Hi, I’m Cynthia Bil, a travel, adventure, and landscape photographer originally from Belgium. I’ve been living a nomadic life since 2011.
I’ve lived and traveled in more than 30 countries. I like to travel slowly and often spend months in one place. I enjoy immersing myself in the local culture and daily life and taking the time to really get to know a country and the people who live there. Every destination has its own unique vibe and beauty and I love exploring the depths of that.
I have a special love for nature. I feel most at home when I’m in the wilderness and surrounded by the beauty of our natural environment. It brings a sense of calm and joy that I can’t find anywhere else. I also love doing outdoor activities, like hiking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing and horse riding. It makes me feel so alive and deeply connected with myself and the world around me.
My Journey
When I was in my early twenties, I was living in Belgium and working as a special needs teacher in a primary school. While I had “everything”, I felt something was missing. I didn’t feel like I was living my life but more the life that society expected from me. I wanted something different than working a 9-to-5 job (or in my case an 8-to-4 job), buying a house and having kids.
On my 26th birthday, I decided to expand my horizons and go travel for a year. I quit my job, packed my most important belongings in 2 backpacks, said goodbye to my loved ones and took an airplane to Australia. It was the start of a whole new chapter and the beginning of my life as a traveling photographer.
I’ve been on the road for almost a decade, adventuring, exploring and working whatever jobs I could find to fund my travels. From waitressing and life modelling in Australia and shepherding on farms in New Zealand and England to grape picking in France, gardening in Ireland and teaching English in Turkey. It’s been a journey that taught me so much about life and myself.
In 2015 I embarked on a 3-year hitchhiking journey from Ireland to Central Asia during which I created the travel blog Journal of Nomads and developed my photography skills to such a level that I became a published photographer/writer and Panasonic Lumix Ambassador.
I’m nowadays living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. When I’m not traveling, you’ll most likely find me doing outdoor activities near my home base, photographing and creating visual content, preparing my Adventurous Expeditions in Central Asia, and always looking for beauty in the world.
My Work
Photography was merely a hobby before I started traveling. It wasn’t until my first solo trip to Ireland in 2010 that I discovered how much joy it brings me to capture the beauty of the world around me on camera. Photography became my creative outlet to document my life and love for culture, adventure and nature.
As I often go to unusual places and lesser-known destinations, I also want to offer a window to a world people don’t know much about yet. There’s so much beauty, wisdom and knowledge around us, often in unexpected places and situations, and I love to showcase this.
My work as a travel photographer/writer has been featured by major publications such as The Guardian, CNN, The Lonely Planet, Knack Magazine, AS Adventure, Shoot Magazine, and many more. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Panasonic Lumix, Discover Kyrgyzstan, Visit Tajikistan, USAID Central Asia, and many others.
You can read more about the camera gear I use here.
If you like to contact me and/or you’re interested in working together, please get in touch via my contact page.
