Alaskan Brown Bear Playing in a Rain Barrel After an Early Morning Rain

I love nature with all of my heart, and I want to protect it. I grew up in Northern Michigan (where we do have bears, but not this kind) where not a day went by where I didn’t go to the beach, visit a state park, play in the rivers, streams, and lakes in the area, or just spend a few hours outside exploring. In college, I double majored in environmental science and earth science (with minors in water law and conservation!), and I’ve always had a deep admiration and respect for the natural world around me. Camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, and sailing are some of my favorite activities because they allow me to be out in nature and enjoy a peacefulness that’s unlike anything else in the world. You may have asked yourself why I share so many photos of animals, birds, plants, and flowers on a blog that’s primarily about fashion and travel, but I believe it’s important to not only share these beautiful things with all of you so that you can enjoy them too, but I also share them because I believe it’s important to be reminded that our actions have consequences, and making the wrong choices can directly impact and even damage the fragile world around us. I spend a day or two each month volunteering to clean up rivers and parks in my area because nature is important, we are not separate from it, and we need it to survive and thrive. Photography is my passion because it allows me to show people around the world things they may not be able to see otherwise. This blog reaches more than 100 different countries, and if we all work together to protect our environment by using fewer plastic products, recycling more, buying local produce whenever possible, and cleaning up after ourselves when we’re outside, we can ensure that the beautiful things I share with you are around for generations to come. A lot of people assume a political stance when I talk about the environment or tell them what I studied or why I love photography so much, but if you think about it, wanting to protect our environment and our planet is the least political thing a person can do, because we all benefit tremendously from it.

I hope you enjoy these photographs I took of a beautiful Alaskan Brown bear playing in a water barrel through a window after an early morning rain as much as I enjoyed taking them and seeing something so large and powerful, yet gentle and playful so close to me. Our world is a beautiful, wondrous place, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that I’m able to share it with all of you.