People often get confused when Claire explains that her trips are not vacations. A "vacation" implies a break from everyday life. To her, these adventures are her life. Photography, climbing, and scuba diving are who she is and what she does, not the daily grind that allows her to pay rent.

A high-adrenaline achiever with an endless supply of energy, Claire is an avid rock climber with a deep respect for nature and a growing desire to be a part of it. Armed with her camera, she frequently travels to both domestic and international destinations to immerse herself in the natural world and break down the barrier between subject matter and camera. She hopes that by exposing people to the beauty of the world, they, too, will want to preserve it. Oftentimes, her camera will be strapped to her back as she climbs. 

A common theme in Claire's life is seeing the world from angles most never get to see. This explains why she is also an Advanced Open Water diver, and why she considers the ocean her second home. What's life if it's not vertical? She looks forward to capturing more of these moments on camera. 

In her quieter moments, Claire can be found daydreaming about Yosemite, defending the misunderstood nature of sharks, or petting your dog.

~

"You must hold the drawn bowstring," answered the Master, "like a little child holding the proffered finger. It grips it so firmly that one marvels at the strength of the tiny fist. And when it lets the finger go, there is not the slightest jerk. Do you know why? Because a child doesn't think: 'I will now let go of the finger in order to grasp this other thing.' Completely un-self consciously, without purpose, it turns from one to the other, and we would say that it was playing with the things, were it not equally true that the things are playing with the child. ...The right art is purposeless, aimless! The more obstinately you try to learn how to shoot for the sake of hitting the goal, the less you will succeed in the one and the further the other will recede. What stands in your way is that you have too much willful will. You think that what you do not do yourself does not happen."

-Eugen Herrigel, "Zen in the Art of Archery"