This past weekend it was my job to take pictures at Squaw Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, California.

When I wasn’t behind the camera, I was on the computer editing photos or video. When not behind the computer, I was likely unrolling my mat in one of dozens of packed classes that were simultaneously taking place.

Swimming, dancing, paddle board yoga, long dinners with new friends and late night tea house sessions were some of the other activities that filled my days. To say I had a good time at Wanderlust Festival would be a serious understatement.

As a photographer at the event, my role required me to capture the activities of the attendees (a.k.a., Wanderlusters). Even though I was behind a camera taking photos of other people doing yoga, the activity of taking those photos became an extension of my yoga practice.

Capturing photos like the one of Shakti Sunfire on a paddle board had me wading chest high in Lake Tahoe for close to an hour. Had I not had been using ujjayi pranayama, cultivating the stamina to endure the frigid water and focus to capture the perfect moment would have been impossible. The yoga of photography is not something that is typically conveyed in the image the audience sees, but rather something that the photographer practices every time he picks up his camera.

I’d like to share with you a short film I created with my friend and fellow Wanderluster, Hannah. Sometimes I feel moving images tell a better story than just words alone. Let Hannah show you what happens in a typical day at the world’s biggest yoga class.

Namasté.