Distinctly Montana Magazine

"BE CURIOUS, BE KIND, AND FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION." What have you learned about safe travel? Stay calm. Never show that you are nervous no matter how terrified you are. When I did a Pew Fellowship (now the IRP) we took a survival course where we were kidnapped and taken hostage. Though we knew we wouldn't die, the loss of control was terrifying. They put bags over our heads, bound our hands, and marched us through the snow. My adrenaline pumped for 48 hours afterwards. I think back to that course often for simple lessons too—like if you think someone is following you, cross the street to the other sidewalk. You travel the world; what is it about Montana that brings you back? The big, blue skies and our cozy house. What are your favorite photographic subjects in Montana? Small towns, interesting people, anything involving domestic animals trotting through town—running of the sheep, horse stampedes, cattle drives. And the light after a spring rain. If you weren't a photographer, what would you be doing? I will always be a photographer and, for better or worse, can't imagine doing anything else. Favorite photographic equipment or gadgets? I am definitely not a gear head. My favorite gadget is a sharp, fast lens, but I believe a great photographer can take good pictures with an oatmeal container. DISTINCTLY MONTANA WOMAN 5 Guilty pleasures? I pride myself on being able to sleep anywhere—a tin shack in South Africa, a tent on the polar ice around Svalbard, a box car of a moving train—but I love a nice hotel room. Just give me a hot bath, a down comforter, and the remote control and I'm lost in luxury. My husband and I talk about how room service club sand- wiches in nice hotels in not-so-nice foreign places taste better than anything in the world. Of the nations you've visited, which has the best food? Sri Lanka—spice so intense you think you might faint. But once you adjust, you are totally hooked. For a month after returning, nothing I ate in the states seemed like it had any flavor. If you had to boil down your life philosophy to one sentence, what would it be? Be curious, be kind, and follow your intuition. What's next for you? More assignments closer to home so I can be with my not-yet- two-year-old son. Do you prefer to shoot in black-and-white or color? Color. I love color. Life is in color. PREMIERE ISSUE • SPRING 2012

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