Home, sweet car. | Part 1: Why I turned my SUV into a mini-camper. / August 26, 2019 by Shana Berenzweig

This post is Part One of a Three-Part Series. Read Part Two and Three soon.

If you’ve been following my Instagram stories, then you know I got back yesterday evening from a big ol’ roadtrip across the southwest and up the west coast with my dog, Frankie. Mostly a vacation, I did work a little while I was gone, and so while I’m doing laundry and downloading all my client sessions to my desktop computer, I decided to throw together some initial thoughts about the camping part of my trip.

First, let’s backtrack a moment.

I love tent camping, but it can also be a lot of work to set-up/break-down camp, particularly by yourself, and let’s face it, it’s not always that fun or comfy, especially when the weather turns. And tent camping by yourself can be scary and leave you feeling vulnerable. So like many people, I’ve long dreamed of having of having a home on wheels for roadtrips and camping.

The reality of my bank account, though, says that’s not happening any time soon without an unexpected financial windfall. This meant I had to get creative and so inspired by the ever-growing ranks of DIY car campers, I decided to build a sleeping platform in the back of my SUV.

I’m working on another post about the actual building of the sleeping platform and the nitty-gritty reality of it all, but until then, this one is more focused on the why I chose to do this and how I feel about it now that I’ve spent 5 nights camping in it.

Like I said above, I really do love tent camping. But doing it alone for multiple nights far from home is another thing. And even though I have tent camped alone a few times, the circumstances were all very different and sleeping in my car felt like the absolute right way to go for me on this trip.

I hoped I would feel much safer as a women traveling and camping alone.

I hoped it would save me time since I wouldn’t have to set up and break down a tent, which would then allow me more time for exploring and relaxing at camp.

I hoped it would be much more comfortable and that I would sleep so much better, which is so important when you’re traveling alone and driving long distances.

I hoped the sacrifices I would make in turning my SUV into camper would be so worth it.

And I was right. All of the above (and more) was true.

I never ever for one moment felt unsafe in the car at night. Same for traveling the road in general. (Working on a blog post about safely traveling solo as a woman, so keep a look out for that.)

Right again about it being a big time saver. It took a day or two to work out what should go where and there was a little bit of a nighttime set-up for the car, but it was nothing compared to a tent and could easily be done in the dark with just a headlamp, which can’t always be said for a tent. This also meant I could get to camp a little later in the day than I normally would since I wouldn’t have to factor in the time and daylight needed for setting up camp, which in turn led to more exploration and relaxation time.

And right again about being super comfy and sleeping well. A couple adjustments after the first night and I was good to go.

There were some sacrifices I had to make, like bringing a smaller cooler since I didn’t have the same space available in the car like on my other long-distance road and camping trips, but they were definitely worth it to have the ability to sleep in the car.

There are some things I will do differently for the next trip. But the important thing is that there will definitely be another trip. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

And that’s the best thing about this little conversion. I already feel way more inspired to go away for a quick camping trip than I ever have before with solo tent camping.

It’s easier and I feel much safer. And those were the two biggest things stopping me before.

Now that I’ve got those problems solved, I can get to making some minor changes, as well as to start saving some money so I can upgrade a few other things, like getting a rooftop cargo carrier to free up room inside and reduce the amount of gear I have to move around.

I’m already planning my next adventure and can’t wait to hit the road again. Until then, stay tuned for more posts in this series about turning my car into a camper.

Now Open | The Print Shop / April 11, 2019 by Shana Berenzweig

Until I started creating my own online store, I naturally had no clue how much work goes into it. Even with a website builder to help you, there is still SO MUCH TO DO.

Uploading product photos, writing copy, entering unique SKU numbers, writing email notifications, setting up credit card processing, testing and then testing again the shopping and check-out process, and on and on it goes.

And that doesn’t even take into account the inevitable delays and technical issues that crop up. I’ve got a new respect for all those little elves behind the scenes of my online shopping experiences.

All of this rambling is to say I am so happy that my Print Shop is finally online and I so appreciate those of y’all who have already made a purchase!

And don’t forget that y’all have until Sunday, April 14 at midnight to enjoy 10% off your order with the code WOOHOO10.

Happy shopping!

'South Austin Gothic' Portrait Series / September 11, 2017 by Shana Berenzweig

My dear friends, Jeri Lynn and Ian Ingram, are both creative, talented, and beautiful --- both inside and out. And traditional family portraits aren't quite for them.

So, for almost 10 years now, and waaay before I dared to call or even think of myself as a photographer (which, to be honest, still feels strange), we’ve been doing collaborative, stylized family portraits.

We call the series South Austin Gothic.

Besides having so much fun creating them, what I love about this series is how it marks the passage of time and reflects all of us --- the Ingram's growth as a family and mine as a photographer.

While this kind of stylized portrait may not be for everyone, what it represents is most definitely for all. So, whether I take 'em, another photographer, or yourselves, just do it. Just take those family photos in a whatever way means the most to you. You won't regret a single shot.

Both Jeri Lynn and Ian are very talented artists. You can shop for Jeri Lynn's gorgeous jewelry here. Every piece of her beautiful, fair trade jewelry collection is hand-beaded by the Huichol people in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.

Jeri Lynn's husband, Ian, is a remarkable artist and teacher. See his incredible work here, and for those of y'all in Austin, Ian has recently started offering drawing class for kids.

I only posted a few of my faves of the series here, but I love the photo below of the Ingram kiddos in front of all the portraits (although I didn't take three of the photos).