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Raquel Karstens

34 posts
Overlanding the PanAmerican highway in our Landcruiser.
  • I don’t have a heater, but making some vancakes warms it up real fast. ♨️ This is a pretty accurate depiction of a backend work day for me. Juggling three screens, one on instagram, one with The Office on repeat, and one with emails/photo editing. Some of you have asked how I afford to travel so much. I’ll try to break down a few aspects of it. . . Prior to making any money as a photographer I worked as an accountant, and then installed alarm systems till I had about 20k saved up. That paired with camping gear, a camera, and a 99 corolla that got 30+ miles per gallon, I figured I could live on the road for about a year. It was (still is) a passion of mine to see how much I can stretch each dollar. . . My main expenses are: cell phone, gas, food, car insurance/other car stuff = Roughly 500 a month. When I fly it’s usually for a job and covered. Before I had that stuff covered, I didn’t buy flights because it wasn’t in my budget. Now I can afford it. But made the conscious decision not to spend to go across the globe, when I have enough adventure to last a lifetime in West Coast, USA. . . As my photography career solidified, and years went by living in tents and on couches, I started to feel the need for stability. So I saved up 40k over the past 5 years to buy my dream house (on wheels). It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made to drop that much on an asset that will depreciate on me. I’ve slept in it more than 100 nights in the past 8 months. It’s allowed me to stay healthier, and be on the road longer. In turn, it’s enabled me to create more meaningful images, and attract more jobs. So I can already tell the 40k was worth it. . . I didn’t quit my job and take off hoping for the best. A lot of thought and financial planning has gone into every step of the way. The stress of not knowing when my next paycheck will come is real. But hey, the closest thing I have to a 9-5 office job is watching the Office in my van in some random parking lot. That’s the millennial dream right? 🕺🏼 . Lemme know if you have any more questions.
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  • A hot shower, surrounded by Winter ❄️ @jess.wandering 🚿
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  • My earliest memory is with my Mom. She took me out to the meadow across the street. We set out to look for something “cool”... so we searched over the hills and thru the dry river bed, until we discovered a crazy big bush. I crawled under it, hollowed it out and we made it our own “bush hut”. Over that summer we went back and forth to hang out in our creation. . . I still see this bush when I go home for the holidays... it doesn’t look that big or great anymore. But it sure left an impression on me. I’m grateful to have a Mom that introduced me to my imagination, and who instilled a love of discovery and creativity in me. . . I remember my pov as a kid... Running as fast as my feet would go to see what’s around the next bend. I try to illustrate this feeling of Discovery into my work. You never know when the scene of a lifetime will reveal itself to you. . . - Ever Changing Horizon
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  • Love searching for new angles on Yosemite. For this shot, I paddled out to the middle of the river on a SUP, and waited a min for the water to settle. And I have three radical friends that are down to balance on icy bridge railings to help put everything into perspective. @travisburkephotography @christianschaffer @nathanielwise 👩‍👦‍👦
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  • Woke up to a fresh blanket of snow this morning in Sequoia ⛄️ goodtimes with my Puerto Rican bud @fernandosamalot . . . * I did not film this with a drone.
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  • First time paddle boarding thru this winter wonderland today. 🙏🏼❄️ Video by my good buddy - @travisburkephotography - check out his feed for the photo of this experience!
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