Posts by author

Raquel Karstens

34 posts
Overlanding the PanAmerican highway in our Landcruiser.
  • A common backlash I get is that I promote dangerous activities. I try to create impossible looking images. Ones that highlight the resilience of the human spirit, and show off the beauty of our planet. . . . I’ve debated posting this shot. Spent a decent amount of time bringing it to life - finding the location, and angle to make it appear like @jess.wandering is scaling a wall high above the ocean. It’s an exaggerated reality, that evokes a feeling. The more feeling I can pack into an image the more successful it is. Is it enough feeling to lead to action? Motivation to put down the phone, to get out of bed? I can only hope so. But a lot of people would argue that I’m feeding into the reckless mentality that photographers sometimes take to get the perfect shot . . . . We didn’t risk our lives for this one - there’s solid ground 4 feet below. But what happens when a feature page shares it without that disclosure? Will I inspire others to emulate the perceived dangerous behavior? Maybe. Should I let that limit my creative freedom? I go back and forth.
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  • Last light over Lake Tahoe - love the clash of warm to cool color. I used a 10 sec exposure, with a polarizer to get the soft water effect. 🧜🏼‍♀️: @jess.wandering
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  • Easily one of my top 3 views... it’s been a dream of mine to hit it on a calm Summer day to fully experience it. We paddled under every arch, swam thru the channel, climbed the rocks and dove in till we felt the sunburn coming in.
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  • We’ve been averaging a cliff jump a day this past week... and I think this morning’s was the most memorable. Its been a blast catching up with my old friend @kchainzzzzz while making the drive north. I’ll be based in PNW for the next while, anybody wanna get out? *note- always check the water depth before jumping. This one was about 10 ft deep.
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  • Yesterday, I introduced the new van to my old tree friends. 🌲🚎🌲
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  • Photography concept: Compression. The first image was shot at 78mm, the second at 32mm. Notice that Half Dome looks closer in the first one? If you step back and shoot your subject (in this case, the subject is @jess.wandering) from farther away, and zoom in, you can create the illusion that the background view is bigger than it actually is. This is known as the compression effect. Here, it makes Half Dome appear to be towering over the campsite, when in reality, it’s pretty far away. . . . If you’re interested in backcountry camping in Yosemite like this, @jess.wandering just posted a blog outlining all the details. Link in her bio.
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