Photographer talks Travel, Culture & Recent Move to South Africa
Stephanie O’Conner — the Johannesburg-based mastermind behind Conner Varin Photography— is the type of person who, upon meeting, you never forget. The sort of individual who becomes a kindred spirit after the utterance of just a few sentences. She’s an inspired, free-thinking urban gypsy; her photography reflects this ethos. Meeting initially through a mutual affiliation with the popular Facebook community, Nomad•ness Travel Tribe, Stephanie, because of her tenacity and humility, quickly became someone I admire. To that end, check out what she had to say when I asked her about her travels, how she regards the idea of culture and her newfound life in South Africa.
ND: You recently decided to take up permanent residence in Johannesburg [South Africa]. What brought upon this decision?SO: After my first visit to South Africa, the decision wasn’t hard at all. I fell in love the moment my foot stepped off the plane. I had been contemplating moving [outside the US] for a while, but I just wasn’t sure where I wanted to go or what it was that I was even looking for. I had only traveled a few places in Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. My love for travel and learning cultures had me in love with each of the countries/cities I had visited, but never in a way that made me want to live there. It was different in Johannesburg— the energy ignited me. It was the unique similarities but obvious differences [to the world I came from] that made me realize this was exactly where I wanted to be.
