perform. Even if everyone around me is undeniably chill, I have always put an insane pressure on myself to not only meet but exceed social norms: to be confident, funny, outgoing, engaging, well-liked, pretty, polite and the life of the party, but also be genuine. These expectations I set for myself lead to pretty crazy anxious thoughts that make it hard to be still and present. It’s something I’m working on, among other things. • Being in a wild place like Iceland, on a no-shower-makeupless-bender living in a van for a few days is ironically where I feel the most at ease. Because nature doesn’t give a shit who I am. It just exists, with or without my judgment, exactly the way it is, and the feeling is mutual. But I think that’s a pretty crucial metaphor to bring home with me in times I feel the need to perform. Most people aren’t looking at the finite, imperfect crevasses of the canyon anyway, but rather the whole picture. Maybe there’s something to be said about unapologetically existing the way natural wonders do. Maybe we should look at ourselves and others the way most people marvel at nature: utter acceptance of the quirks, curiosity about the story, and overall wonder at the entire creation. “Leslie, I got married twice, both times I was a lot older than those two, and both marriages ended in divorce and a burning effigy. Whose to say what works? You find somebody you like and you roll the dice. That’s all anybody can do.” - Ron Swanson • We’ve rolled the dice a lot. When we did a year and a half of long distance right out of college. When we got engaged then married 7 months later pretty young in this day and age. When we moved abroad. When we hit hardships. When he deployed for 6 months. Happy to say we’re still here, learning and growing, right smack dab in between our 2nd and 3rd year of marriage. 10/10 would not recommend 6 months apart, but if you have to do it, 10/10 would recommend frolicking Iceland with good friends and a van to celebrate gettin through it. • @indiaearl blessed us again with works of art. For the 4th time and 3rd country. Entirely do not deserve these but so grateful we’ve got them, and so blessed by her and @jayrun_patch‘s friendship 🧡 We were the only people here today. We had heard it was one of Iceland’s best kept secrets, but based on everywhere we’ve been thus far, it was tough to picture walking in a place that felt truly wild. But after walking on what felt like part of the moon for a good 5 miles, turns out, Rivendell exists, you just have to be up for a little adventure. 🧝‍♂️ Day one. Visited the most popular waterfall in Iceland. There were about 100 people behind me snapping photos, but I saw the sun was about to pop under the clouds so I grabbed Ry and ran ahead, predicting this epic lil rainbow 🌈. Tourist attractions are that for a reason, and this beaut was no exception. Gearing up for an Icelandic adventure 🇮🇸! I have a feeling these greens from Scotland will be a nice color palette intro to the land of fire and ice. I cannot wait to van camp around the south part of island, see what the hype’s about, and show you guys how I capture it along the way! 📸🚐 My photo style is largely based off of earth tones and neutrals, and I’m stoked to be immersed in all of it. • Been to Iceland? Give me your must-do’s below! But like, maybe skip the Blue Lagoon and the airplane wreck 😉 Inadequacy is often a word that blares in a photographer’s mind at any point during their hobby or profession. It’s a big word I used recently when my very encouraging husband asked why I haven’t gone “all in” with making travel and lifestyle photography a skill and a career. The answers also range from not having enough confidence in my portfolio, wondering if I’ll even like it, questioning if I know enough, I need better gear...and the worst: am I actually talented and unique or am I just another face in an over saturated field? Essentially, they’re just another way of saying that I’m scared. I’m scared of a lot of things. But that’s for a different post. • I’ve at the very least stopped turning my focus on Instagram as a measure of success. That’s helped. But if I’m honest I’ve been so stuck on what I want to do in life and lack the motivation to find it. I’ve not worked a traditional job since 2015 (I’ve either worked remotely or freelanced since then), doubt my resume, doubt my worth to business and doubt my passion. But today while I was sitting in my extremely uncomfortable rut, I forced myself to do yoga then looked through my photos and came across this series from Bali. • Captured on my $150 50mm lens. I don’t even think I edited these in RAW. Just on my iPhone. Yet these are some of my favorite photos I’ve ever captured. I was suddenly overcome with the same feeling I had when I took these: proud. Adequate. And while I may not always travel to Asia where faces and places are this exotic, I know I have a place in this industry. I just have to have the courage to lean in and find it. Today we spent our final evening in the French Alps driving up the local mountain to catch sunset. Expecting to be alone in a field of cows, we instead stumbled upon a small jam band groovin at the top of the mountain with a local audience camping in their vans (see stories for that magic). We joined the groove, had some wine, snapped some golden hour (my favorite hour) photos and watched the sun set behind the alps with hazy light layers of orange and pink. You really have to stop and appreciate those moments of near perfection that we’re utterly, unintentionally stumbled upon. This is what I live for ☺️ (and Canadian tuxedos and chacos and no makeup and my insta hubs). LAC BLANC HIKE in Chamonix 🙌🏼 Worth the 14 miles, 3500ft elevation climb, the brutal descent that followed, and the soreness of today. I sought out Chamonix long ago on a Pinterest binge long before we moved to this side of the pond, and it was surreal to not only explore the town but to hike it, with the infamous Mt. Blanc in pure visibility. Time and time again the Alps continue to leave me speechless. Their monstrosity is simply incomparable to anything I’ve seen in the states. We can’t wait to come back in ski this bad boy next time we’re around!