The Exotic Everyday: On Seeing, Legacy, and Loving the Life You Have with Chloe Lodge

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era, but it remains a gentle, grounding reflection on creativity, motherhood, and the beauty of slowing down. I’ve kept it in the public archive for its resonance with story work, place, and legacy.

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What makes life feel exotic? Photographer and author Chloe Lodge invites us to look again at our ordinary. 

In this thoughtful conversation, she reflects on home, belonging, and how her creative vision evolved through motherhood, travel, and letting go of perfection. We also talk about the making of her book For the Love of the Photograph and how returning to presence changed the way she sees.

Topics:

• Chloe’s global journey: England → Paris → Dubai → Bali → New Zealand
• Childhood influence and early photography inspiration
• Why she left client work and leaned into everyday documentary
• The making of her book For the Love of the Photograph
• Emotional honesty and creative hunger in personal projects
• How light, play, and presence shape her 365 project
• Reflections on parenting, legacy, and what it means to see
• The phrase “exotic everyday” and what it reveals about perception

Where is Chloe now?

Living in the Waitaki Valley on New Zealand’s South Island, she continues to create, mentor, and write with deep attention to light and presence. She’s proudly supported by Nikon NZ as one of their official Creators, recognized for her distinctive storytelling and creative experimentation. Chloe also shares ongoing reflections in her Substack publication A Love Affair with Light.

Connect with Chloe + access the archived episode resources here: 

→ dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive