My name is Erica Robinson. I’m a photographer focusing on travel and storytelling, the artist behind Under the Pencil, a personal project dedicated to visual memoirs of the AYA women’s cancer community, and a Field Services Specialist with Tamron Americas. I’ve let travel photography be my teacher for as long as I can remember, and it’s led to some of my most rewarding experiences, given me friends I now call family, and expanded my mind to life outside of my own.
Travel photography is made up of a combination of genres which means we’re not always going into a situation with a prepared schedule as a wedding photographer would, or a set of poses ready as a portrait photographer would, or the ability to control the perfect cloud coverage at sunset. But I can confidently say I’ve never been disappointed learning more about what, where, or who I aim to photograph. It has only ever benefited me. If I am traveling where my primary language is not commonly spoken, learning a few words of the local language can be the difference between being invited in for coffee and missing out on a history lesson by a town elder. If my goal is to document the migration of a monarch butterfly, not only do I want to research their migration patterns, but I want to learn their behaviors and environmental factors that might impact my approach. If I’m hoping to photograph the Milky Way rising over Joshua Trees in the desert, I want to use apps like PhotoPills to help me plan for when blue hour turns into astronomical twilight. Keeping in mind there are factors beyond my control in every situation, when something changes, it’s not because I haven’t set myself up for success.
When I am in the field photographing, I want to be fully focused on the story in front of me, not on my equipment. Being prepared doesn’t always mean buying the most expensive gear or traveling with every lens I own, but instead learning what camera and lenses will serve me best, customizing my camera ahead of time to the controls I access most often, and outfitting myself with a comfortable backpack where my equipment is housed in an efficient manner. All of this paired with experience, creates muscle memory so my brain has space to focus on creating dynamic compositions, expanding on where the story is going next, while worrying less on searching for a loose rogue memory card.
Rushing through a moment can lead to a rushed looking image and other missed opportunities. If there’s one thing I can count on, it’s that time is going to allow for something in the scene in front of me to change. That could mean the light is going to shift offering a more dramatic sunset, an ocean tide is going to move out uncovering new landscape underneath, or rush hour is going to let hundreds of people out of work causing a march across the intersection crosswalks that were quiet just 5 minutes earlier. The more time I spend in the moment getting to know these scenes and patters the better Im going to be able to visually express them.
Erica Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science in Photography from Bridgewater State University and brings 16 years of experience in the field. Her career spans diverse roles, including working as a Boston wedding photographer under Kate McElwee, serving as a photographer with Norwegian Cruise Lines, and offering technical expertise through a local camera store. Since 2016, she has represented Tamron USA as a National Technical Representative. Erica focuses on travel photography and storytelling, using her skills to educate through hands-on workshops and inspire others to accomplish their photography goals. In addition, in 2021 after being diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer she redirected her focus and began, Under the Pencil.
