Aloha! Thank you for your interest in my Journal/Blog!
I thought I’d start this Journal series off by introducing myself, sharing my journey to becoming a photographer and the equipment that helped me learn along the way.
My name is Christina Marie Redmond and I am a 27 year old amateur photographer from Novato, California. I grew up about 30 mins from the Northern California coastline, 30 minutes from Wine Country (Sonoma/Napa), 45 minutes from San Francisco, and just hours away from the snowy mountains of glorious Lake Tahoe. I was very fortunate to live in such close proximity to these beautiful destinations most of my life and often took them for granted at a young age (probably because I associated them with large groups of picture-taking tourists).
After I got my license, I tried to use my weekends to explore the infamous Highway 1, California coastline. I used my iPhone to take pictures during my adventures, but it just didn’t do any of those trips justice, so I asked for a Sony point-and-shoot camera for Christmas. Thus began my journey into photography… That and our annual family trips to Hawaii, Southern California and other tropical vacations is what drew me into becoming a photographer and Marine Biologist and extended my interest in underwater photography.
I moved to Hawaii in 2011 to pursue a Marine Biology degree at the University of Hawaii and was elated to explore the heck out of the island of Oahu. Hawaii is a goldmine for photographers - daily rainbows, gorgeous beaches, vast seascapes, perfect shore-break waves, sunrises/sunsets, breathtaking mountains, luscious green valleys and beaming underwater wildlife. My happy place is truly underwater, so my parents knew that I’d eventually ask for a GoPro to document my adventures and bought me one during the Christmas of 2013.
I used that GoPro camera for a long time and still shot landscapes with only my iPhone. I found beauty in everything I saw and everywhere I went - there was always something to capture! But I was missing that one thing that could help me grow as a photographer - a real camera. After a few years, my parents realized my genuine interest in underwater photography and bought me a more professional camera (Nikon D3400) in 2017.
That was the first real digital camera I’ve ever had and the only one I’ve been using ever since. I’m still learning everyday how to use it, the proper settings, and how to get the most of out this basic camera, but it’s truly an amateur photographer’s dream. It’s the lightest camera I could find on the market with all the functionality of even more advanced cameras. Trust me when I saw that I’m pretty clumsy and often get into risky situations with my camera (rain, big waves, LOTS of sand, etc.). This camera weathered through all of the storms and allowed me to push my photography skills above and beyond what I thought I was capable of achieving and helped me grow as a photographer over the years.
Photography allows me to escape to a world outside the city buildings, away from people and chaos - void of expectation and responsibility. It lets me zero in on the world that fuels my fire and stoke. I live for the days of XXL winter swells on the North Shore, the calm days on the Windward side diving with the turtles, the West Side rainbows over the ocean, and the feeling of community and aloha in Waikiki waters.
Photography is a huge part of me. It’s given me purpose and has allowed me to connect with people from all the ends of the earth. I’m grateful to have parents who support my passion and a community of friends and followers, who do as well. Nobody does anything alone and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them in my life and as my influence. I also owe a lot to the surf, landscape, and underwater photographers that have come before me, who inspired me to pursue this passion and for those surfers & watermen who allow me to capture their experience and pass along memories. Photography is a passion that I’ve shared with those around me and I’m grateful to continue doing so for as long as I’m alive.