With a camera in her hand as she can remember, Carmen Polanco has been documenting her life. Her grandpa gave her her very first camera, which was a simple automated point-and-shoot model. Her family was overjoyed and eager to pose for her; they struck stances that made the images seem genuine, they happily posed for birthday shots, and they struck every other possible pose! Polanco's encouragement from her family was essential in her decision to pursue photography. Planning vacations to national parks on the East Coast was a summer tradition for the Polanco home.. Carmen would be eternally thankful for these travels since they not only brought the family closer together, but they also instilled in Carmen a passion for wildlife photography that she would never forget. Carmen recalls these family vacations to Acadia National Park and Biscayne National Park with affection. Photographing the Atlantic coast, from Acadia National Park to the mangroves of Biscayne National Park and the wetlands of Everglades National Park, has been a life-changing experience for Carmen, who recalls it as one of her favorite memories from childhood. Carmen has taken it upon herself to provide her children with the same experiences that she had as a youngster, following in the footsteps of her parents. She wants them to fall in love with nature as much as she did, which is why family vacations to national parks have become a tradition in her own household. It was decided that their tours would take them to national parks on the West Coast this time around. So far, she has brought her family to many national parks, including Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Redwood National Park, and the Grand Canyon. This summer, they're planning a vacation to Utah's Mighty 5 national parks, which are located across the state. During her blog posts, Carmen Polanco elaborates on her childhood excursions to national parks, in addition to her more recent family vacations to national parks and other destinations. To learn more about her photographic exploits in these parks, you are encouraged to visit the website linked above.