Today we’d like to introduce you to Roxie Crouch.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I became interested in photography when I was about 10 years old and received a Kodak Instamatic for Christmas. I have been toying with photography my whole life. It is a way to express myself and allows me to have a purpose of traveling and seeing new landscapes. I like to go to iconic places, but I also like the idea of photographing places that are not on the photography grid. I like to travel to cities, San Fransisco and Boston being my favorites, but mostly I like wide open spaces.
In 1983 just a few months after graduating with an associate’s degree in Social Work, I traveled to Westchester County, New York, just outside of New York City to begin a year’s work as a nanny for a cute little family. I had one little boy to take care of and frequently traveled to New York City and other cities on the east coast. This was the beginning of my desire to travel and meet new people and ideas.
The next year I traveled to Alaska with two friends and worked on a fishing boat and salmon processing plant during the summer. I drove my Datsun B 210 along the Alcan highway. My car was so worn out and rusty that I could spit my sunflower shells out through the floorboards of the passenger side. The spirit of adventure was launched.
Over the next 35 years or so I raised 4 children, and retired from Ogden School District as an elementary school counselor. Being a Mom is the greatest. I often went on Mom adventures with my kids and they still love to talk about our “death hikes” and experiences. I loved my job as an elementary counselor and tried to instill in children the idea of optimism and growth mindset.
During this time, I bought a small camping utility trailer and then another one, finally choosing a NuCamp T@b trailer. I love it! It is just the right size for one or two people. Even though I like to travel with others, I also like to travel by myself.
When I travel by myself, I can spend more time on my photography, waking up earlier and staying outside later. I also become more receptive to other people around me. I have met some very diverse people on the road.
There was a guy in Iceland who helped me when my car wouldn’t start by towing me through the campground to clutch start my car– A Vietnam Veteran living in his truck I met at a remote hot spring in Nevada. We talked about patriotism, life and country –The three young people who helped me out of a tough situation in Death Valley, so I didn’t become a poster child for “What NOT to do in Death Valley”–The young mother near Sedona Arizona who needed a ride. She was living off the grid in the desert because she couldn’t afford rent even though she had a job.
All of these experiences with other people allow me to expand my ideas and learn from new perspectives.
I began to chronicle my experiences and photos through a blog. I soon found that other travelers were looking for information about hotels, campgrounds, hot springs and restaurants so I incorporated that as much as I could.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It is very difficult to be a middle-aged woman and compete in the world of landscape and travel photography. I finally had let go of the idea that I would be the next National Geographic photographer. When I did that, I opened up myself to grow within myself without the constraints of getting that perfect picture. My travels and photography together have made me a more fulfilled woman. It is difficult to travel alone pulling a travel trailer, although the more I do this, the more I have found other middle-aged women doing the same thing. I have never been scared or worried, but I keep my senses up when I pull into a place to park my trailer or I am hiking. There as only been one time I felt I should leave because of the bad vibes I was feeling.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a landscape photographer, but I am also a people connector. I have a blog that chronicles my travels– places I stayed, restaurants to try, that sort of thing.
I am the most proud of just getting out there. Traveling by myself if I need to do so and trying new experiences.
Perhaps the one thing that sets me apart is I do this to be connected with the earth and with people.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I would love to find other women who also love seeing new places and who possibly travel by a travel trailer.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://roxiejcrouch.com |https://roxie-crouch.pixels.com
- Instagram: roxiecrouch
- Facebook: Roxie J. Crouch-Mother Nature’s Photographer
Image Credits
Roxie Crouch
