Through Her Lens: Saltwater Stories by Petrina Lin

Today, we're diving into the dreamy world of Petrina Lin—a photographer, model, and visual storyteller who dances between the sun-kissed shores of California and the lush landscapes of Tahiti. Petrina's lens captures more than just images; she encapsulates the essence of the ocean, the strength of women, and the whispers of nature.

Her work is a harmonious blend of minimalism and nostalgia, drawing inspiration from intentional living, travel, the ocean, and the divine feminine energy. Whether she's behind the camera or curating an entire shoot, Petrina brings a thoughtful and intentional approach to everything she does. 

Now, let's get to know the woman behind the lens:

Where are you from, and how did your journey into photography begin?

I was born in the Philippines and spent my childhood between Cebu Island, Taiwan, and LA. My journey into photography began when I was gifted my first camera, a film camera, by my father while we were living in Taiwan. I fell in love with the entire process—capturing moments, documenting my family and the world around me, then developing the film at our local lab. I think that experience helped shape my love for capturing moments that feel nostalgic and timeless.

For years, I put the camera away, and didn’t realize that photography could be more than a hobby. Then in 2017, my college roommate got into both photography and modeling. I was so inspired by the creative energy and how photography could be a form of storytelling, art, and self-expression. It re-sparked my curiosity for documenting life through a creative outlet. I ended up buying a $300 camera off our college’s Facebook Marketplace just to give it a shot—and from there, I continued to practice constantly and learned a lot. 

Since then, my style, vision and what inspires me creatively have evolved – throughout this journey, photography has become such a huge part of who I am. My camera definitely comes with me everywhere—especially when I travel. I’m so grateful for this creative path because it’s led me on some unforgettable adventures and connections with amazing people around the world.

What draws you to photographing the natural world, surfing elements, women, and water?

Nature has always been a huge inspiration—there's truly such an abundance of beauty in the landscapes in nature. From the colors and textures of the ocean to the hues of the mountains or sunsets. I’ve also been drawn to photographing women since it became a creative passion nearly a decade ago– I think that women are so beautiful. I love collaborating with other women in their flow and the feminine form feels really artful and empowering to me.   

I first started shooting surf elements while living in Southern California. Drawn to the coast, I naturally found myself immersed in the local surf scene. The energy was captivating—I began photographing surfers, and before long, I felt inspired to learn how to surf myself. I love that I get to bring together all these elements and passions in my work. When I combine women, water, and the raw beauty of coastal landscapes and nature, it all just flows together seamlessly.

How did you start photographing in places like Tahiti?

I’ve always loved traveling and discovering new places. Tahiti, specifically, holds such a special place in my heart—and it started to feel like a homebase these days. I first visited in 2023 when one of my best friends invited me on a trip. During the last few days of that visit, I met my boyfriend, who grew up in Tahiti and lives on the island. Since then, I’ve been returning every few months to spend time here. 

There’s so much I love about Tahiti—the people I’ve met, the community of surfers and creatives, the rich culture, and the wild and raw beauty of the islands. It’s a place where I get to live out many of my passions—photography, surfing, freediving, and simply spending more time in nature. I feel really fortunate to be here and to be able to create in a place that feels so alive.

I also love traveling and experiencing new places, meeting new people, learning about different ways of life, and being up for adventure. I’m currently dreaming of soon visiting the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, and places in Africa—Morocco is high on my list, as is Egypt and Kenya. 

 What's the biggest challenge you've faced running a creative business?

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is self-confidence. It shows up in so many areas—whether it’s pitching myself for opportunities, delivering a gallery I deeply care about, or sharing my work and process on social media. 

I tend to wrestle with perfectionism and the feeling of not doing enough, especially when it's something that really matters to me. There have been moments where I’ve held back out of fear that something wasn’t good enough—or that I wasn’t ready. I want to put work into the world that I truly feel proud of, but I’m learning how important it is to balance that desire with embracing the process. Confidence doesn’t come from waiting until everything feels perfect. It’s built through action. Every time I step outside my comfort zone, I’m reminding myself that I’m capable—and that’s what helps build self-trust.

I’ve also done some coaching around this, which really helped me shift my mindset. A big part of the journey has been learning to accept and embrace myself as I am—to believe I’m worthy and deserving even if I’m not at some imagined “end goal.” I try to remind myself that failure and rejection aren’t personal—there’s a lot to learn from them. At the end of the day, I love what I do. I’m grateful that I get to build a creative life and business that feels aligned and meaningful. There will always be hard seasons, but I’m learning to meet them with more compassion, curiosity, and trust that they’re part of the process

 What keeps you motivated and inspired in your work?

What I love about photography—and creating in general—is that there’s always something new to explore. Whether it’s experimenting with techniques, playing with different styles, refining storytelling, composition, or color grading, there’s always room to grow. That sense of creative discovery and evolution is what keeps me curious. Sometimes I’m scrolling through my feed and I’ll instantly save a photo or visual that catches my eye. Later on, I’ll come back to it and think about how I can incorporate that style, feeling, or specific elements. Whether it’s from a fashion editorial, a scene in a magazine, or just something I stumbled across on social media, I love imagining how I can bring that inspiration to life through my lens.

I also take breaks and allow myself to rest without guilt when I’m feeling tired or uninspired, knowing that creativity, motivation, and inspiration naturally ebb and flow. Outside of client work, I carve out space to capture whatever is inspiring me or fuels my creative curiosity. Photography has been a huge passion for almost a decade now, and it continues to motivate me towards building a life doing what I love. Nature, the ocean, surfing, and travel are also all huge sources of inspiration for me.

 What board do you ride, and why?

I currently ride a 9’ longboard and absolutely love it! There’s something so beautiful about the feeling of gliding through the water with that effortless, graceful flow that long boarding gives. I’m still working on getting comfortable with cross stepping—so for now, I’m doing little foot shuffles to move across the board. I started surfing about a year and a half ago, and long boarding felt like such a natural and fun way to get into it. I’d love to try short boarding one day, but for now, I’m really enjoying the ride on my log :)