Criz Quinn

And thank you for sharing your time and insights with me as well, @Mint Cage! I truly appreciate it! 🧡

Thanks so much, @Maggie_Roberts! It was amazing indeed and definitely an experience I would recommend if you are ever visiting Serengeti during the migration. The one place I've always wanted to go to that I have not been is Galapagos. I had a goal to check off all items in my bucket list before I turned 50 and I have about 2 years left to check it off. I've definitely been very lucky that I only have this left on the list now, and other locations I end up visiting have become a wonderful bonus. ☺️

Hello @chobbes! Thank you for this. My travel photography kit usually includes 2 camera bodies, right now it's usually my a1 and the A7RV. I carry a mid zoom 24-105 G lens because I shoot a lot of aerials from a helicopter, a 70-200 f/2.8 GM II lens, the 300 f/2.8 GM (this has replaced my 100-400 GM lens), 12-24 f/2.8 GM lens for astro or any wide angle needs, a 1.4X Sony TC, 1-2 drones, filters and a tripod (this is optional if there are weight restrictions during flights). All of these usually is enough to cover all my shooting needs from landscape to aerial, portraits to safaris. I've had to leave some lenses behind depending on the trip. I might leave the 300 if I am not expecting to photograph animals and bring the 12-24 instead in case there are opportunities to photograph astro. This "What's in my bag" article is about a year old now and I've added some new lenses to my kit. I've also pre-ordered two a1 II cameras to replace my a1 and an older A7RIV that I do not use anymore. 🥰

Definitely my first aid kit. It stays in my camera backpack especially if I am with participants. I am a certified Wilderness First Responder and also trained to assist in Search and Rescue from a helicopter. I was trained for SAR in Iceland and completed my CPR and first responder training in the US. This has allowed me to be prepared in any emergency situations especially winter conditions. Our group can be in very remote locations during the tours and because I work in healthcare, safety is very important to me during tours. My first aid kit has a little bit of everything in it including antibiotics that can be used for travelers diarrhea to pneumonia, activated charcoal for food poisoning, a bleed kit, etc. I also carry a satellite phone equipped with an emergency beacon with this kit so that we can call for help even when we are in a location with no cell coverage. ☺️

Thank you, @Maggie_Roberts! Yes, I absolutely love learning from the attendees too. Many of them have become very good friends of mine and frequently travel with me now or we hang out together even if it's not a photo tour. It makes a huge difference too when we can connect with other creatives and be able to inspire each other in the process. Sometimes we have edit and chill retreats where the rest of the day is a food tour. 😅 I'm currently focusing on learning how to edit my wildlife photos better. I took thousands of shots while in Tanzania and Kenya for the migration in September, and I really struggled with editing them. I am looking forward to joining more wildlife safaris next year and be able to photograph them from an aerial perspective too. I was able to photograph some animals from a helicopter in Namibia and also a hot air balloon in Tanzania and that was an amazing experience! ☺️

Hi @ANguyen! This summer I was able to visit Churchill to photograph polar bears in a different environment, with wildflowers and greenery around them. We had booked a private helicopter photo flight but the pilot was flying at 80 knots (too fast) to really capture a good shot. Thankfully I had the a9iii with me and with the precapture on, I was able to get some usable images of the polar bears despite the speed at which our pilot was flying. The other photographers in the same flight as me, really struggled to get images in focus but thankfully, the a9iii set at 120 fps (with the 300GM) did the trick for me. Halfway through the flight though, I started to run out of memory card space on both my cameras. I rely on my Sony friends a lot for situations like this and so out of desperation I messaged @ColbyBrown and he gave me some tips on what settings to use for the a9iii so that I could conserve memory card space. I survived the 2.5 hour flight with enough space in my cards thanks to him, and a lesson to bring more CF cards next time I fly for longer than 1 hour. 😅

Thank you, @Mint Cage! I absolutely feel like it makes a difference when you are happy or excited about something. The most rewarding about sharing my images on social media is usually when I get a private message to let me know they've experienced the same feeling or thought I was trying to share through my post. I love being able to share a story or a lesson I learned behind every photograph I share and if that resonates with someone, it means more to me than the number of likes or shares. ☺️

