Today we’d like to introduce you to Franz Navarro.
Franz, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
A few years ago, I was living a different lifestyle. I was unhealthy, ‘hiking’ from one bar to the next, hated my job, and was going through a rough patch. One day I decided to go for a drive. I ended up in Santa Cruz and drove down HWY1 through Big Sur and Morro Bay. I stopped for hikes to take pictures where I found solitude and calm. Since then, I’ve started backpacking, camping, road-tripping, picked up a camera again and started a new career as a pediatric occupational therapist.
I am thankful for nature and the great outdoors for saving me, helping me rediscover myself, and showing me the path of being outdoors. Nature helps me self-heal, reset, and reflect on how to grow and improve as a person. Nature helps me discover my strengths and how much I can accomplish. Being outdoors and surrounded by nature humbles me. It reminds me to look at the bigger picture and that life itself presents us with so many possibilities.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think in every walk of life or every journey we take, there will always be obstacles, the ups, and the downs, and the struggles. It certainly wasn’t smooth getting to where I am today. It took a lot of soul-searching to realize that we can’t say yes to everything there is just for a profit.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Today I am a commercial photographer specializing in outdoor products and apparel as well as adventure and landscape photography.
To this day, I still have a hard time calling myself a professional photographer. I actually refuse to call myself professional because I feel like once I do it becomes work and when something becomes work there is a high possibility of burning out. I just want to keep things fun, have the ability to say no to projects for profit, so I can continue to keep on loving what I do.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Future plans, more travel definitely. I’ve always dreamt about seeing the aurora borealis or the northern lights, so Iceland is definitely in my future plans. Other than that, long-term wise, just continue creating and expanding my portfolio in photography.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranznav
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