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"Echoes of the Earth" Part 2

Published: April 3rd 2025, 2:00:08 pm

Continuing to share the incredible series from Madeira with the stunningly beautiful Nastya 🌱

This trip felt like a breath of fresh air for me. I barely checked my DMs, didn’t respond to anyone, and only picked up my phone to record a few videos—and wow, what a sense of freedom that was. Turns out, some people actually live like this—without being bombarded with a thousand messages every day, without constantly juggling between social media platforms trying to reply to everyone, yet never quite managing to keep up.

Nastya slowed me down a lot on this trip and said something that stuck with me: “Work is work, but you also need to enjoy yourself.”

That really made me think—why do I constantly work like a machine? Why is everyone around me always amazed at how I manage to do ten things at once? But the truth is, I’m tired. Maybe you’ve noticed. Maybe not.

I want a real vacation. The kind everyone else gets—no phone, no photography, a real break.

But to afford such a trip, you first have to work hard, save enough money, and be able to leave for at least a month—without constantly worrying about running out of funds and feeling the urge to grab your camera and start shooting again.

This trip taught me a lot. It showed me how free you can feel on vacation—when you look at a breathtaking location and simply sit there, taking it all in. Like on the last day, when Nastya had already left, and I didn’t have to shoot her anymore. I sat there, mesmerized by the beauty of the place, and for the first time ever, not a single thought crossed my mind about what kind of shot I could take there. I turned to Mark and asked, “Do people really live like this? Just sitting, admiring, resting—without thinking about work?”

Before this trip, I had never experienced that feeling. Photography has always been a part of my life, and most of the time, I saw the world through the lens of my camera.

So now, we’re planning to launch an auction with prints and release a photo book. And if we manage to cover the trip expenses and even make a profit—well, then you’ll find me somewhere in the mountains after that 🤣.

What do you think of this new series? It’s my absolute favorite because, for me, it so vividly embodies one word—freedom.

Model's IG: https://www.instagram.com/an_stasiia__?igsh=amgzemt4ZzJ2em5j