Today I depart for 2 and a half weeks in Italy, so I take this opportunity to officially launch a project that I’ve had in the works for about a year now: my website, La Bougie, which is both a travel blog and a space to showcase my photography.

This launch is a long time in the making. For years I’ve wanted to write more about my travels, and I got serious about becoming a better photographer last spring. Last summer, I took a class on travel writing courtesy Gotham Writer’s Workshop, which helped shape my ideas about launching the blog.

Last September I did something of a soft launch. I had the site up and running, but I hadn’t quite gotten it to where I wanted it. The aesthetics were off, I was still settling on a style, and it just wasn’t quite right.

So I kept posting… about my trips to Dominica, Alaska, New Orleans, the Canadian Rockies, and assorted other trips around the DC metro area, where I live, and New Mexico, where my mom and brother live. (Don’t worry, if you’ve been with me on those trips, no names or photos of you have been used, my friends.)

But I wasn’t quite ready to start publicizing my work. Instead, I futzed with Home page, with the Bio page, with my photography gallery. I took another Gotham class, this one on blog writing. I’ve taken many classes on photography (mostly courtesy Capital Photography Center).

Finally, a year later, and with great trepidation, I am ready to start sharing my labor of love. Watch this space! I’m going to try to post every Sunday, but we’ll see how that works out while I’m traveling. In the meantime, watch my Instagram as I travel in and around Bologna, Ravenna, Florence, Tuscany, and Milan. Saluti!