A lover of travel, Rachel Turney uses her camera to document the moments she spends exploring each new destination. As she explains, “I write and take photographs for myself. I showcase things I like and enjoy or want to express.” This month, Turney shares her approach to both art and life.

How did you get into photography?

I really wouldn’t say I am an artist nor a photographer more than anyone else who writes in a journal or takes some pics on their phone. What I have had is the amazing opportunity to travel and prioritize travel. I am often exposed to beautiful and magical things that are art in themselves and I just write down what I see or take a picture. I’m really more of a moment capturer in a life that is art. 

What influenced this particular series of photographs?

I recently spent a month in Japan. My spouse and I both finally have remote jobs that allow us the opportunity to spend extended times abroad. I took hundreds of photographs on that trip and these are just a few of my favorites that capture the history, daily life, and beauty of Japan. 

Do you feel that your photography has influenced your writing, or vice versa? 

Art is a sort of lifestyle that each person lives. So, yes to the influence both ways, but I’m not sure art forms necessarily have hard delineation. I consider Dreary Day in Tokyo a poem and a piece of visual art, for example. 

Do you have any upcoming projects? What are your plans for the future?

I am working on a photography series called Women in Murals that highlights women mural artists and depictions of women in murals. I’ve been working on that for several years, but I am not sure of its direction yet. I am also going to New Zealand in search of the elusive Kiwi bird. I am hoping to get some pretty special avian photographs there! Thank you for the opportunity to share and I would like to say that I think every person is an artist. Some might just still be searching for their medium.

Rachel Turney is an educator and teacher trainer in Colorado. Her poems and prose are published (or are in press) in The Font Journal, Nap Lit, Ranger, Through Lines Magazine, Bare Back, Cafe Lit, and Teach Write Journal. Her photography appears in Writers Resist, The Salt, San Antonio Review, Umbrella Factory Magazine, and Ink in Thirds Magazine. Her artwork appears in Cosmic Daffodil. Blog: turneytalks.wordpress.com Instagram: @turneytalks