Hi, I am Salinas

Photographer, traveler, creative, dog mom, collector of beautiful details, and apparently someone who occasionally makes rather large life decisions because of a “but what if I actually did it?” thought.

Photography started simply because I loved taking pictures. In 2010, it accidentally became a side business, and for five years I balanced it alongside a career in commercial real estate in Seattle. Then, on a yoga retreat in Tulum in 2015, I had one of those inconveniently clarifying moments: I didn't want to keep wondering whether I could make a living doing something I genuinely loved.

So six months later, I left the corporate world and gave it a shot.

It worked.

Since then, my camera has taken me into incredible homes and architectural spaces, behind the scenes of productions and events, onto boats, into businesses, and getting to work alongside some wonderfully creative people. I've photographed everything from architecture, aerials, exteriors, interiors and craftsmanship details, to portraits, events, weddings, commercial campaigns, web revamps, case studies, and all the beautifully imperfect moments happening in between.

Then, in 2024, I got another one of those “what if?” ideas.

This one was a little bigger.

I sold my house, my car, most of what I owned, packed what was left (including two tiny dogs), and moved to a small village in Molise Italy.

I had been working toward recognition of my Italian citizenship for five years, and in June 2024 I decided to stop putting the adventure off and go finish the process in Italy. I ultimately and quickly became a dual U.S.–Italian citizen and spent the next 20 months living there - photographing the country, traveling all throughout Italy and more of Europe, eating exceptionally well, getting lost, trying to learn Italian, navigating Italian bureaucracy, making amazing memories with new and old friends, and collecting thousands upon thousands of photographs along the way.

It changed the way I see things. It changed me.

Living abroad made me even more interested in the little details that give a place its soul - the worn doorway everyone else walks past, the grooves in the rock from footsteps over hundreds of years, afternoon light hitting a centuries-old wall, laundry hanging between buildings, a beautifully set table, an old fisherman at the edge of the Adriatic, the texture of stone, the personality of a neighborhood.

Those are often the things I notice first.

And now, Florida

After almost two years abroad, I've recently relocated to Fort Lauderdale and am starting another chapter - expanding my work in South Florida while developing a collection of fine-art photography, gallery projects and photo books from my time in Italy. Along with a few other ventures.

I'm particularly drawn to architecture, interiors, design, hospitality, craftsmanship, interesting people, beautiful places, and businesses with a story worth telling.

But life isn't all photography.

When I'm not working, I'm usually wandering somewhere I haven't been before, cooking something with an unreasonable amount of garlic, baking sourdough bread, poking around an antique shop, near the water, keeping my plants alive, making crafts, finding a great little restaurant or wine bar, or planning a trip I absolutely do not need to be planning.

I'm a sucker for old buildings, beautiful light, interesting people, long dinners, European streets, live music, sunsets, farmers markets and places with a little soul. I'll choose character over perfection almost every time.

I can happily get dressed up for somewhere fabulous, but I'm probably even happier barefoot near the water with my dogs and a glass of wine. I love people who make me laugh, conversations that accidentally last for hours, and anyone willing to take the scenic route just to see what's there.

I'm curious, independent, creative, occasionally impulsive and still very susceptible to the phrase, “Want to go somewhere?”

The answer is usually yes.

My life has taken a few unexpected turns.

So far, those have made the best photographs-and the best stories.

Currently based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Available throughout South Florida, Seattle, Italy & wherever an interesting project takes me.

Licenses: WA State Real Estate Broker, FAA 107

Memberships: Nikon Professional Services, Getty Images, Alamy