Spotlight on Paulina Dao
/BY CARA SCHAEFER
Can you experience nature fully AND take some nice photos? We spoke with photographer Paulina Dao about outdoor adventure photography, rafting the Grand Canyon, and balancing great shots with even better experiences.
Photos courtesy of Paulina Dao.
OUT THERE: How did you get into doing outdoor adventure photography?
PAULINA DAO: I started getting into outdoor adventure photography when I started my blog littlegrunts.com. I had just graduated from college, and I started doing all these outdoor adventures. I didn't really have friends who did stuff like that at the time, so the blog was my way of sharing about these things. I got into photography as a supplement to the blogging, because when you talk about stuff, nobody ever wants to see just a wall of text. People want to see photos, what stuff looks like. I also was doing a lot of gear reviews for people who are small — like five feet tall like me — and being able to take photos of what stuff looks like on me was a natural step. Then I realized that capturing images, and making images, is much more fun than having to sit down and crank out however many words I need to.
OT: Is there a photo you've taken that you are especially proud of? If so, what's the story behind that?
PD: There is one that I really love from the Sierra High Route in 2020. My partner and I had been hiking basically for an entire week through a bunch of thunderstorms that started really early in the day, and as we were going up over this pass trying to beat the storm, there was this magical, double rainbow behind the peaks. It was just so stunning.
I feel like it also sums up the whole Sierra High Route for me. Lots of struggles, but also very pretty. I had a lot of feelings, because I was a very unhappy hiker. For me, a good photo is not only the subject, but also the emotions and feelings at the time of me making that image. Some of my favorite photos are me just capturing people having fun, and showcasing the joy of what it means to be outside — whether we're climbing, or just snacking, hanging out, and laughing. I hope that my photography really captures the essence of people going outside and being their authentic selves, and just having a blast.
OT: What tips do you have for people looking to better capture their own outdoor adventures through photography?
PD: Learning how to use a camera is really important. Understanding how your ISO, how your aperture and shutter speed work together to create the image that you want is more important than having fancy camera gear. The best camera that you have is the camera that you have with you. I think people are always like, ‘Oh, I need to have a really expensive and nice camera with interchangeable lenses and stuff.’ But phones are a really incredible and powerful tool. And if you download the Adobe Lightroom app you can shoot in RAW. I think Apple has finally made it so you can shoot in RAW without downloading any apps. Once you master those three things, it opens up doors for you.
OT: You recently did a month-long Grand Canyon rafting trip. How did you feel going into that?
PD: I did not want to go.
OT: Really! Why?
PD: December is typically climbing season for me. I love going down to Bishop and hanging out there for a bit and climbing. Climbing has really been a roller coaster for me since the pandemic, and I was starting to find my groove, feel like I was getting back into the swing of things. Right before the trip, I felt the strongest I've been in a really long time. I was making a lot of progress on the things that I was climbing, and leaving for a month felt like it was a setback.
It was one of those trips where my partner got the permit. I’m not a river person. It was something I didn’t really want to do. I'm also a huge homebody. I love being gone for weekends, or like a week or two at a time, and then coming home and hanging out with my cat, doing yard work, just being a sloth. Being gone for a month was something that was definitely like, ‘Ooh, I'm not so sure about this.’ But in the back of my mind, I knew deep down that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that I will have fun no matter what.
OT: Did you encounter anything along the river that surprised you?
PD: I was just really pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying the trip. Being down there was really magical. It was also surprising how well our group of 16 people got along. I think about half the group were complete internet strangers and didn't know anybody going on the trip. And that's always such a shot in the dark with how people will deal with being with other people for 29 days straight. And there was very little tension.
OT: What was the highlight, and the lowlight, of the trip for you?
PD: I think the best parts were when the entire group came together to get things done. We had one day — our first day of huge rapids — where we went through three big rapids. When we got to camp that evening, somebody brought out a speaker. Alcohol came out, music was playing, and we were all just hanging out having this massive, impromptu dance party and it was just so fun. Everyone was on the same wavelength, costumes were out. Whenever I look back on the trip, I look back on that memory.
Christmas on the river was really special too. We did a Secret Santa, and we went around the circle opening gifts and guessing who had us. New Year's Eve also comes to mind. It was a perfectly beautiful and sunny day. We were planning on setting up this giant dome tent and hanging out. Then all of a sudden at 9:30 pm, out of nowhere, this storm comes in: tents are blowing away, the kitchen is blowing over. And just watching everyone stop what they were doing to save tents and stake things down, while still having a good time and laughing, and singing, and joking about the rain, was pretty special.
Lowlight for me, I had a really hard time on the trip personally. I really just got in my head with a bunch of things. And having a partner who's a trip leader, who has also never done a trip like this before, was a little bit stressful. I don't think he anticipated how stressful it would be, and I didn’t either. I thought I could just show up, then he would help me do everything. There were definitely points on the trip where we were bickering and arguing. People see you arguing, because you're in such a small space, and I just ended up getting really down on myself. And being like, ‘Why am I not having a good time like everybody else?’ Or, ‘I think everybody hates me because I'm ruining the trip.’ And it's kind of hard to take yourself out once you get into that headspace.
OT: How do you stay engaged in your outdoor activities while still taking photos?
PD: It's a hard balance for me sometimes, especially when I have work that I need to do. If I'm working with other people, I always try to make it fast and communicate, “Hey, this is what I'm looking for. This is what I need.” And once I'm done, the camera goes away unless people want me to take photos of them. And also being intentional with having trips where I don't take my camera out. Because I know after a while, I definitely get tired of just making content. Setting aside time where the camera doesn't come out is helpful for keeping things fresh.
