9-Day Alaska Road Trip in October (Part 2): Seward, Northern Lights & Kenai Fjords

Explore Seward and the Kenai Peninsula on the second half of our 9-day Alaska road trip in October. From breathtaking northern lights and glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park to wildlife encounters and scenic coastal drives, discover our favorite photography spots, personal experiences, and travel tips.

Travel photographyBelinda ShiOctober 20, 2026Alaska, USA, northern lights, aurora borealis, night photography, landscape photography, family travelComment

17-Day New Zealand South Island Road Trip Itinerary (part 2): The Catlins to Lake Tekapo

From the windswept coast of the Catlins to the Southern Lights near Twizel, this part of our New Zealand road trip brought some of the most memorable moments of the journey—including waterfalls, Nugget Point at sunrise, the Milky Way, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Peter’s Lookout and Lake Tekapo.

Travel photographyBelinda ShiJune 30, 2026waterfall, Road Trip, milkyway, farm, coast, cow, beach, forest, Airbnb, indoor, night photography, rock, light house, mountain, long exposure, animal, goat, hiking, southern lights, sky, star, children, sunrise, sun star, sunset, road, van, lake, New Zealand, southern hemisphere, church, island, low light, OceaniaComment

If You Get Only A Few Great Travel Shots By Luck. Do This.

Struggling to get consistent travel photos? Learn how planning, prioritization, and better decision-making can help you capture more meaningful shots—without relying on luck.

Planning and Logistics, Photography Tips, Art and CultureBelinda ShiApril 20, 2026travel photography, people, landscape photography, Iceland, Road Trip, astrophotography, night photography, wild life, whale, fall color, waterfall, street photography, family travelComment

I Photographed The Best Northern Lights In My Backyard

A quick timelapse of northern lights I photographed from our backyard last Friday. It took me 4 hours to take all the photos, all from our deck.

Travel photographyBelinda ShiMay 13, 2024northern lights, USA, Washington, night photography, aurora borealis, astrophotography, long exposure, timelapseComment

What's In My Camera Bag For Our Northern Light Trip

The complete list of photography equipment and the statistics of usage for each piece of camera gear in our first trip to the Arctic Circle.

Travel, 2022 EuropeBelinda ShiFebruary 10, 2023night photography, Scandinavia, Norway, Denmark, long exposure, timelapse, equipment, landscape photography, arctic circleComment

2022 - A Year In Review

It’s that time of the year again. I’ve started writing our year in review since 2019, and find it a healthy “habit”, even this habit takes me just once a year to practice.

Travel, Europe, A Year In ReviewBelinda ShiJanuary 3, 2023night photography, long exposure, Washington, Europe, Norway, northern lights, North America, Denmark, Chicago, Road Trip, canada, Scandinavia, cityscape, Seattle, moon, USA, Illinois, seascapeComment

One Week Itinerary In Lofoten Islands In October (Part 2)

My last post merely scratched the surface of the beauty of Lofoten Islands. As we settled in Napp, a tiny town in the middle section of the archipelago, we were ready to explore whatever sceneries that would unfold in front of our eyes.

Our First Stop In the Arctic Circle

Instead of making our first stop at Norway’s major cities in the south, we landed in Tromso in the north, one of world's largest towns within the Arctic Circle. I had to admit, I just couldn’t wait to be in the Arctic Circle, seeing and photographing northern lights!

Travel, Europe, 2022 EuropeBelinda ShiOctober 25, 2022Norway, Europe, long exposure, island, fjord, night photography, northern lights, arctic circle, hiking, mountain, children, beach, rain, Scandinavia, seascapeComment

How I Photographed Northern Lights and Star Trail

My first northern light photography in 2021. It’s not the first northern light I photographed, nor the first star trail I photographed, but definitely the first combo of the two.

Photography Tips, Planning and LogisticsBelinda ShiNovember 4, 2021night photography, long exposure, Washington, astrophotography, landscape photographyComment

First Hike and Sunset Photo in Atacama Desert

Traveling with young kids often means little or no landscape photography during my favorite sunset hours. I had to come up with different scenarios to photograph landscape. Check out the sunset scene and the milky way I captured at our remote desert hut.

TravelBelinda ShiSeptember 28, 2019Chile, desert, children, mountain, sunset, milkyway, night photography, South AmericaComment

Day 1 in Chile - Milky Way in Atacama Desert

We had a long and tough day transitioning from Lima, Peru to Atacama Desert in Chile, but the milky way scene was well worth every challenges we endured.