Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Hanson.
Hi Alexa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I moved almost every year of my life, to and from different houses, different cities, and even different states. I didn’t realize then, what I knew now, is that this upbringing is what fueled my love for traveling now. Traveling for me as an adult, was no learning curve. If anything, traveling has always felt like home. Although, I always found myself wanting to move, and find the next beautiful locations, I always returned to Minnesota. I will always be a Minnesota gal. I now share my love for the great Midwest and my travels beyond!
A way that I used to remember all the homes, cities, and states we lived in were through photos. My room was filled with photos I had developed from an old point and shoot camera my mom got me. I’ve always been the one taking “too many photos.” But, taking “too many photos” has built me into the outdoor adventure I am today, who’s never caught without a camera in hand.
After sharing my photos and travels personally with friends, family and coworkers. I decided earlier this year in March of 2021, after feeling inspired by so many amazing Instagram accounts that share their travels and outdoor views, I wanted to share mine, too. I created the Instagram account, @WildlyNorth, to share my love for the great outdoors, solo traveling, and adventurer photography.
I never had the intention to become a “contact creator” or get thousands of followers, but if had happened, I knew my intentions were pure, came from true passion and love for what I post. WildlyNorth on Instagram, has now grown into an amazing community that follows along my travels and equally share that same love for adventure. I have since then, created a website, called TravelWithWildlyNorth.com, including travel blogs, destination photo galleries, and now even product photography with companies I love. I have grown such a love for adding the outdoor charm onto products, locations, and get-a-ways. Once I finish a campaign with a company, I can’t wait to do the next. My goal is always to encourage those who following along with me to explore and live wildly outdoors!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Initially, I had the learning curve of photographing with a whole new camera, the smoothest part of my content creator journey was expressing my vision through my camera lens. I am proud to say, I can now shoot completely in manual settings, on this camera, which has allowed me to have even more creativity. But, this was after much research, practice and exposure of new environments. After getting to know my camera, and what it was capable of, the hard part was presenting it the right way to others. I researched a lot on Instagram, blogs, and even YouTube videos, how to express your photos and find like minded people you want to interact with! Growth isn’t linear, and it has its ups and downs, filled with many frustrations and confusion on what catches people’s eye!
After figuring out how to work and manage my Instagram, the next learning curve was creating a website from scratch! I wanted a place to give more details onto my travels, get more in-depth into my photos and even a place to display companies I worked with for product photography. Product photography was something I had no idea about, until a few companies reached out to me on Instagram, expressing their appreciation for my photography. Since creating with those initial companies, I have realized I love shooting, and creating an image that tells a story beyond the product or location. This was the real force in creating my website, another way for me to express my creativity and a place to showcase it. Although, I didn’t have much experience on the topic. I took some computer classes in college, and of course, if you’re a millennial, you know we all used to code for our Myspace pages, but other than that, I know nothing. I again, spent hours researching videos, and blog posts with advice. I redid my website multiple times, until I was satisfied to what it is today. I am still learning, evolving and creating content for my website, and Instagram, but everything has been learned by researching including trial and error.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In terms of my work, I work full time as a Registered Nurse. This is something that brings me joy, fulfillment, and leaving work everyday, I know that I made an impact on someone. I initially start photography as a way to document where I was traveling/moving, but throughout the hard impacts of health care, I started using photography as my escape. This was something I could do that was fun, creative and strictly managed by me!
I specialize in outdoor adventure photography which can include wildlife and landscapes, self/solo portrait photography, and now getting into product photography. I enjoy putting the outdoor story into locations, products and people. I love that I can visit a busy national park, and have a completely different image than the person standing next to me, because we all have different creative eyes. If you ask some of the gals that follow me on Instagram, what really sets me apart in terms of my self-portrait photography journey, they (and I) would say my “hair flip” photos. I take these photos a lot, because I think it looks so fun, beautiful, and adventurous with an outdoor backdrop!
Something I am personally most proud of, in terms of my journey, is being true to myself and keeping up with content creations, even when I am super busy. I make time for this, because this is something joyful, important and fun for me to do. No matter how many times I felt discouraged by not getting something while creating my website, struggling to understand manual camera settings, or posting a photo that I worked really hard on and it not receiving the love I felt it deserves. I always kept posting and being true to myself.
Additionally, I think something that sets me apart from others, is I’m an all-in-one shop. I take (most) of my photos with my tripod and self timer, I edit, create, and network all of my own work! Something that I have found beneficial in this solo journey is, reminding myself this journey is my own. I don’t compare myself to other influencers and content creators, because we all bring something special to the table, that deserves to be admired and appreciated.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
As mentioned in the previous few questions, I had to do lots of research for creating my website, how to shoot manual cameras, and how to express my photography on Instagram. There wasn’t anyone specific that truly helped me, as each search was a specific topic.
In terms of a recommendation I have that doesn’t pertain to work, I highly recommend the book “don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff” by Richard Carlson. He breaks it down, the things that we can often get upset or worked up over, and shows you how to approach it from a different point of view. This helped me care for others better in the health care setting, but more importantly, helped me not sweat the little things that would bug me for days, when creating my website or Instagram posts, and just post it for what it is!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: travelwithwildlynorth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildlynorth/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TravelWithWildlyNorth
