Natalie Starr

The Athlete Behind the Camera

By InnerVoice

July 28^th, 2016

This just isn't right.

My journey was a long one full of indecisiveness and ‘this just isn’t right’ feelings. I lived in Florida. I lived in New York City. I wanted to be a lawyer, then a sign language interpreter, then a photographer, then a fashion photographer. Then I wanted to be a sign language interpreter again. Now, I want to ride my bike on all the roads in the world, photograph them and share them with everyone.

it was a struggle to keep myself afloat.

I went to college in Daytona Beach, Florida for a few years. Then, I swore that New York City was the place for me, so a couple of classmates and I upped and moved in 2010. I hustled in NYC, as most do. I worked an unpaid internship (with no credit) at a prestigious photo studio, while also studying full-time and working 2-3 part time jobs. It was a struggle just to keep myself afloat. Eventually, I finished my degree and sought to pursue fashion and beauty photography. After a while, it still didn’t feel right. The industry wasn’t for me.

“I swore that New York City was the place for me.”

I picked up a bike, went on a ride, and fell in love with cycling.

I decided it was time to leave New York and with it, say goodbye to photography, my family and my friends. I was seeking another craft but it just wasn’t possible to do it in New York. I chose Colorado and convinced myself that I was going to do something completely different. I even sold my camera gear before I left New York.

Little did I know, fate would almost immediately guide me back to photography. Upon arriving in Colorado, I picked up a bike, went on a ride, and fell in love with cycling. I am one of the least athletic individuals you will ever meet, which only makes the fact that I love cycling that much more funny. But it led me to meet a professional cyclist who offered to let me photograph them. That experience felt ‘right’. At 26, through multiple states and multiple career paths, I had finally found what was ‘right’ for me.

i'm constantly faced with self-doubt.

I‘m constantly faced with self-doubt and a lack of confidence in my own ability and my work. I‘ve always held self-doubt and since starting to ride and photograph the cycling industry I‘ve watched how my interactions, photoshoots and rides go when I have confidence versus when I don’t.

My mind is a talker and it constantly goes crazy whenever the bad starts to happen. Anxiety takes over, but I have learned to talk myself into calming down, taking a deep breath and solving the problem in-front of me. Confidence is mind-blowing and I am so much of a better person/photographer/cyclist than I ever expected I was.

“Confidence is mind-blowing and I am so much of a better person/photographer/cyclist than I ever expected I was.”

doing whatever it takes to be happy in life.

The community in both cycling and photography are what helps keep me going. Surrounding yourself with ambitious people helps influence your character and I’d like to think they have been inspired by me and are out doing whatever it takes to be happy in life.

Love and respect to Natalie Starr from the team at innervoice.life. For more of Natalie’s work check out http://www.natalierstarr.com or Instagram @natalierstarr