Hi @apurcell! Iceland is for sure a drone heaven! I love flying there and I know you will too. For a beginner drone, I really think the Mini 3 or 4 Pro are amazing values. Make sure you get the pro version though as there is a difference in the image quality. For Iceland, I would recommend a bigger drone to give you a fighting chance against the wind there. My go to drone is a Mavic 3 Pro but I do have a Mini 4 pro as a backup. My favorite location to fly in is the highlands. @NateintheWild and I will be there this summer for a drone tour. It's one of. the best locations to learn to fly. No trees! 😃 Second favorite spot is in the south coast where the braided rivers are. You can't miss them! Hope this helps and happy flying! 🧡

Hi Twinsie! I know it, we need to make it happen and meet up for coffee or an adventure! 🧡 Next on my bucket list is definitely Galapagos. Also now that I have my 300 GM (that I love!), I am excited about doing more safaris in 2025. I'm joining Sony ambassador @ColbyBrown for some of his wildlife tours and I'm actually super excited about brown bears in Alaska and Pantanal with him. Africa is definitely in the list! I'll make sure to ping you when we have the dates ready for Africa too. 🥰

Thank you @Mint Cage! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this forum as much as I am! 1. If I could only photograph one thing, it would be anything landscape. I love mountains and waterfalls. I definitely do not do well with portraits so that is something I wouldn't miss! 😅 2. My go to lens is my 24-105 G f.4 lens. It is absolutely my favorite lens and the one I would bring with me if I can only bring one during a trip. I've had this lens since I bought the A7RIV in 2019 and it's seen me upgrade to 2 other camera bodies since then but this lens was my one constant. 3. I do not have a set schedule but I do try to post daily unless I am in an area with no reliable internet or we are on a workshop and I am busy with the participants. I try to post when I have something I am excited or happy about, that is more important to me than trying to beat the algorithm. I think consistency and being visible on any platform, goes a long way. I had a conversation with my friend Chris Burkard about this back in Iceland a few years back. We both believe that consistency is key. I am constantly posting and so is he, and it's because we are constantly busy and doing something worth sharing. He's been my inspiration to keep going and to do something worthy enough of sharing on social media everyday. If I am able to share something worth sharing, then that makes posting more enjoyable and not just a chore or a task that most of us creatives have to do in order to be visible. 😃

@avmil Yes, it's so crazy overwhelming now with many options and tons of photographers selling their tutorials too. I must have bought dozens of tutorials already from photographers whom I liked the post-processing styles of but unfortunately for me, my ADHD has not really allowed me to finish any of them. I do not do well with online learning and I find that I learn best when it's a hands on environment. This is very similar to how my professional career in the lab has evolved, I was a terrible student but did great in the lab too. 😅 One thing that I found useful to narrow down choices is to find someone's editing style that you like. For me, I love how Sony Ambassador Albert Dros edits his photos. He has vibrant tones and a dreamy feel to his images. I purchased his tutorial and learned to color grade from him (and Daniel Kordan) during some tours we did together. A lot of my Japan images were color-graded using techniques I learned from both of them after going there to photograph autumn colors with them two years in a row. I find that 80% of my learning is definitely from workshops. The second thing for me is that I also cannot handle the layers in Photoshop. If a photographer is using Lightroom, then I am more interested to learn from their workflow. I have very little time to edit as usually I travel every 2 weeks and in between those trips, I am working in the lab. I am usually able to edit mostly using Lightroom mobile on the iPad Pro or my iPhone so being able to learn more tricks and tips for LR is important to me. I organized some tours with Mark Denney and I truly love the way he processes his photos too. It's simple and the results are amazing. His YouTube videos are consistent and short enough for my attention span as well. The last thing that I find useful was the timeless advice that Albert gave me 4 years ago. He said to find a style I liked, and make it my own. I have experimented with his style and Daniel's and kind of came up with something in between that is unique to me and makes me happy with the photos I edit. I hope this helps narrow down the choices out there. Thanks so much for the amazing questions! 🥰

