She’s not just a pretty picture. Or even a few thousand.
Tash Haynes’s blog and Instagram feed are loaded with gorgeous images of her family—either in their hometown of Tacoma, Washington, or exploring the world. Just as inspiring as the shots are Tash’s messages about strength, justice, and parenthood.
She makes it look easy, but Tash has had more than her fair share of hardship. She’s written candidly about growing up in foster-care, and getting to know her birth family as an adult.
Today, she is raising three kids in different phases of childhood. (Wisdom is 8, Courage is 2 and Glory just 2 months old). She and her husband, Ike, run their own wedding and portrait photography business. And though she never left Tacoma as a child, she has more than made up for it since.
Tash shared her travel tips with The Expedition, plus her advice for families who want to get (a little) closer to her photography skills.
In three words, our travel style is…
Adventure, luxury, impactful.
What made me fall in love with traveling was…
The perspective, the education and the humility of it. It teaches important life skills like patience, resilience, flexibility. Few things combine all of those lessons, plus reward you for learning them!
Our very first trip with our kid was…
In 2012 when she was 2.5 month old. We traveled East to visit family and to introduce her around. Our first international trip with Wisdom was in 2016, when we took her to the island of Bermuda with us to shoot a wedding.
Parents who want to up their photography game should…
Keep their cameras close by at all times. Taking great pictures comes from constant practice. Light first, composition second—but grabbing the moment trumps ALL of that. Also, take more videos. You will always be grateful for moving pictures.
My best family-travel hack is…
Use packing cubes. Grab a set for each member of the family (color-coded or different designs) and pack accordingly! They make life so much easier and help focus you on the stuff that matters. They also cut down on the number of suitcases.
My must-have travel gear is…
My iPhone, GoPro, Nikon Z6 and 35mm lens. And snacks. 🙂
If I could change one thing about travel it would be…
Making it more affordable, so families of all backgrounds could enjoy and benefit from it.
When deciding where to travel, I think of…
My travel list first, then what it takes to get there, cost and time of travel, what there is to do there and what the best experience we can have for the least amount of money. Finally, how photogenic is it? Can we create killer content there?
The top 10 places on our bucket list are…
South Africa, Haiti (with my family), Marrakesh, Cappadocia, Egypt, Mexico City, Austria, Tanzania, Tokyo, and the Cook Islands.
I absolutely LOVE…
Tropical locations. I was born and raised in Seattle, where summers are short and don’t get very warm. I adore really warm and humid climates. Palm trees, crystal clear seas and a slow pace of life—island life delivers.
My favorite travel app is…
Go Whee. Parents contribute information from actual trips they’ve been on with their children. You can find the best family-friendly hotels, parks, restaurants and attractions from real families that have traveled there and had real experiences.
Families can learn more about us…
By visiting my blog: www.wisdomandcourage.com or coming to hang out with me over on the gram: @itstashhaynes
