A Home Found in Traveling featuring Lilli Kad Photography

Curiosity! Curiosity was what developed my love for travel. I grew up at the heart of Europe, connected to three different countries with access to diverse food, culture and languages. Being only a few minutes away from borders, my mother would take us to Germany to buy clothes (as they were much cheaper there) or to Switzerland to get groceries that we wouldn't get in Austria. For family holidays we only had to jump in the car and a few hours later we were at Lake Como. An hour in one direction you would have to speak Italian, the people were behaving differently and the food was so different. It Is that exposure to such diversity at a young age that spiked my already explorative and curious nature. Routine has never been my things so the challenges of traveling were rather positive for me than the safety of routine. By no means a reflection of my childhood or family life, I did struggle with the term "home" and spent my early 20’s living in Switzerland, London and Spain to try and find a place, or a city that I could perhaps call my home. The more I traveled, explored places and got to know the people in it, I quickly realized that everywhere had elements that I could connect with and find a sense of home.

Why do you travel?

To find that feeling of “home!” That comforting feeling that some people have when they are walking through their front door, I get that when I explore new countries or go back to places that I really connect with. Standing on sheer cliffs off the coast of Australia, wandering the sand dunes of Cadiz in Spain, trekking up mountain tops in Tasmania or getting lost in the streets of little French or Italian towns, it’s those moment of absolute awe, peace and freedom when I feel more connected and in tune with who I am. Addicted to this feeling, traveling itself became my "home".

How does traveling impact you as a creative?

Freedom to be whoever I want to be! Traveling exposed me to so many different aspects of our planet and different worlds that it started to infuse my way of thinking and dreaming. Pushing boundaries and letting those experiences and feelings come through when I am feeling them, is my way of genuinely creating for myself and for my clients. Ultimately, it gave me the tools to communicate my vision with more confidence and made it a lot easier to interact with all different kinds of people.

The freedom to be whoever I want to be, to create and explore, but also to accept and be grateful for every person I meet and the challenges and life's they lead. It is humbling and eye opening! Every experience, whether it be positive or negative, it shaped who I am and how I see the world.

It’s no secret that I adore Destination weddings, Destination Anniversary Portrait Sessions or Honeymoon Sessions. I don't just get to experience different countries but also get to see and capture how other people experience that place through their eyes and share it with their family, friends. Add on top the emotions of a wedding and the love for each other and the entire experience is an explosion of wonders and feelings. Something unforgettable, which I help, create and capture.

What inspires you when you travel?

Everything! Oh that one is an open ended question that has a very generic and I am afraid cliché answer. There are so many different elements inspiring me when I travel depending on where I am and with whom I travel or interact.  Nature, architecture, history, people ... if you give yourself some space to take it all in (instead of going to the spots that are on the tourist map, take a snap and leave), you will be surprised what your eyes and senses will take in. I may have to admit that I get seduced by beautiful accommodation frequently, booking it and getting lost in the architecture and styling of the place. In evidently this will give the images and recollection of the country and place a certain flavour and mood that can be traced right back to that particular place we have been staying.

What are some of your favourite places and why?

Variety is the Spice of Life! Being drawn to wide open and wild spaces, Australia has a special place in my heart. The sheer size and varied landscape still has a sense of otherworldliness to it. You know that feeling that you get when you stand somewhere on a mountaintop or when you walk on a long wild ocean coastline? That feeling of being very small is the only time I truly am able to switch off my very busy mind, just relax and soak in the surroundings and feel absolute freedom.

Saying all that, my heart will always be in two place as my family and my roots are still in Europe. The Juxtaposition of the wilderness of Australia and the history and architecture that Europe has to offer is the perfect mix for a creative mind.

What has traveling taught you about business & Life?

Patience! Something that I do not have a lot of naturally. However, on the road you need to be patience with the unexpected, give yourself some space not to get annoyed easily and appreciate that not everything has to be perfect. It’s ok not to post every day on Instagram, people will still be there a couple of days later. It is ok if you need to wait a little longer for that bus, if you lucky you can people watch while you are at it and discover all sorts of different characters. It is a hard lesson to learn and I think I am still learning it but once you get it, it will be so much easier. The only thing better than that feeling of freedom is to share it with your loved one! For me to be able to travel mostly with my husband is a very wonderful thing.

How do you use imagery to tell the story of a place you've visited?

I don’t always! To be honest (whilst never being far from my film camera) when I travel for pleasure, I often just enjoy and let the place and people sink into my memory without having to capture everything. Of course if something takes my breath away or I actively shoot for a reason (i.e stock images or a magazine feature of a place, review of venue etc), the camera is in hand and I get lost in that project.

Often though I experience the place mindfully, collecting impressions so that the fragments of my memory along with a few images let the imagination create my version of that particular place.

PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY

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Photographs by Lilli Kad Photography