Amazing shots, @pm-r! That 300 GM is my fave, it's a beast! 🧡

HI @Maggie_Roberts! Thank you for this wonderful question! I can definitely say that my photography evolved a lot when I switched from DSLR to shooting mirrorless with Sony. That changed the way I took my photos as well as the confidence it gave me to photograph in various situations. With my old DSLR, I used to get so annoyed that what I saw on the viewfinder was not what I was really getting. In terms of color, etc. I started to use my iPhone more during trips because I felt like it was taking better shots! The Sony EVF was a game changer for me and it felt like hey, I can see my shots right now just like on my iPhone! That really took my photography to the next level and I have enjoyed using my camera more instead of just relying on my phone. The most pivotal moment for me would be my switch from being just a photo tour organizer, which is what started me in the industry, to being a photographer. I used to join the tours for logistics support and as the medical professional for safety, because I co-owned the company. I allowed my business partner and the other pros we partnered with to handle the teaching aspect. I had the gear, but never took the photography aspect seriously. In 2021, after my business partner and I went our separate ways, instead of throwing in the towel, I decided to actually focus on learning to become a better photographer. I learned from a lot of the pros who were also instructors during our tours, Daniel Kordan, Mark Denney, Colby Brown, @NateintheWild, and Albert Dros. I learned so much from these guys in the last 3-4 years, running over 24 tours each year. I now feel better knowing that I am not just the owner of a photo tour company that organizes these tours, but that I am also one of the photographers who can help out to make sure our participants have a better experience. I still have a lot to learn, but the great thing is that during these tours I am actually learning not just from the pros, but also from each and every participant as well. WE all have something to share and teach each other. That is something that has really kept me in photography.

Hi Marcus, Thanks so much for this question! I think it's an excellent one because I was mortified to share my photos at first too, thinking I was not good enough. Some of the big Facebook groups are also not as forgiving when they do not like your work. I've had someone actually accuse me too of stealing someone else's work at one point, but the truth was the other photographer and I were standing side by side during the shoot and he was leading the tour for me. He had published how to edit the photo on his Youtube channel days after I shared my post. The most common question that one gets now too if your work is actually good enough is "Is that AI?". It's very sad that the photography industry can be so competitive. With all that said, I was very lucky to find the Sony Alpha Female community on Facebook when I was about to give up. It was a very supportive community that gave me feedback for my work and I did not feel intimidated to share and ask questions. I then started to share more on Reddit, the Sony Alpha community there is very supportive as well. I would recommend finding a community like these to share to first, and piggy back it with frequent posts on Instagram and Facebook. This for me, helped boost my confidence. I also made sure that I was there for the community too. I gave back the same energy and level of support that I was receiving and I think that makes a whole lot of difference if you are visible. My biggest advice would be to post and share what makes you happy. Do it for you and not for the likes. That is how I've always been since I started and I would prefer to keep it that way than try to figure out the crazy algorithms that constantly change on social media platforms. I would usually choose to edit a photo that was meaningful to me at that moment, even if it was from a few trips back. If it's something you are proud of and it makes you happy, it is easier to share to a bigger audience. 🧡

I love the questions! Please keep them coming. 🥰 Usually not very long. I take about a few days to research everything including flights, visas, safety, tour requirements, food, transportation and also proper accommodations for the group. Then if all these look good, I start to come up with an itinerary with locations I want to add to the schedule. I then reach out to locals in the area who would be willing to partner with us and then they help me create a plan. Sometimes we can be ready to go in as little as 2-3 weeks for a private group. I usually never tag the location where we are shooting at to protect it from big crowds. We were one of the first to offer tours in the Cypress Swamps area of Texas as well as Utah Badlands. For Utah, as part of my commercial use permit with the national parks and Bureau of Land Management there, we sign a leave no trace behind agreement as well. This is why even if a location has already become popular and someone asks me where it is on instagram, I still do not share it there but will sometimes private message the individual requesting for the information. It is to help safeguard the location from over tourism which unfortunately has happened more with more photographers using instagram to scout.