Author: Diana Southern

In March 2014, Diana called it quits on her traditional American working life and set out to explore the world with her partner in crime (and love of her life) Ian Norman. They now live a sustainable life of full time travel, working for themselves and seeking adventure at the same time. Here on North to South, Diana documents their journey in achieving and maintaining this "road less traveled" way of life.
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Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, USA)

Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, California, USA)

Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, California, USA)

Determined to get outdoors one final time before the new year, we set out on Sunday for the top of the Santa Monica Mountains: Sandstone Peak. A bit out of shape, there was a little more huffing and puffing involved than what’s typical for us, but we made it! This photo captures our celebration after making it to the top. (That’s me and our friend Maya, and Ian’s behind the camera.)

Note: We’re actually not standing on Sandstone Peak in this photo; we took a detour about 5 minutes to the right and just a touch lower in elevation.  But from this vantage point, we had an arguably better view of the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands and the setting sun. We hiked over to Sandstone Peak afterward and signed the logbook to make it official.

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony E 10-18 f/4 OSS and edited with the Whitefall preset from Film Speck One, our free pack of Lightroom presets on lonelyspeck.com.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: View from the Top (Sandstone Peak, Santa Monica Mountains, USA)”

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“It started with a date” – The Coffee Shop Conversation that Doomed My Desk Job

"It started with a date" The Coffee Shop Conversation that Doomed My Desk Job

"It started with a date" The Coffee Shop Conversation that Doomed My Desk Job

It was early January 2014. The holiday season was now behind us, and it was back to life as usual. On Monday I’d return to work after 10 consecutive days off. But I didn’t want to go.

The topic had come up several times over the course of the year. Preliminary conversations had begun. Ian had resigned from his steady, full-time job the year before to try his hand at entrepreneurship, and together we dreamed about both of us having that freedom. But it didn’t feel like a real option until that day.  Continue reading ““It started with a date” – The Coffee Shop Conversation that Doomed My Desk Job”

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Shot of the Week: California Winter (Simi Valley, USA)

Shot of the Week: Diana Southern California Winter

A few days ago, Ian and I headed out on a photo excursion in the hills of Simi Valley for some levitation photography. While that didn’t turn out so well this time, Ian grabbed a few extra shots. Here’s an outdoor portrait of me that Ian took just before sunset. This is what winter is like in California, folks!

This photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens. Continue reading “Shot of the Week: California Winter (Simi Valley, USA)”

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10 Reasons I’ll Never Regret Quitting My Job to Travel

Living with no regrets: 10 reasons I'll never regret quitting my job to travel

Living with no regrets: 10 reasons I'll never regret quitting my job to travel

Not long ago (10 months to be exact) I quit my full time job with no real back up plan. A Pepperdine grad with a marketing degree, I’d landed a job at a beachfront office 3 years prior, getting a steady paycheck working in my field.  Sounds great, right? Well, not when you’ve got a nagging desire to escape and set your own rules.  I bought a one-way ticket to Europe and put in my notice, with vague plans to become my own boss and do something I could be excited about. And I haven’t looked back.

After 10 months of nomadic bliss, here are 10 reasons I’ll never regret taking that leap.  Continue reading “10 Reasons I’ll Never Regret Quitting My Job to Travel”

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Shot of the Week: Geminids Meteor Shower (Red Rock Canyon State Park, USA)

Geminids Meteor Shower Over Red Rock Canyon State Park

Geminids Meteor Shower Over Red Rock Canyon State Park

This past weekend, Ian set out for the chilly darkness of Red Rock Canyon State Park. He captured the stars and the Geminids meteor shower above the rusty red rock formations before moonrise. This shot is a compilation of four separate meteor photos he caught with his camera.

This photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 lens. Continue on to view the full image. Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Geminids Meteor Shower (Red Rock Canyon State Park, USA)”

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Shot of the Week: Cookie Decorating Day (Los Angeles, USA)

cookie decorating day

This past weekend, Ian and I joined some friends in LA for a day of festive cookie decorating. We frosted several gingerbread cookies and attempted to make the Quick and Easy Snowy Chocolate Pinecones from handmadecharlotte.com (scroll down to see how that turned out). We had a great time getting crafty and catching up with friends at the same time!

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Cookie Decorating Day (Los Angeles, USA)”

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Shot of the Week: O Christmas Tree (Simi Valley, USA)

Shot of the week: O Christmas Tree on northtosouth.us

Shot of the week: O Christmas Tree on northtosouth.us

I originally thought we had no photos from last week, but I took a second look and discovered this one, so now we’re playing catch-up again! My family’s Christmas tree went up on Thanksgiving night, with lights and ornaments following closely behind over the next couple days.

With winter approaching and darkness falling early, Ian and I have been spending a few hours each evening working and relaxing here in the living room at “The Hoof & Woof Ranch.” And, as we’ve actually seen quite a bit of rain here in Southern California lately, most of our photos from this week were taken indoors. This photo is actually a test shot Ian took on December 4th, shortly after the arrival of his new lens. But I like the warm colorful glow of the lights anyway, so with a little cropping I turned it into our shot of the week!

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony 55mm f/1.8 lens.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: O Christmas Tree (Simi Valley, USA)”

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Custom Embroidered Souvenirs Created by the Red Dao Women (Sapa Valley, Vietnam)

Custom Embroidered Souvenirs Created by the Red Dao Women of Sapa Valley, Vietnam

Custom Embroidered Souvenirs Created by the Red Dao Women of Sapa Valley, Vietnam

Though it’s been over a year since our trip to Vietnam, Ian and I look back fondly on our first overseas adventure together. We ended up with several unique souvenirs, none more so than our custom-embroidered pieces created by the Red Dao women we met in the hilly countryside near Sapa, Vietnam.  Continue reading “Custom Embroidered Souvenirs Created by the Red Dao Women (Sapa Valley, Vietnam)”