The group on top of the Beehive in Acadia National Park, 520 feet up

For 10 days in late June and early July I had the opportunity to share my love of photography with a group of 15 students from around the world (well, mostly the U.S. but we did have one student from Hong Kong!). I traveled to Bar Harbor, Maine and lead a National Geographic Student Expedition with fellow photographer and explorer Mike Kautz. The trip was filled with talk to f-stops, hikes, early mornings, late nights and a lot of fun in between.

Bar Harbor is, no doubt, a tourist destination. However, we tried to reach out, dig deep and meet the “real” people that make up the community. We had the opportunity to meet famed children’s book author Ashley Bryan, ride on a working mail boat, hang in Acadia with a park ranger and eat lobster. My hope is that we inspired a curiosity in our 15 students. At the root of journalism is storytelling; the world is filled with stories. Hopefully 30 more ears are perking up to the voices around them.

Today I leave for another three weeks of adventure. This time I’ll be teaching with two others and leading a group of 24 students to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. I can’t wait to share stories from the journey upon my return. Until then!

[Read our blog from Bar Harbor]